How to Read Propane Tank Markings on Manchester

How To Read A Propane Tank Gauge (With Examples)

Written on: February 7, 2018

Homeowners use propane for a vast number of tasks: home heating, h2o heating, clothes drying, fireplaces, cooking and back-upward ability. To ensure there is enough propane for all of your home energy needs, information technology's important to check your propane tank fuel gauge on a regular ground.

Not but is it an piece of cake way to make certain you always have enough fuel, merely information technology'southward critical to your condom.

If a propane tank runs out of gas completely, information technology may introduce air into the arrangement, which tin crusade damage to the tank, or worse, may cause your pilot lights to go out.

If not handled properly, this situation can be dangerous. As a effect, federal code requires you accept a professional inspect your entire propane system before you lot can turn the gas back on.

To avoid these issues, acquire how to read your propane tank fuel judge so your family — and habitation — are safe.

Reading a Propane Tank Gauge

I of the well-nigh important things to understand well-nigh your propane tank is that the fuel gauge shows you lot the fuel level every bit a per centum of the capacity of your tank, not the total corporeality of gallons in the tank.

While not all propane tanks have the same gauges, their purpose remains the same: to bear witness you how much propane is left in the tank. Nigh gauges are "float gauges," (similar the fuel estimate in a vehicle), which reads the level of liquid propane in the tank via a floating arm. Every bit the level drops, so does the float gauge.

Knowing how to read the estimate volition help you lot know when it'southward fourth dimension to request a refill.

Beneath are a couple examples of propane gauges plus some tips on how to read them.

A propane gas fuel estimate showing a tank that is 75% full. (Photo/ Kaufmann Gas)

As a precaution, refill your gas once your fuel gauge reads 20% (or below).

A propane tank that has run far below the recommended xx% level — this tank is less than 10% full. ( Photograph/ Ressler Propane)

Reading Propane Tank Numbers

If you have a propane tank for domicile free energy usage, and then you lot've probably noticed that after a propane commitment, the tank judge reads eighty%.

Don't worry, you're not being scammed and there is nothing wrong with your tank or the gauge. Although you apply propane in gas form, propane is stored as a liquid in your tank to permit it space to expand and contract as the ambient temperature rises and falls. The maximum make full percentage is ever going to be fourscore%.

Y'all can perform some simple math to determine how much gas is in your propane tank. Just multiply the tank's capacity by the reading on the tank approximate.

For example, if your 500-gallon tank is showing a estimate reading of lx%, that means you lot have 300 gallons of gas remaining in your tank (500 x 0.six).

If you want to skip the math, hither's a handy chart that will tell y'all how much gas is left in your propane tank based on your tank size and your gauge reading:

Estimate Reads	120-Gallon Tank	250-Gallon Tank	500-Gallon Tank	1,000-Gallon Tank
fourscore%	96 gallons	200 gallons	400 gallons	800 gallons
70%	84 gallons	175 gallons	350 gallons	700 gallons
60%	72 gallons	150 gallons	300 gallons	600 gallons
50%	sixty gallons	125 gallons	250 gallons	500 gallons
40%	48 gallons	100 gallons	200 gallons	400 gallons
thirty%	36 gallons	75 gallons	150 gallons	300 gallons
20%	24 gallons	50 gallons	100 gallons	200 gallons
10%	12 gallons	25 gallons	50 gallons	100 gallons

How long will your propane terminal?

At present that yous understand how to read your propane tank gauge, information technology's helpful to know (or, at least have an approximate of) how long your propane volition final.

To make up one's mind how long a tank of propane will terminal, we need to showtime with the British Thermal Unit (BTU). A BTU is a bones measurement used for rating how much free energy it takes to produce heat. As a baseline, annotation that one gallon of propane contains roughly 92,000 BTUs.

The BTU rating is as well a fashion to measure the efficiency of your appliances, which will all utilise propane at varying rates. This will play a role in how long your propane tank lasts.

For example, a furnace rated for 200,000 BTUs is capable of delivering twice the horsepower of a furnace rated for 100,000 BTUs. Nonetheless, y'all wouldn't apply a 200,000 BTU furnace to heat a infinite that only needs a 40,000 BTU space heater.

Here's how to determine how much burn time yous have left in your propane tank:

1. Read your guess to determine the number of gallons of propane gas remaining in your tank (see chart above)
2. Determine the BTU rating on your appliances. Here are a few standard appliances BTU ratings:

• H2o heater: 40,000 BTU/hr
• Clothes dryer: 35,000 BTU/hour
• Gas range stove: 65,000 BTU/hour
• Central furnace: 200,000 BTU/hour

Divide the BTUs of one gallon of propane (92,000 BTUs) by the BTU rating of your appliance. This will requite yous the number of hours it will have to use one gallon of propane.

Let'southward use the gas range stove as an instance:

92,000 BTUs / 65,000 BTU per hour = 1.41 hours

Therefore, using your gas stove continuously for 1.41 hours (or one hour and 25 minutes) will burn one gallon of propane.

This calculation should only be used as a rough judge. Of grade, it's all-time to refill your tank well earlier it runs out

If calculating the fuel in your tank feels burdensome, consider an automatic fuel delivery pick. Many propane companies offer propane tank monitoring and propane gas delivery so that your gas shows up right when you need it.

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Source: https://www.santaenergy.com/how-to-read-a-tank-gauge/