Does Cold Temperature Actually 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 which reflects the tank level. Usually, this comes into play whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold weather conditions and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending upon the climate, the tank level may not go up as much as anticipated.
Propane Tank Level Gauge
The gauge on the propane tank would show what fraction of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are usually not filled more than 80% full as this will allow for the gas to expand on hotter 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 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% of capacity on a day when the temperature is near 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank will have around 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that same day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge will read lower. Also, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge will actually read higher because the gas expanded.
Effect of Contraction and Expansion
According to the information provided by the propane industry web site, the amount of energy contained within the tank does not actually change when the gas expands or contracts. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but just the density of the gas has changed.
Cold-Weather Delivery
If a homeowner orders 100 gallons of propane to be delivered, they would be given 424 lbs. of propane. If the homeowner has a 1000 gallon propane tank, they could 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 result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.