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Does Cold Temperature Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?
Similar to most other types of materials, propane is affected by cold temperatures. When the temperature goes down, the propane gas contracts. That reduced level of gas in the tank is reflected by the gauge which reflects the level on the tank. Often, this occurs whenever a homeowner checks the gauge in cold climate 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.
The gauge on the propane tank would show what fraction of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are typically not filled more than 80% full because this will allow for the gas to expand on hotter days. For instance, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80 percent at normal temperatures reflects approximately four hundred gallons of propane in the tank. This is about the amount that could be stored.
The propane industry manages the popular website Propane 101, that considers the propane baseline point to be an exterior temperature of sixty degrees. For example, if the gauge reads 50% of capacity on a day when the temperature is close to 60 degrees, then a five hundred gallon tank will have around two hundred fifty gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is a lot lower than sixty degrees, the gauge would read lower. Also, if the temperature is much higher than sixty degrees, the gauge will actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.
Based on the information provided by the propane industry website, the amount of energy contained in the tank does not really change as the gas contracts or expands. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but only the density of the gas has changed.
If a homeowner orders 100 gallons of propane to be delivered, they will receive four hundred twenty four lbs. of propane. If the homeowner has a 1000 gallon propane tank, they may expect the gauge to go up by ten percent with the delivery of one hundred gallons. These numbers will be accurate if the temperatures were close to 60 degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery took place during colder weather conditions, these chillier temperatures would cause a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.