Does Cold Temperature Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?
Similar to the majority of other kinds 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. Usually, this comes into play whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold conditions and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending on the conditions, the level on the tank might not go up as much as anticipated.
Propane Tank Level Gauge
The propane tank's gauge shows you what percentage of the tank is full. Usually, tanks are not filled over 80% so as to enable the gas to expand during hot temperatures. For instance, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80% at normal temperatures reflects approximately 400 gallons of propane inside the tank. This is roughly how much is able to be stored.
Normal Temperatures
The propane industry manages the popular website Propane 101, which considers the propane baseline point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. For instance, if the gauge reads 50 percent of capacity on a day when the temperature is near 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 will read lower. Similarly, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge would actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.
Effect of Contraction and Expansion
The energy contained or amount of energy contained within a tank will not change when the gas either contracts or expands, based on the propane industry website. 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 would receive about 424 lbs. of propane. With the delivery of 100 gallons, the homeowner with a 1000 gallon propane tank can expect the guage to go up by 10%. These numbers will be accurate if the temperatures were near 60 degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery happened during colder weather, these chillier temperatures will result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.