Does Cold Affect a Propane Tank Level Gauge?
Propane is similar to the majority of other types of materials in that it is affected by cold temperatures. The propane gas contracts when the temperature does down. That reduced level of gas inside the tank is reflected by the gauge which reflects the tank level. Usually, this happens whenever a homeowner checks the gauge in cold climate and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending upon the climate, the level on the tank may not go up as much as expected.
Propane Tank Level Gauge
The gauge on the propane tank will show what portion of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are typically not filled over 80% full as this would allow for the gas to expand on hotter days. Like for instance, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80% at normal temperatures reflects around 400 gallons of propane inside the tank. This is about how much is able to be stored.
Normal Temperatures
The propane industry operates the popular web site Propane 101, which 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 close to 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank will contain approximately 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge would read lower. In the same way, if the temperature is a lot higher than 60 degrees, the gauge would actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.
Effect of Contraction and Expansion
According to the information given by the propane industry website, the amount of energy contained inside the tank does not really change when the gas contracts or expands. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but only the density of the gas has changed.
Cold-Weather Delivery
The homeowner who orders 100 gallons of propane will be given around 424 lbs. of propane. With the delivery of 100 gallons, the homeowner with a 1000 gallon propane tank could expect the guage to go up by 10%. 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 would result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.