MollyD & others interested in knowing about tank gauges for smaller tanks (22lb - 100lb tanks). Check with a home center or RV dealer. I ran across two lines of products at a local farm & home store that offers it, one was with BBQ accessories and the other was with RV propane accessories. Both are a combo percentage gauge and shut off valve that you install between the tank and the line/regulator. The price is about half or less than the model that you bought. (I like the little flag feature, but if I am running two tanks on a manifold I can check my tanks weekly if need be.) Right now I am between propane dealers, I got into a tank ownership disagreement with the one I have used for over twenty years, and he locked up my tank so I couldn't get it refilled! (Happened in mid January, so I had to buy a 55,000 btu space heater and a 100lb tank to keep my house warm until I could get an electrician out to install some electric baseboard heaters.) As to the smaller tanks being refilled from a bulk truck, most dealers can't do it. The fittings are different for the smaller tanks and the larger ones. Plus they set your tank on a platform scale while filling it to see how much propane is in the tank.

What did your propane company or contractor recommend? We went with a 1000 gallon buried tank for our vacation home which is significantly smaller than yours but we planned it for full time living in the future. It's about 2800 sq ft, 3 levels, 2 story great room with window walls front and back, 4 bedrooms, 2 gas stoves (Jotul), propane cooktop, water heater, dryer but electric oven. I'd probably go with the 1000 tank. We haven't experienced any difficulty when the tank gets low, but I'd call a local propane company ( or two) and see what they recommend. The primary reason we opted for 1000 was the confidence that we didn't have to worry about the propane truck making it up our driveway in a severe snowstorm or if we get freezing rain. Our house is on 135 acres in the mountains of PA and our driveway is about 1/2 mile long. This past winter verified our decision. We had several snowstorms back to back and the guy who plows our driveway had trouble keeping it clear. It snowed, then freezing rain, then snow then high winds causing high drifts followed by more snow. The temps were so cold that the snow didn't melt between storms. Our level dropped to 300 gallons which is the lowest it's ever been.

The info you provided isn't enough to size the propane tank. You also need to consider the scenario and what applainces will be running at the same time and for how long. The big drivers will be the heating system, freplace, generator and hot water. Find out the gallons per hour ratings for each of these and multiply by the number of days you need. Keep in mind that the propane tank is only filled to 80% of maximum capacity to allow for expansion, so a 500 gallong tank will only have 400 maximum gallons; 1000 gallon tank has 800 gallons. Also- you need to figure that when an outage occurs you probably won't have a full tank. I looked at the Kohler 15kW specs and it is rated for about 1.5 gallons per hour of propane usage at a 50% load (idle speed). A 2 week outage would use over 500 gallons assuming you ran the generator continuosly for that entire time. So that alone would put you in the 1000 gallon tank class. But I would really think hard about this 2 week requirement. If that is what you really want - then you probably would need a generator that is liquid cooled and not air cooled (air cooled are cheaper). The liquid cooled gensets may consume more fuel - check the specs. 2 weeks of continuous operation is a long time on a genset. I worked out the tank capacity with the propane service provider. They not only sized the tank, but they also provided a special valve to ensure that the pressure was regulated when the genset is running. The tank size won't change the gas pressure coming into the house since it the regulator keeps the right pressure. I would also look at the genset size. Since your hvac is gas, you don't need a lot of power to keep the house comfortable and rive all of you appliances and well pump. A smaller generator will use less fuel and will be cheaper to install. I have a 12kW Kohler unit and it is more than enough to run the house during an outage. We live in VA and have had some long outages - over 24 hours with no power with near zero degree temps is a long outage. The 12kW works like a champ. Also - make sure you get BOTH the carburetor AND batttery warmer heater accessories for your genset. These are a must in cold weather and will make sure the unit starts in very cold weather.

Underground tanks will be and must be listed as underground tanks, this info is on the data plate. There are three types: aboveground(AG), AG/UG, and underground(UG). The AG/UG tanks can be used in either service. The underground tanks usually have some form of an epoxy type coating instead of paint, and scratches in the coating should on be repaired with the same coating available from the manufacturer. Anodes are used to protect the tank from corrosion, with magnesium being the most common type but depending on soil conditions other types are used as well, and a certain size anode or multiple anodes are used depending on soil type and tank size. Clearances from property lines, structures, wells, buried power lines etc. must be met as well. Most LP companies do this quite often and can line up everything needed to do it. It is recommended by the anode manufactures that the space around the tank be backfilled with the original soil, or completely with sand but never both unless thoroughly mixed. Rocks should be removed from the backfill and special care should be taken to prevent damage to the coating while backfilling. It is a very simple job to do, usually taking about 30min to one hour to do.