All-weather attractive 20lb propane tank cover?


 
D

DB Jones

New member
Storing my WSM bullet is no problem. I keep it covered in the garage when I'm not using it. The two 20lb propane tanks for my new Genesis ii-315 are another matter. I take seriously the warnings not to store propane tanks in the garage or on a wooden porch or deck. I've got a level spot on our concrete driveway that's next to a handrail and 10ft from the house, which sounds like a good place. But our HOA has a strict rule about tanks not just sitting out in sight. They don't allow the flexible grill covers like the ones Weber sells in sight either. I was all excited about a couple of attractive faux-brick tank covers online, until the customer reps told me they're not intended to be left outside all winter. They said, "The finish won't hold up, so just bring them in during the winter." I said, "That defeats the whole purpose." We live on a steep slope on a mountainside, so there's no safe way to set the tanks behind the house. I'm stumped and open to good suggestions. Thanks. BTW, low and slow on my WSM is my favorite. But for quicker cooks I'm loving this Genesis.
 
Damn, I have at least ten propane tanks in my garage right now. Makes sense that it isn't a good thing to do. I would look for a small Rubermaid/Suncast deck box, storage cabinet/shed or whatever. They make tons of sizes and shapes and will hide them from the home owner Nazis and protect them from the elements as well.
 
Last edited:
DB:

Check with your HOA to see if they even allow those. If they do, check out Craigslist, etc. for pool storage, deck storage, etc. Another possibility is if you have recessed basement windows, if you have a basement at all, would be to put a tank in each well with those clear plastic domes they sell. Last suggestions would be to get plastic garbage cans larger than the cylinders and bury them in the ground.
 
I am so glad that while we do have a neighborhood "club" it's not a HOA. Ours is mostly centered on having parties in the summer, trick or treating, Christmas caroling. We even own our own little park which is what our dues are mostly for. I would hate to have to deal with a HOA, especially knowing who the people were that were trying to enforce these rules about propane tanks. In any event, good luck finding a solution. You might just have to close the tank valves real good and keep them in the garage. They aren't giving you a lot of options.
 
I use two plastic milk cartons placed open top to top and stack two tanks that way. They have plenty of airflow so I doubt any explosions will happen there. I got them for free at my local neighborhood grocery store! Spray them an innocuous color, set them aside and see if that flies?
 
Yah, i keep getting them with my rehab grills. Sometimes two at a time and one full, one half full kind of deals. I try to sell empty ones with my rehabs, but that doesn't work very often even at $10 so sometimes, if working a deal with a buyer, I offer to throw one in for free. But, I have a lot of full ones right now and it's not like I go through it all that fast....unless I accidentally leave a grill on over night.
 
I have probably done it three times in the last two years. I just did it last month for the first time in a while. I think most of them were 3/4 full or more. I don't consider it a screw up for any thing under 1/4 tank. But, with all the full tanks I have on hand right now, it is more of a PIA than a financial issue.
 
I generally post every grill with a full tank to start with. I get quite a few included with grills
that I pick up, two at a time occasionally with the pellet grills casualties, and will resort
to buying them when I can find them for $5. The local Ace Hardware added a fill station
and will do them for $15 -the same as Walmart.
 
My local “Hank Hill” place will do a stone empty refill for about $12.00 (or less) which is much lower than the “Swap out” from anywhere around me.
The guy is as nice as nice can be and I can drop a tank (or 2) and pick them up the next day. With a patio heater, that can be convenient here when the weather gets chilly!
 
J Grotz said:
Little pricey, but it's metal, made to be left outside, and innocuous enough not to offend even the pickiest HOA board.

https://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00NG145EW/tvwb-20
Click to expand...

This may be what I end up getting. The color of the faux-stone-box hideaways that I was looking at would have matched the faux-stone veneer on the front of our house almost exactly, so a nicer look. We retired 2 years ago and this is the first house we've lived in that doesn't have a concrete patio out back, which is where I left all of my grills, Weber-covered, year-round.

While not very attractive, this would pass the HOA test. We live on the side of a mountain in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, gated community, wooded, black bear territory, where the greatest fear is a fire. So we're all pretty careful about grilling. Especially in drought conditions in a volunteer fire department area. They do a good job, but it can take a while for them to arrive.

There was a chimney fire in a nearby neighborhood last weekend. The house caught on fire. Apparently there was a propane tank in the garage. Boom! House was totally destroyed. It may have burned to the ground even without the propane tank exploding. But you can see why it caught my attention.

At any rate, thanks for the reply. You may be the winner!
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top