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Does Cold Affect a Propane Tank Level Gauge?
Similar to the majority of other kinds of materials, propane is affected by cold temperatures. When the temperature declines, the propane gas contracts. That reduced level of gas in the tank is reflected by the gauge which reflects the tank level. Often, this occurs whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold weather conditions and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending on the conditions, the tank level may not rise as much as expected.
The propane tank's gauge shows you what percentage of the tank is full. Normally, tanks are not filled more than 80% so as to allow the gas to expand during hot temperatures. Like for instance, a five hundred gallon tank, at a reading of 80% at normal temperatures reflects roughly four hundred gallons of propane inside the tank. This is about the amount that is able to be stored.
The website Propane 101, which is operated by the propane industry, considers an exterior temperature of 60 degrees to be the baseline or reference point. 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 will contain about 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that same day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge will read lower. Also, if the temperature is a lot higher than sixty degrees, the gauge would actually read higher since the gas expanded.
Based on the information provided by the propane industry website, the amount of energy contained within the tank does not really change as the gas contracts or expands. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but only the density of the gas has changed.
The homeowner who orders 100 gallons of propane would receive around 424 lbs. of propane. With the delivery of one hundred gallons, the homeowner with a 1000 gallon propane tank could expect the guage to go up by 10%. These numbers would be correct if the temperatures were close to sixty degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery happened during colder weather conditions, these chillier temperatures will result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.
