Do Propane Tank Gauges Get Stuck?

[stephenh]

I have the same set-up on a 500-gal tank. I went to a propane equipment supply and purchased a new gauge. Five minutes to install. I want to say it cost me around $30.

 

[Jack Murdock]

Gauges on brand new tanks can be off 5-7% they are never that accurate. internally is a mechanical float on an arm ( just like the old toilet bulbs ) replacing the gauge and cleaning the magnet pick up underneath the gauge usually clears up and issues. The bobtail driver uses the fixed liquid level gauge to tell when the dip tube internally is at the liquid level internally. Usually to 80%

 

[bigtiller]

Some propane suppliers use a "degree day meter" to put a number on how much gas you use in a day. It measures the temperature and wind for this number. Then after the tank is used and refilled, the delivery driver will divide the total degree days from the meter by the gallons used.

He keeps a running total of degree days and will know what day you will need another delivery....If you are on a keep-full basis, you will never run out/low of propane and you'll never have to check the gauge again.

Some suppliers don't have this meter so they go by the "by guess by golly" method.

 

[scott_vt]

Some suppliers don't have this meter so they go by the "by guess by golly" method.

Good Afternoon Bigtiller,
Any company with a driver that knows what the heck he is doing, can fill the tank using the bleeder nut. When liquid propane starts to come out of the bleeder the tank is at 80% !
I delivered for a local company for a couple of years, and a tank filled using that method should never out gas when the weather gets hot ! I never got called back because of an overfill using this method. I will mention that when its really cold out in the dead of winter that you can get away with stuffing more propane into the tank because it will be long gone before the warm weather comes back Just my 2 cents worth ! Guages are not to be trusted !

 

[bigtiller]

Good Afternoon Bigtiller,
Any company with a driver that knows what the heck he is doing, can fill the tank using the bleeder nut. When liquid propane starts to come out of the bleeder the tank is at 80% !
I delivered for a local company for a couple of years, and a tank filled using that method should never out gas when the weather gets hot ! I never got called back because of an overfill using this method. I will mention that when its really cold out in the dead of winter that you can get away with stuffing more propane into the tank because it will be long gone before the warm weather comes back Just my 2 cents worth ! Guages are not to be trusted !

I agree, I delivered propane for a satellite branch of a national company also.
I wasn't talking about the actual filling of the tank.
I was commenting on when to fill the tank with the metered observations at the suppliers office.

 

[scott_vt]

I agree, I delivered propane for a satellite branch of a national company also.
I wasn't talking about the actual filling of the tank.
I was commenting on when to fill the tank with the metered observations at the suppliers office.

Good Bigtiller,
Gotch you, thanks for the clarification ! Agreed !:thumbsup:

 

[Diggin It]

Whomped the tank in a couple of places with a rubber mallet. Needle vibrated and wiggled, but didn't move otherwise. Guess it's probably OK. I really haven't used a whole lot of gas, so it could be right.

 

[coldsteelva]

Just remember that the gauge is measuring the liquid volume (20% to 80%) and that has nothing to do with the effective vapor pressure. It all varies with temperature. Also a big difference between a buried tank and an exposed tank.

 

[cdaigle430]

I have just one answer-Natural Gas. JK-I can say for certain that I tried two guages for my grill and ended up getting rid of them because they are so unreliable. Instead I installed a weight guage (rather it came with the grill). Wont give me pressure but I know very reliably when its low or about to go out....have it refilled.

 

[pmsmechanic]

So propane is a liquid which would mean that on a warm afternoon (after a cooler night) you should be able to tell how full the tank is just by feeling the side. The level of the propane would be colder than the surrounding air and you should be able to feel that on the side of the tank.