Komatsu Propane Forklift Portland

Does Cold Really Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?

Propane is similar to most other types of materials in that it is affected by cold temperatures. The propane gas contracts as the temperature does down. That reduced level of gas in the tank is reflected by the gauge that reflects the tank level. Usually, this occurs whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold conditions and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending upon the conditions, the level on the tank may not rise as much as expected.



Propane Tank Level Gauge

The gauge on the propane tank will show what percentage of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are typically not filled over 80% full because this will allow for the gas to expand on warmer temperatures. For example, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80 percent at normal temperatures reflects approximately 400 gallons of propane inside the tank. This is roughly how much is able to be stored.



Normal Temperatures

The propane industry manages the popular website Propane 101, that considers the propane reference point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. Like for instance, if the gauge reads 50% of capacity on a day when the temperature is near 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank would contain roughly 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is a lot lower than 60 degrees, the gauge will read lower. In the same way, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge will actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.



Effect of Contraction and Expansion

Based on the information given by the propane industry web site, the amount of energy contained inside the tank does not actually change as the gas contracts or expands. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but just the density of the gas has changed.



Cold-Weather Delivery

If a homeowner orders 100 gallons of propane to be delivered, they will receive 424 lbs. of propane. If the homeowner has a 1000 gallon propane tank, they may expect the gauge to go up by 10% with the delivery of 100 gallons. These numbers would be accurate if the temperatures were close to 60 degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery happened during colder weather, these chillier temperatures will result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.

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