Power Outage Tuesday February 28, 2023

Just a heads up that on Tuesday Feb 28 we will be without power for most of the day. You can still call the office at 319-726-3103 and our after hours service will get a call into one of our cell phones. If for some reason the main phone line is affected you can call the after hours phone directly at 563-299-0571. If your call is a non-emergency call we will get back to you on Wednesday to schedule delivery or address your question. Thanks!

Phone Problems – Please Email to Reach Us!

Blue Flame’s Windstream phone system has been down since yesterday.  We are unsure of when it will be repaired.  Please email:  kellyotoole@bf-propane.com if you need to reach us (please include your phone number so we can call you back immediately).  Sorry for the inconvenience.

Propane 2019/2020 Update

PROPANE 2019/2020 UPDATE

As we are all aware the 2019 harvest and winter season brought on a shortage of propane especially in the Midwest.  All propane companies were on extreme allocation starting suddenly in October and running all the way through the middle of January.  Many of our competitors were forced to stop delivering propane to any non-residential customers which meant farmers could not get propane to dry their crops.  These same companies did not honor their contract prices.

Blue Flame is proud to report we were one of the few propane companies in our area that NEVER ran out and also honored all our contract pricing throughout the entire season.  We purchase exclusively through a propane broker that help us build valuable allocation amounts to ensure delivery of product through the fall and winter months.  In addition, we have 130,000 gallons of storage on site which helps us maintain a good on-site inventory level.

We are hearing reports that this summer and winter could be another challenging season with terminals shutting down because they can’t afford to stay open and allocation running throughout the fall/winter season (and perhaps even during the summer months).  Therefore, if you have not yet contracted for the 2020/2021 season, call our office today!  Right now pricing is looking good for summer fills and for contract gallons!

PROPANE TANKS AND FLOOD WATERS

The flood waters caught many communities by surprise mainly due to the torrential rains this week.  In some cases that means that residential propane tanks may be covered partially or completely by flood waters.

If flood waters affected your tank, once the water receded, please contact us.  If we own your tank we will check it for damage for free.  If you own your own tank, we would be happy to check it for damage for just a small fee.

Please remember it’s better to be safe than sorry when you are dealing with your propane tank or line issues!

Propane 101 – Reading Your Propane Gauges

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO READ YOUR PROPANE GAUGES?

Be sure you are looking at the correct gauge.  Some of the tanks have fill gauges and pressure gauges.  In the picture below the gauge on the left is the fill gauge and the one on the right is the pressure.  Notice the pressure gauge goes to 300 and the fill gauge only goes to 95.

This is confusing as sometimes people read the pressure gauge and think that is the amount of propane they have in their tank.  Remember the gauges fluctuate with temperature changes (See the Pressure Fill &Temperature Fluctuations Article in Propane 101 under the Newsletter Tab).

 FILL GAUGE & PRESSURE GAUGE

 GAUGE FOR AN EMPTY TANK

 GAUGE FOR A TANK WITH 30%

Propane Inventories Down – Prices are Up!

Everyone is asking why are propane prices so high this year? This fall/winter has created the perfect storm in the propane world.

First, the US is a net exporter of propane (we used to be a net importer) which has been steadily reducing our US propane inventories.

Second, our Northern states had a extreme crop drying season that not only used their local propane supply but also sent them south to get our propane supply.

Third, this extremely cold winter (record cold November and then our recent polar blast) had continued to stress propane supplies (the Northern states are still coming to the Midwest for supply).

We just saw a 27 cent increase in prices today alone! Unfortunately there is no end in sight and now recent weather predictions are calling for another polar blast heading our way next week!

Make sure you keep track of the gas in your tanks because we are on allocation right now and if the weather stays cold many propane companies are going to have to short fill customers! It’s best to have your tanks full in case this happens (regardless of these outrageous prices).

Call our office if you have any questions!

Holiday Schedule

We will be closed the following dates for the holidays:

Thanksgiving – Thursday November 28 & Friday November 29

Christmas – Tuesday December 24 & Wednesday December 25

New Year’s – Closed at Noon on Tuesday December 31 & and all day Wednesday January 1

Don’t forget to sign up for Dust Control!

We have found that applying dust control each year for several years builds a better base so it’s  important to never miss a year of dust control!

We apply environmentally safe, economical, natural tree sap. We apply two applications; one in May as soon as the counties release the roads and one in August. Don’t forget to sign up for dust control this year! Watch for sign up information coming soon in the mail.