Does Cold Actually Affect a Propane Tank Level Gauge?
Like the majority of other types of materials, propane is affected by cold temperatures. When the temperature goes down, the propane gas contracts. That reduced level of gas inside the tank is reflected by the gauge that reflects the level on the propane tank. Normally, this happens whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold weather and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending on the weather, the level on the tank might not rise as much as expected.
Propane Tank Level Gauge
The propane tanks guage will show what portion of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are usually not filled over 80% full because this will allow for the gas to expand during 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 website Propane 101, that is managed by the propane industry, considers an exterior temperature of 60 degrees to be the baseline or reference point. For example, if the gauge reads 50% of capacity on a day when the temperature is near 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank will have approximately 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge would read lower. Also, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge will actually read higher since the gas expanded.
Effect of Expansion and Contraction
The energy contained or amount of energy contained in a tank will not change when the gas either contracts or expands, based on the propane industry web site. 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 receive 424 lbs. of propane. If the homeowner has a 1000 gallon propane tank, they can expect the gauge to go up by 10% with the delivery of 100 gallons. These numbers will be accurate if the temperatures were near 60 degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery happened during colder weather conditions, these chillier temperatures would cause a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.