FAQs
Frequently Asked Questions & Answers:
Q: Do you accept heap/social services?
A: Absolutely, we work closely with our local Department of Social Services to ensure that our customers’ needs are met. Please call our office for further information.
Q: Do you give a senior discount?
A: Yes, we offer a 10% discount on gas.
Q: What is a minimum usage/lease/tank rental fee?
A: Our company policy is to “purchase what you have.” So if you have a 23.5 gallon tank on site, we ask that throughout the course of a year, that you purchase at least 23.5 gallons. If you have a 100 gallon tank, we ask that you purchase at least 100 gallons per year and so on.
Q: What is a tank rental charge for?
A: When we provide you with a propane tank, StarLite assumes responsibility for equipment upkeep maintenance of your propane system, including tank painting, the replacement of regulators, and the upkeep of the copper lines that run from your tank to your home. A nominal tank rental fee helps us to ensure that your propane system remains in excellent working condition.
Q: Do you fill BBQ tanks?
A: Yes, we fill BBQ tanks at our Bay Shore location.
111 S. 4th Street
Bay Shore, NY 11706
Q: Do you deliver on weekends?
A: We deliver on weekends when necessary.
Q: How do I read my gauge on my tank?
A: The gauge will usually be located under the hood on the top of your tank. Simply lift the hood and find the dial with numbers from 5 to 95. Those numbers indicate the percentage of propane in your tank. If you are a Will Call Customer, please contact our office to schedule a delivery when your gauge reads 30% or less.
Q: I’m interested in burying my propane tank. How deep does the hole have to be? How much sand needs to go underneath the tank?
A: There are a number of factors to be considered in any underground installation. As such, installation of an underground propane tank should only be undertaken by StarLite Propane’s trained installation technicians. Please contact our office for more details.
Q: I smell gas. What should I do?
A: If you smell gas inside or outside of your home:
NO FLAMES OR SPARKS. Immediately put out all smoking materials and other open flames. Do not operate lights, appliances, telephones, or cell phones. Flames or sparks from these sources can trigger an explosion or a fire.
LEAVE THE AREA IMMEDIATELY. Get everyone out of the building or area where you suspect gas is leaking.
SHUT OFF THE GAS. Turn off the main gas supply valve on your propane tank, if it is safe to do so. To close the valve, turn it to the right (clockwise).
REPORT THE LEAK. From a neighbor’s home or other building away from the gas leak, call your propane retailer right away. If you can’t reach your propane retailer, call 911or your local fire department.
DO NOT RETURN TO THE BUILDING OR AREA until your propane retailer determines that it is safe to do so.
GET YOUR SYSTEM CHECKED. Before you attempt to use any of your propane appliances, your propane retailer or a qualified service technician must check your entire system to ensure that it is leak-free.
Q: Can I disconnect my tank?
A: NO. Please do not tamper with the tank or the regulator provided by StarLite Propane. Only licensed plumbers and propane professionals are permitted to disconnect the equipment. Please contact our office for more information.
Q: What forms of payment do you accept?
A: We accept cash, check, money order and all major credit cards
Q. WHY ISN’T MY TANK FILLED TO 100 PERCENT CAPACITY?
A. Your propane is delivered and stored in liquid form. Propane liquid, for example, will expand nearly 17 times as much as water over the same temperature increase. As a result, tanks and cylinders are never completely filled with propane-gas liquid. Tanks are filled to about 80 to 85 percent of their capacity. This leaves a space above the liquid, which allows the propane liquid to expand freely due to changes in temperature. There are several important characteristics that you need to understand about LP gases when they are stored in containers. First, heat added to LP gases in a tank or cylinder is transferred directly from the air surrounding the container. Hot days, cool nights, rain and snow are a few of the many factors that affect the temperature of the liquid. Because of these temperature changes, you may see fluctuations in your container gauge.
Q: Why have you implemented a fuel surcharge?
A: StarLite Propane, like most of us, has been affected by fluctuations in the cost of gasoline and diesel at the pumps. Along with many other delivery companies in the United States, we have had to implement fuel surcharges to offset these increased costs. StarLite Propane utilizes a standard fuel surcharge on all delivery tickets.
Q: What do I need to do to maintain my tank?
A: StarLite is happy to keep your tank and propane system in working order. For your safety and to provide your StarLite Driver with ready access to your tank, we ask that you keep grass and brush from growing up around your tank, and that you refrain from using the area immediately around your tank for storage.
Q: What does propane smell like?
A: Because propane gas in its natural state is both colorless and odorless, a distinctive odorant (ethyl mercaptan) is added for the purpose of detecting its presence. To become familiar with the smell of propane (similar to sulfur, or rotten eggs).
Q. IS PROPANE DANGEROUS TO THE ENVIRONMENT?
A. No. Propane is an approved, alternative clean fuel listed in the 1990 Clean Air Act and the National Energy Policy Act of 1992. Propane is one of the cleanest burning of all alternative fuels; new propane-fueled vehicles can meet the very tough Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (ULEV) standards, and one model even meets the Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicle (SULEV) standards. Propane is also nontoxic, so it’s not harmful to soil or water.
Q. DO PROPANE PRICES CHANGE?
A. The price of propane, like any other natural energy resource, fluctuates depending on availability.
Therefore, our price from the refinery increases or decreases as the market does.
Q. WHY WOULD I CHOOSE PROPANE OVER ELECTRICITY FOR MY APPLIANCES AND HEATING MY HOME?
A. According to the US Department of Energy it could cost up to twice as much to operate your range, water heater, dryer or furnace with electricity than with propane gas. Propane gas furnaces and heaters provide more consistent warm air throughout your home at a lower cost than electric heat pumps and have a longer average life span of 20 years, compared with electric heat pumps’ 12-year average life span.
Q. HOW DOES PROPANE COMPARE TO OTHER FORMS OF ENERGY?
A. Propane can be up to 25% less expensive than electricity in most cities. In addition, when tank levels are properly maintained, propane provides a virtually uninterruptible power supply. That is reassuring when “brownouts” or “blackouts” occur when too many users are drawing electricity during high consumption periods, like cold winter months.