breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,316 
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Sept 20, 2019 0:08:02 GMT
Our neighbor moved out and new people have been moving in for months. I guess they've been remodeling (from all the noise, cars and they have a POD in the driveway). Now there is a giant propane tank (like 5 feet tall) in the side yard facing my house. Yes it's propane is says so in giant letters I can see when parking my car. It has a hose attachment going into their house. This would be the bedroom part of a typical 1970s ranch house NOT the garage. Does anyone have any guesses what on earth it could be for?
Signed, a nosy neighbor, who isn't sure she wants a propane tank that huge close to her own house, but no one asked me...
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Post by christine58 on Sept 20, 2019 0:10:05 GMT
Heat source
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samantha25
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,320
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Post by samantha25 on Sept 20, 2019 0:12:10 GMT
A propane-powered HVAC system? Can be used for cannibus greenhouse, from what I googled...or some generator backup...
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Post by pierkiss on Sept 20, 2019 0:13:11 GMT
Heat. Gas to run the oven/stove and whatever else runs on gas in that house.
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Post by bc2ca on Sept 20, 2019 0:14:36 GMT
It sounds like they are using propane to heat the house with a tank that size.
I can't imagine doing it if natural gas is available in your area, but it would be a cheaper option if you are reliant on electric heat.
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Post by mcjunkin on Sept 20, 2019 0:15:51 GMT
dryer, hot water heater
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Gennifer
Drama Llama
Posts: 5,444
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Post by Gennifer on Sept 20, 2019 0:16:04 GMT
Do you have natural gas? We have propane at our house, but it’s because we don’t have natural gas available.
I wouldn’t think it would be code to have the line not buried, though.
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Post by Baseballmom23 on Sept 20, 2019 0:16:17 GMT
Call the City to see if they got permits to place it there? There has to be some sort of set back requirements.
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,316
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Sept 20, 2019 0:20:33 GMT
We can't get natural gas, whatever you need to have it, stops about a block from our street... I don't know the reasoning.
I looked up the house online to see what type of heat it already has and it says heat pump. If they got a permit for something else, it's not available online yet.
Yes, we are on city sewer, electricity, water etc.
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eastcoastpea
Prolific Pea
Posts: 9,252
Jun 27, 2014 13:05:28 GMT
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Post by eastcoastpea on Sept 20, 2019 0:21:35 GMT
My brother-in-law uses it to heat his garage. Cars and work area downstairs, and top floor is a giant billiard and recreation area.
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lindas
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,488
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Post by lindas on Sept 20, 2019 0:22:07 GMT
If they're remodeling than it's probably being used to dry the drywall mud. They're still building in my development so I see them used all the time.
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Post by Cupcake on Sept 20, 2019 0:22:24 GMT
We have a tank just like that at our lake house. The only thing it’s used for is our gas fireplace. We can pretty much heat the whole house with it.
Lisa B.
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snyder
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,493
Location: Colorado
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Post by snyder on Sept 20, 2019 0:35:19 GMT
I think there are rules/laws about permanent setting of tanks as to where they can go, so hopefully this is temporary. Usually if it is in a neighborhood, you can't have them seen from the street. Did they pour a cement block for it to sit on? A lot of builders/construction sites use them to heat the rooms up so that paint and texture dries faster. Gosh, sure hope it is not to heat the home or grow house on a long term basis. I would think if it was a grow house, they would hide it a bit.
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freebird
Drama Llama
'cause I'm free as a bird now
Posts: 6,927
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Post by freebird on Sept 20, 2019 0:35:57 GMT
Most cities won't let you have propane in town. If you're in the city, you can inquire about it. If you're out of town, you're probably screwed. Plant a tree on your side of the fence to block the view!
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breetheflea
Drama Llama
Posts: 7,316
Location: PNW
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Post by breetheflea on Sept 20, 2019 0:50:30 GMT
The people that moved in are older (like retired age) so I hope it's not a grow house. Plus pot is legal so you can buy it at the store why bother growing it yourself?
The tank is on a cement pad, there's a pipe with a meter on top of it, then a line going from the tank into the house (the flexible kind like on a barbecue). Then it says NO SMOKING, PROPANE in giant letters and there is a florescent orange flag on top.
That side of my house is paved from the wall of the garage to the chain-link fence (the people that used to live here parked an RV there). We don't have windows over there so I only see it from the driveway so I'm not worried that it's ugly, I just don't want it to blow up!
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samantha25
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,320
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Post by samantha25 on Sept 20, 2019 0:58:28 GMT
The people that moved in are older (like retired age) so I hope it's not a grow house. Plus pot is legal so you can buy it at the store why bother growing it yourself? The tank is on a cement pad, there's a pipe with a meter on top of it, then a line going from the tank into the house (the flexible kind like on a barbecue). Then it says NO SMOKING, PROPANE in giant letters and there is a florescent orange flag on top. That side of my house is paved from the wall of the garage to the chain-link fence (the people that used to live here parked an RV there). We don't have windows over there so I only see it from the driveway so I'm not worried that it's ugly, I just don't want it to blow up! Interesting responses.... it's a mystery! I love reading this stuff. TFS |
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Post by hop2 on Sept 20, 2019 1:00:15 GMT
Call the City to see if they got permits to place it there? There has to be some sort of set back requirements. yeah that Wether your in a city or in a small town the installation of a new propane tank needs a permit. |
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Post by Neisey on Sept 20, 2019 1:08:17 GMT
In my current house I have a propane tank for my fireplace. My last home had a propane tank for the dryer. We bought the natural gas dryer in another province but when we were posted here gas wasn’t available so we converted it to propane.
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Post by scrapsotime on Sept 20, 2019 1:11:50 GMT
I've lived in little towns where everyone had a propane tank. Never knew one to blow up. Not even the one at the town bar when it burned down.
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Kerri W
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,836
Location: Kentucky
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Post by Kerri W on Sept 20, 2019 1:51:01 GMT
I agree these responses are interesting. I’ve never lived in a place where propane tanks *weren’t* common. Our current tank is probably 5’ tall. No permits were needed. The line isn’t buried but the tank is very close to our house. It’s used for anything we’d use natural gas for (which is not available to us) Currently we use it for our gas stove, water heater and fireplace. It faces the side of my neighbor’s house and IMO isn’t any better/worse looking than the heat pumps a few feet away.
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Post by kitkath on Sept 20, 2019 1:51:41 GMT
How do you heat your house if you don’t have natural gas or propane? Electric?
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Post by christine58 on Sept 20, 2019 1:54:43 GMT
How do you heat your house if you don’t have natural gas or propane? Electric? Yup |
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Post by chlerbie on Sept 20, 2019 2:23:14 GMT
The people that moved in are older (like retired age) so I hope it's not a grow house. Plus pot is legal so you can buy it at the store why bother growing it yourself? Because it's a lot cheaper to grow it yourself. |
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,948
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Sept 20, 2019 2:33:07 GMT
They are common in New England. I wouldn’t think of it as any more dangerous than a natural gas line.
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maryannscraps
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 4,948
Aug 28, 2017 12:51:28 GMT
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Post by maryannscraps on Sept 20, 2019 2:33:39 GMT
They are common in New England. I wouldn’t think of it as any more dangerous than a natural gas line.
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Post by katlaw on Sept 20, 2019 2:35:46 GMT
They can blow up if not installed properly and maintened. Google propane Bleve if you want to see something terrifying.
It sounds like they had it installed, not just put there to dry new drywall or concrete. If they did it themselves they could just put it there with no permit. If they paid someone to install it has to have a permit, a reputable installer would not install one without.
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Deleted
Posts: 0
Aug 18, 2025 19:49:38 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Sept 20, 2019 2:37:24 GMT
In Texas the placement of a propane tank in a residential area has requirements based on the size of the tank. If your giant descriptions means the tank holds between 500-2000 gals it has to be minimum 25 ft. away from structures.
Have you checked your state or city requirements? I wouldn't want something like that so close to my home either.
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Post by elaine on Sept 20, 2019 3:43:04 GMT
How do you heat your house if you don’t have natural gas or propane? Electric? Yes. Electric heat pump. Our house in WV has huge liquid heating fuel oil tanks - 2 of them. It is such a dirty method of heating - we have to dust the soot up regularly in the winter. The house is 150 years old and there is no natural gas in town. Everyone uses fuel oil or propane for heat. I’m guessing people who haven’t heard of propane heating systems never watched King of the Hill. Hank Hill was a propane salesman. |
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julie5
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,627
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Post by julie5 on Sept 20, 2019 3:46:34 GMT
I agree these responses are interesting. I’ve never lived in a place where propane tanks *weren’t* common. Our current tank is probably 5’ tall. No permits were needed. The line isn’t buried but the tank is very close to our house. It’s used for anything we’d use natural gas for (which is not available to us) Currently we use it for our gas stove, water heater and fireplace. It faces the side of my neighbor’s house and IMO isn’t any better/worse looking than the heat pumps a few feet away. Same. We live outside of town and most everyone around has lp tanks. |
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AmandaA
Pearl Clutcher
Posts: 3,502
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Post by AmandaA on Sept 20, 2019 7:11:17 GMT
How do you heat your house if you don’t have natural gas or propane? Electric? Or geothermal (with electric backup). |
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