[ad_1]
FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) – With coronavirus restrictions forcing bars and restaurants to sit their customers outside in the dead of winter, many are scrambling to find irregular supplies of propane that power the heaters they are on. matter more than ever to keeping people comfortable in the cold.
It’s one of many new – but crucial – headaches that come with setting up tables and tents on sidewalks, streets and patios to comply with public health restrictions.
“You’re in the middle of the shift and you ask the staff to introduce themselves and say, ‘We’re out of propane! Said Melinda Maddox, manager of a whiskey tasting room in Colorado.
Propane has long been a lifeline for people who live in places too far away for natural gas to flow to their homes for heating, hot water and cooking. This winter, 5-gallon (18-liter) propane tanks have proven to be a new necessity for urban businesses, especially in places like the Rocky Mountains, where the sun often eases the cold and people still like to congregate. on the patios when the radiators roar.
Standard-size tanks, which contain pressurized liquid propane that turns to gas when released, are usually readily available at gas stations, grocery stores, or home improvement stores. But this is not always the case lately as a strong demand leads to sometimes irregular supplies.
“I spent a day driving an hour in town. I literally went north, south, east, west – I just looped around Fort Collins because every gas station I went to was down. It was frustrating, ”said Maddox, who runs the tasting room at the Reserve By Old Elk Distillery in downtown Fort Collins, about 105 kilometers north of Denver.
Almost all states allow at least some indoor dining, but national rules are a mishmash of local regulations. In Fort Collins, indoor seating in bars and restaurants is limited to 25% of normal capacity, so there is a strong incentive to sit patrons outside despite the hassle and expense.
Local shortages of propane tanks are not only a result of higher demand, but also pandemic-like household hoarding of toilet paper and other commodities. A national tank supplier reported a 38% sales increase this winter, said Tom Clark, executive director of the Rocky Mountain Propane Association.
But Clark says the offer is there, it may just mean a bit more research than normal. If there are 10 vendors in a neighborhood, “maybe 1 in 10 may be out of stock. Sure, you can find propane swap tanks if you look around, ”Clark said.
Franklin, Tennessee-based tank maker Manchester Tank has been paying workers overtime and increasing production in India to meet demand, company president Nancy Chamblee said via email.
So far, soaring demand for small tank propane has not affected overall propane supply, demand and prices in the United States, which are similar to recent winters, according to the US Energy Information Administration. .
But trying to find a steady supply of propane can cost already stressed businesses time and money that they miss in the pandemic.
Gas stations are better than home improvement stores for running propane tanks because you can park closer, Maddox said, but stores that fill the tanks are better because it’s cheaper and not. as complicated as trying to dry each tank.
“The problem is, it takes longer,” Maddox said. “You just have to build this into your day and say OK, it’s going to take 40 minutes instead of 25 minutes.”
Across the street, Kristy and Dave Wygmans, owners of the Pour Brothers community tavern, filled up tanks for their 18 radiators and fire bowls at a vendor on the outskirts of town after a store neighbor has stopped offering a filling service.
They discovered that the propane tanks were stamped with the date of manufacture. Propane stores will not fill tanks older than 12 years unless they have been recertified in five year increments.
“We are learning more and more about propane,” said Dave Wygmans.
They also gained insight into the market for space heaters, which more than doubled in price last fall due to growing demand, and outdoor furniture for their street parking lot turned into an outdoor patio seating up to ‘to 44 people, Kristy Wygmans told me.
Their employees also had to quickly learn how to plug in propane tanks and lightweight heaters, needed in a location where temperatures can dip well below zero (minus 18 degrees Celsius) in winter.
Keeping customers comfortable has taken on a whole new dimension outdoors, said Dave Wygmans.
“It used to be just food and drink, right? And now we think food and drink is the priority, but maybe the customer thinks heat is the priority. And now we need to balance another priority that might be of interest to some customers, ”he said.
“It’s almost like another service we provide is outdoor heating,” Wygmans said.
___
Follow Mead Gruver on https://twitter.com/meadgruver.
[ad_2]
Source link