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Put safety first when trying to minimize the look of your propane tank
Having propane in your home offers a lot of advantages, from high-efficiency heating and water heating to the fun of cooking on a propane gas range. With reliable propane delivery and affordable propane tank leasing from Taylor Energy, you can enjoy all those benefits along with ease and convenience.
However, a propane tank isn’t exactly the most attractive thing on your lawn. There are ways you can minimize its effects, and ways you absolutely should not. We have a bunch of tips that make having a propane tank easy without it sticking out like a sore thumb.
How to use landscaping to minimize your propane tank
There are multiple options for obscuring the view of your propane tank that are easy and safe. These include:
- fences
- lattices or trellises
- evergreen trees and shrubs
While installing a fence may be more expensive up front, it is permanent and low maintenance, as you don’t have to deal with pruning, weeding and fertilizing. Vinyl fencing is the ultimate in low maintenance.
A trellis or lattice on its own can shield the propane tank from view. But you can make it an accent in your yard by planting jasmine, honeysuckle, roses or morning glories. You can even make it an edible garden by using it to grow beans or peas.
Use evergreen shrubs and trees not only to block the view of the tank but also to provide an attractive vertical landscape feature. Great evergreen options include boxwood, juniper or holly. Arborvitae are narrow and can reach heights of six feet or more.
Before you start
You may be focused on reducing the visibility of your propane tank, but there are some key things you have to consider before you start digging and planting.
Your tank must be easily accessible for Taylor Energy to be able to make propane deliveries or perform any service on your tank (we take care of all maintenance and repairs when you lease your tank from us). You must also be able to easily access it if you ever need to shut off the tank supply valve in the event of an emergency.
Here are some tips to ensure that you have enough clear space around your tank. Install fencing at least two feet away from the tank and make sure that lattices, trellises, plants or shrubs are at least four feet away. Trees must be planted at least 10 feet away.
What not to do
While it may be tempting to use brightly colored flowers and flowering shrubs near the propane tank to distract from it, that tactic has the opposite effect, as eyes are immediately drawn to the area, which makes the tank even more obvious.
NEVER paint your propane tank a darker color to blend it in with your home or landscaping. Propane tanks are lighter colors (usually somewhere between white and a light tan) for an important reason.
Like other liquids, propane expands in heat. Propane expansion is 17 times that of water. That expansion is why we fill your tank to only 80% full — so the propane has room to safely expand.
Light colors reflect heat. Dark colors absorb heat. A dark-colored propane tank could cause the propane to expand to dangerous levels. Click the link to contact us today or call (860) 623-3308 to get started.
Contact Taylor Energy to learn more about our worry-free, affordable propane tank leasing!