Does Cold Truly Affect a Propane Tank Level Gauge?
Propane is like the majority of other kinds of materials in that it is affected by cold temperatures. The propane gas contracts as the temperature declines. That reduced level of gas inside the tank is reflected by the gauge which reflects the level on the tank. Often, this occurs whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold weather and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending upon the conditions, the tank level may not go up as much as expected.
Propane Tank Level Gauge
The gauge on a propane tank shows you what portion of the tank is full. Usually, tanks are not filled more than 80% in order to enable the gas to expand during warm temperatures. Like for instance, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80 percent at normal temperatures reflects approximately 400 gallons of propane in the tank. This is around how much can be stored.
Normal Temperatures
The propane industry operates the popular web site Propane 101, that considers the propane reference point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. For example, if the gauge reads 50% of capacity on a day when the temperature is near 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank would have roughly 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge will read lower. In the same way, if the temperature is a lot higher than 60 degrees, the gauge will actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.
Effect of Contraction and Expansion
The amount of energy contained or energy contained in a tank would not change as the gas either expands or contracts, according to the propane industry website. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but only the density of the gas has changed.
Cold-Weather Delivery
If a homeowner orders 100 gallons of propane to be delivered, they will be given 424 pounds 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 correct if the temperatures were near 60 degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery happened during colder weather conditions, these chillier temperatures will cause a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.