American River Gas office and delivery truck at the Newcastle yard

Buying, building & moving

Moving to the foothills: setting up propane service

To set up propane at a new foothill home, find out who owns the tank, open an account with your name, service address and contact details, and choose Keep Full automatic delivery. A new-customer set-up includes a pressure check and leak test with someone home, so book it before or right after move-in.

Updated October 2026 · American River Gas office, Newcastle

Call (530) 888-7438 Open an account

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Step 1: find out who owns the tank

Many foothill homes have a tank leased from a propane company. Others have a tank the homeowner owns. Your purchase papers, the seller, or the company that has been filling it can tell you. We deliver to both leased and customer-owned tanks, and if a tank needs to change, we can talk through sizes and whether to lease or own.

Percentage gauge under the dome of a propane tank

Step 2: open an account

Call the office at (530) 888-7438 or use the Open an Account form. Have this ready:

Your name and the service address.
A phone number and email.
Tank size and ownership, if you know them.
Which appliances run on propane.
Gate codes, dogs, or anything the driver should know.

Step 3: choose how you get deliveries

Keep Full: our route drivers fill your tank automatically, on a schedule set from outdoor temperatures and your prior use. If a Keep Full tank runs out while the account is in good standing, you are not charged for the leak test or special trip (certain restrictions apply).
Order your own deliveries: you watch the gauge and call when it reads about 30%. Our trucks serve each area on a set day of the week, so ordering at 30% leaves time for a delivery within about a week.

American River Gas driver filling a residential propane tank

Step 4: the new-customer leak check

Before propane is turned on for a new customer, the system gets a pressure check and leak test. It confirms the piping, regulators and each appliance connection are sound. The technician needs access inside the home, so someone needs to be there. If anything is unsafe or out of code, it is red tagged until it is repaired.

Step 5: payment options

We accept cash, checks, Visa, Mastercard and Discover. Terms are Net 10, and autopay can charge your card automatically when a delivery is made. The Budget Plan spreads the year's cost into 11 equal monthly payments plus a clean-up month; the budget year runs May through April, and you need a zero or credit balance to start.

Residential propane tank set on a lawn under an oak tree

Life with propane in the foothills

Learn the gauge: lift the dome, read the 0 to 100 dial. It shows percent, not gallons.
Keep the path clear: our delivery hose is 120 feet, and every obstacle uses some of it. Keep the driveway plowed or passable in snow and trim low branches.
Plan for outages: power shutoffs happen here. Many propane fireplaces work without electricity, and keeping your tank full means they are ready when the power is out.
Appliances from a natural gas home need a conversion before they run on propane.
After hours, weekends and holidays, our answering service reaches a staff member.

Winter in the foothills

If this is your first winter here, plan ahead. Heating use climbs quickly when the weather turns, and snow or ice can make a steep driveway hard for a heavy truck. If you order your own deliveries, check the gauge weekly in cold months and call early before a storm or a holiday. Running out means a pressure check is required before service resumes, and the homeowner has to be present for it, so it is worth avoiding. Keep Full automatic delivery takes much of the watching off your plate.

Know the smell

Propane has an odor added so leaks are easy to notice. It is often described as rotten eggs or a skunk's spray. Make sure everyone in the house knows it. If you smell gas, leave the building first, then call 911 and us from outside. Do not use light switches, appliances or phones inside, and only reenter when a technician or responder says it is safe.

Questions

Straight answers

How do I start propane service at a new home?

Call (530) 888-7438 or use the Open an Account form with your name, service address and contact details, then choose Keep Full automatic delivery and book the new-customer leak check.

Do I need to be home when propane service starts?

Yes. A new-customer set-up includes a pressure check and leak test, and the technician needs access inside the home.

Can I keep the old company's leased tank?

A leased tank belongs to the company that leased it, so switching companies usually means a new tank. Call us to talk through sizes and lease or own options.

What payment options are there?

Cash, check, Visa, Mastercard and Discover, with autopay available. The Budget Plan spreads the year's cost into equal monthly payments.

How does Keep Full automatic delivery work?

Keep Full fills your tank automatically on a schedule set from outdoor temperatures and your past use, so you do not have to watch the gauge. If you would rather order your own deliveries, call when it reads about 30%.

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