Komatsu Propane Forklift Houston

Does Cold Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?

Similar to the majority of other types of materials, propane is affected by cold temperatures. As the temperature goes down, the propane gas contracts. That reduced level of gas inside the tank is reflected by the gauge that reflects the tank level. Usually, 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 conditions, the level on the tank might not rise as much as expected.



Propane Tank Level Gauge

The gauge on the propane tank will show what fraction of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are usually not filled more than 80% full since this will allow for the gas to expand during warmer days. 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 roughly the amount that can be stored.



Normal Temperatures

The propane industry manages the popular website Propane 101, that considers the propane baseline point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. For example, if the gauge reads 50 percent of capacity on a day when the temperature is close to 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank would have around 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge would read lower. Similarly, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge will actually read higher since the gas expanded.



Effect of Contraction and Expansion

The amount of energy contained or energy contained in a tank would not change when the gas either expands or contracts, according to 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 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 will 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 would result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.

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