Does Cold Temperature Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?
Propane is similar to most other types of materials in that it is affected by cold temperatures. The propane gas contracts as the temperature declines. 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 in cold weather and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending upon the weather, the tank level may not go up as much as expected.
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 over 80% full since this would allow for the gas to expand on hotter days. For example, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80% at normal temperatures reflects roughly 400 gallons of propane in the tank. This is roughly how much could be stored.
Normal Temperatures
The web site Propane 101, that is operated by the propane industry, considers an exterior temperature of 60 degrees to be the baseline or reference point. Like for example, if the gauge reads 50% of capacity on a day when the temperature is close to 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank would have approximately 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge will read lower. In the same way, if the temperature is a lot higher than 60 degrees, the gauge will actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.
Effect of Contraction and Expansion
According to the information provided by the propane industry website, the amount of energy contained in the tank does not actually change as the gas contracts or expands. 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 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 would be accurate if the temperatures were near 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.