propane heating

[Camp194]

I purchased my home 3 years ago. On monday of this week, my propane was turned off because I can't afford to pay out $305 every month for propane. I asked to be on a budget plan. The company said: "we don't do budgets."
Now what do I do? I told them I couldn't afford this kind of rate. Still no help.
I've gone to every agency in SW Wisconsin for help, only to be turned down because I either make too much on my gross income or I have no kids or disabled people in my household.

Anybody have any suggestions?

Tomorrow I will be speaking to my bank rep to see if I can borrow another $1610 to put a new furnace in here.

Personally I don't believe that I use that much propane per month, because before I moved here, I lived in a mobile home this same size 12 X 50 and my bill was $60 per month during the winter. I keep the temp at 64. Tonight the temp is 32. I know, watch for frozen pipes. It's not that cold here. In fact it's foggy tonight.

Thanks for anyone's help.

Camp194

[Greenlady]

I'm in upstate New York, where the temps have been in the 30's but somehow my furnace managed to chew through $200-worth of propane in just two weeks. I turn the thermostat down to 60 when I go to bed and leave it there through the day, put it up to 70 for a few hours when I get home from work.

The propane company recently rebuilt the furnace because the previous tenant tore the guts out of it (!) and I suspect a) they didn't do a very good job, and b) they didn't properly adjust the burner. The head of service at the company just said "well, those trailers aren't always insulated real well so yeah you might use that much". I've already closed off two rooms and I have insulated drapes and interior storms on all of the windows. Anybody got bright ideas about any other insulation steps I can take?

I also have a good kerosene heater -- I'm thinking maybe I should just leave that furnace thermostat on 60 all the time and fire up the kero burner if I want to warm up the kitchen and livingroom.

What a racket. And of course any time I run out of propane they lock out the tanks and charge me an extra $35 to "check the line".

They will have a surprise in the spring -- the natural gas company has agreed to put in a line. I already looked into going with another propane company but when I talked to them last week they said they'd waive the "security deposit" if I guarantee to buy at least $450 through the season (not hard, I guess, although why I have to pay a security deposit if I'm meeting the driver each time with cash in my hand). This week it's oh no, they never waive the $600 security deposit and they have no idea who I might have talked to last week.

I am just about ready to start looking at the feasibility of putting in a cute little Ben Franklin wood burner. What a racket.

[rmurray]

Short of moving South..You have mentioned a few alternatives...Wood stove can be a good addition...Most power companies will do a free energy audit and offer suggestions to improve effiency..You might try calling yours and ask if they have the service..Kero heaters are probably NOT a good choice..They can be VERY dangerous..They emit carbon dioxide and should only be used in very well ventilated areas....Natueral gas might a less costly alternative but your furnace will need some adjustment..Gas companies will usually do them..They will have to change the orifice where the gas enters the furnace...

Now you might have an idea why the last owner ripped out the furnace guts...Frustration can cause all sorts of odd behavior...Good Luck

[Greenlady]

LOL, I did just interview for a job further south. It can't hurt to talk to people, right? If the northeast wants to keep skilled workers it needs to do something about the heating bills.

I didn't mention but it's worth mentioning -- I don't live anywhere without a couple of good carbon monoxide detectors. One of those saved our lives when an oil furnace died the big one in a rented house.

I had propane and heat when I got home last night, a good start! Didn't think to check the thermostat because everything felt right. Woke up at midnight thinking I had a runaway furnace! Despite my specific instruction to leave the thermostat on 60, the reset guy had it at max, about 85. So much for their promise to help me conserve fuel!

It is definitely time to at least find another propane company as well as another independent furnace specialist to confirm that the machinery is working correctly. I'm getting the idea that the propane company is my biggest problem in this situation -- but I'm also going to hire a high school kid to crawl around underneath with a flashlight to check for disconnects in the warm air transport pipes.

Does anybody out there have experience with the new interior insulating paints? I'm thinking it might be worthwhile to paint the insides of the exterior walls and also get estimates on insulated skirting and blown-in insulation -- and one of those double-pocket roof packages. The website said a homeowner can install it so I'm guessing a local handyman could also handle the job.

The previous tenant was a crackhead undergoing eviction. She had a lot of bizarre behaviors and did a lot of bizarre sabotage things. Most of them were reflected in the price of the trailer, which I actually bought more for the lot than for the trailer itself. My previous experiences with propane have been very positive, so I was especially surprised to be finding it such an expensive hassle. I think there are four basic rules for a trailer newbie like me -- 1) make sure you're with an honest supplier, 2) install at least two _good_ carbon monoxide detectors as well as your regular number of smoke detectors (I'm paranoid so I have one in each room), 3) have a reliable "booster" heat source to temporarily raise the comfort level of a chosen room instead of asking the furnace to heat the whole space to that level, and 4) figure that every dollar spent on insulation is going to save at least $3 per year in that burnable stuff. Not much different than any other fuel.

[jackofalltrades]

I WAS paying close to $400.00 a month for propane (or should that be pro-pain). I put in a wood stove. Although the climate here in Central California foothills is much milder, I have used about 3/4 of a cord of walnut wood that cost me $150. This has been over two months now. The stove cost $100.00 used from a friend (look on craigslist) and another $350.00 or so on an installation kit from Tractor Supply Store. So this year it cost me initially $600.00 but it will and has paid for itself already. Also there are instructions on building solar space heaters that recirculate your room air through a heat exchanger that is warmed up by the sun and back into your room. These work great on SUNNY cold days, but overcast forget it. You can build one for under $50.00. My son and I have built one and will try different designs when time allows. You can PM me if you want more info on these or just do a web search on solar space heaters.