Propane is an efficient and affordable form of energy that you can use to heat your home, power your appliances and cook your food. But running out of propane in your home’s tank is never ideal, and it can leave you scrambling to find same-day fuel delivery. The stress of running out of propane just as you’re getting ready to take a hot shower, cook a delicious steak on the grill or fire up the furnace in freezing cold temperatures is a mistake to avoid at all costs.
Understanding how to check home propane tank levels is key to ensuring you don’t run out of propane ever again. If you’re unsure how to tell if your home propane tank is empty, here are some tips and helpful ways to check your tank’s level and keep your home up and running smoothly all year long.
How to Check The Gas Level In Your Residential Propane Tank
Fortunately, you can easily monitor your tank’s level yourself. Whether you have a 20 lb tank, a 100 lb tank or a large 400+ lb tank that fuels your home’s appliances and heating, there are several ways to check your home propane tank level on your own.
How To Check Your Propane Tank Level With Water
Using the scientific properties of propane to accurately gauge your propane tank’s level, it is easy to check the level of propane in your tank with warm water. Start by pouring warm water over your propane tank. Next, run your hand over the side of the tank, paying close attention to the temperature of the side of the tank. As you run your hand over your propane tank, it will begin to feel cool to the touch as your hand approaches the propane level in your tank. Once the tank is cool to the touch, that’s where your propane level is at in your tank.
For example, if you get halfway down the side of the tank before it becomes cool to the touch, that’s where your propane level sits. Is your tank cool to the touch near the top? Your tank is full. Your tank is cool near the bottom? Near the top? When your hand touches a spot on the tank that is cool to the touch, that’s where your propane level is at.
This works by warming your propane tank on the outside and allowing the warmth of the water to interact with the propane in your tank. Propane is a cold liquid that you can feel after introducing warmth to the outside of the tank.
Although this is not a precise method to check your home’s propane tank level, it does give you a good idea of how much propane is left in the tank so you can plan accordingly. This method also works better with smaller propane tanks rather than the large ones that allow you to heat and power your entire home.
How To Check Your Propane Tank Level With A Gauge
You can use a gauge to check and monitor your propane tank level. Most of the gauges that come already equipped on a portable liquid propane gas (LPG) cylinder measure the level of propane in your tank using pressure from inside the tank. Gauges that measure your tank’s pressure to tell you how much propane is left in the tank, are expressed in percentages such as 100 percent, 30 percent and so on. If your tank does not come with a gauge, you can purchase a propane tank gauge that you connect near the nozzle of your tank to measure its pressure levels.
Gauges are an excellent option for large residential propane tanks designed to heat your whole home and fuel other household appliances.
How To Check Your Propane Tank Level With A Scale
This method is only helpful if you’re working with a small propane tank such as for your gas grill or other small outdoor appliances. You’ll essentially weigh your propane tank to measure the level. Propane is a liquid that can be measured in pounds. Using your household scale, disconnect your propane tank from your gas grill or other propane-fueled appliance and place it on the scale.
To get an accurate measure of the propane level, weigh your tank when it’s full and take note of how much it weighs. Most propane tanks come with a “tare weight” measurement somewhere on the side of the tank, where the logo and company information can be found on the label. The tare weight is the weight of your tank when it’s totally empty. Weigh your full tank to get an understanding of how much a full propane tank weighs and to give a starting point for checking your tank’s level in the future. As you use your propane tank, the weight decreases until you’re left with just an empty tank.
For example, if your full propane tank weighed 20 lbs and after using it for a while, it weighs in at 15 lbs, then you can safely deduce it’s three-quarters of the way full. Weigh your tank regularly to get an accurate measurement of how much propane is in the tank.
Again, this might not be feasible for your large 450 lb residential propane tanks, but it can work to check the levels of your smaller propane tanks used for gas grills and other appliances.
Check Your Propane Tank With Simple Math
This method is another that is best suited for smaller tanks used with gas grills or other small camping appliances, but you can accurately check your propane tank level using a mathematical formula. Most propane tanks have a certain amount of cooking time that you can expect to get from them.
Most small propane tanks used for gas grills come with 20 lbs of propane in them. You’ll need to convert the weight to gallons by dividing the number of pounds by 4.2. Once you have the number of gallons of propane in your tank, you’ll need to know the number of BTUs per hour your gas grill consumes. Then you will want to determine the maximum number of BTUs per hour that your gas grill is capable of consuming on its highest setting, or with the flames turned all the way up.
One gallon of propane produces approximately 92,000 BTUs of energy. If your tank weighs 20 lbs, then that’s 4.76 gallons of propane, or 438,000 BTUs that your propane tank is capable of producing. Say your grill is rated at 30,000 BTUs per hour on the highest setting. You’ll simply divide 438,000 by 30,000 to get the amount of cooking time your propane tank is capable of producing.
Using the figures above (438,000/30,000), you can safely assume your propane tank is good for 14-15 hours of cooking time with your grill on its highest setting. From there, simply factor in which setting you’re cooking on to determine the amount of time your propane tank can fuel your gas grill. If you cook on half heat, then multiply that 14-15 hour approximation by two, and so on for other settings.
How To Know If Your Propane Tank Is Low?
It’s easy to tell when you’re out of propane completely — your gas grill won’t light, your camping accessories won’t work or your home won’t heat. What you really want to know then is if your propane tank is low. This way, you don’t run out completely and can plan to get more propane delivered or purchase another full propane tank.
Using the methods outlined above are great ways to monitor and track your propane tank’s level. If you’re using a small propane tank to fuel your gas grill or camping appliances, you can always go by feel. Simply pick up your propane when it’s full and try to take a mental snapshot of how heavy it feels as you lift it. When your tank starts to run low, it will feel much lighter than it did originally. If your tank is incredibly easy to lift up, then you’re likely running low on propane.
As the amount of propane in your tank starts to dwindle, you might also notice a drop in the performance or capabilities of your propane-fueled appliances. For example, the flame on your gas grill not burning as high or large as it once was is a clear indication that you’re running low on propane.
Why Do You Smell Propane When the Tank Is Low?
When your propane tank is low and nearing empty, you might notice a slight smell coming from the appliance running on propane. Since propane is an odorless gas, you’re likely smelling the additives in your propane tank. You’ll smell something because the propane is not being burned, and instead it’s leaking, either from the tank itself or from the appliance. You might also notice a smell if your pilot light is about to go out. Either way, if you notice a smell permeating from your gas grill or other appliance, this is a warning that something is not right and you need to take immediate action.
Turn off the propane by turning the handle on the nozzle of your tank clockwise. Products with a handle are universally designed to be turned to the right to tighten, or close something, and turned to the left to loosen, or open something.
If you smell gas coming from your propane tank or appliance, then be sure to turn it off immediately and check all connections including the nozzle and point of entry on the appliance itself for any loose connections or untightened fastenings.
What Should You Do With an Empty Propane Tank?
Do not throw away your empty propane tank or otherwise dispose of it. Many retailers and filling stations take your old empty propane tanks as an exchange for a new full tank of propane. You may have noticed cages located at the front of your favorite retail or grocery store with propane tanks in them. This is where you can exchange your empty propane tank for a full propane tank at a discounted rate, usually about 50 percent less than a new tank without an exchange.
The discount is for recycling your old empty tank and exchanging it for a new one. The companies that operate and manage the tanks in these cages take your empty propane tank, clean it up, service it and refill it to sell it again. The savings are passed on to you, the consumer, and everyone is doing their part to recycle and reuse old materials.
You can also bring your empty propane tank to a filling station where propane and other fuels such as home heating oil are commonly sold to have it refilled. Many filling stations are willing to fill your empty propane tank all the way or part of the way. They determine their rates based on weight, so if you have a propane tank with 20 lbs of capacity, you can get it filled back up entirely, or even halfway with 10 lbs of liquid propane.
Since propane tanks can be recycled and reused so easily, it’s best to avoid just throwing them away.
Sign up for Foster Fuels Auto-Fill Program
Skip the hassle of constantly checking your propane tank level and sign up for Foster Fuels propane auto-fill program. You won’t have to worry about tank levels, running out of propane to fuel your home or scrambling to find an emergency propane provider to keep your home comfortable when outside temperatures start to drop.
With the Foster Fuels auto-fill program, we take the guesswork out of your residential propane tank. With our propane auto-fill program, you can rest easy this holiday season knowing Foster Fuels has you covered.
Have questions or need assistance? Give us a call anytime at 800-344-6457 to speak with one of our representatives or contact us online and get signed up for our auto-fill program today!
