How to Read Your Home Propane Tank Gauge
Reading the numbers on your home propane tank gauge isn’t as hard as it looks. Check out this guide to learn how it works.
In 2019, the average number of propane barrels imported into the U.S. per day was 133,000. This transportable liquid has many uses, including your home heater, appliances, water heater, fireplace, and more. In fact, you may have recently gotten one for your home.
Homeowners who use propane as a heat source need to know how to read the propane tank gauge. It is your responsibility to check on it frequently. If you own a propane tank or are discouraged about switching to propane because you don’t know how to read the gauge, this article has got you covered. Keep reading to learn how to determine how much fuel in your propane tank and other tips you’ll need to know:
Benefits of Using Propane
Eco-Friendly
If you are trying to find the most eco-friendly fuel to heat your home or appliances, propane is a smart way to go because it is non-toxic. It doesn’t emit fumes and, therefore, is a safer alternative to other heating fuels.
Requires little maintenance
Although the installation can be a bit pricey, depending on what company you use, it doesn’t require much maintenance. Make sure that you factor that into the cost when you are debating on switching to propane.
Less Expensive than Electric
The cost of the propane itself has fluctuated over the years. It used to be a significantly cheaper alternative over electric heating.
You can still get it at a low cost, but you have to be strategic about when you buy it. The price is lower in the summer when people aren’t using heat as much. Many companies will tell you which size tank is best for you, but another perk of using propane is how much their tanks will hold. 1,000-2,000 gallons is usually the maximum capacity, which should last you a while, depending on how many of your appliances use propane.
How to Read the Propane Tank Gauge
Usually, tank gauges are similar to fuel gauges in your car; they have an arm with a float that self-adjusts when the fuel starts running low. You should note that when reading the propane tank gauge, the numbers indicate the percentage of fuel remaining in the tank, not the gallons left in the tank.
Propane is filled to 80% capacity
Your tank will never be at 100%, even right after you get it refilled. To comply with safety regulations, propane suppliers can only fill your tank to approximately 80%. The additional space in the tank leaves space for the liquid propane to expand and contract, which occurs based on external temperatures.
Don’t let your propane level dip below 5%
You should not let the tank go below 5%. If you do, your propane supplier is legally required to to perform a leak check, which will be an additional charge. These precautions are the reason why you need to stay vigilant about checking your tank.
Propane Tank Gauge Calculations
The good news is that it is easy to figure out how many gallons are in your tank; all you need to do is a simple equation.
Step One: Take the percentage on your tank and turn it into a decimal.
Say that your tank is at 50% capacity, you would plug 0.5 into the equation.
Step Two: Multiply that number by the number of gallons your tank can hold.
If you have a 1,000-gallon tank, your equation will be 0.5 x 1000, which equals 500. So, there are 500 gallons left in your tank. When the percentage and the tank capacity aren’t simple numbers, like the ones used here, this equation will be more useful.
Smart Tank Monitors do the work for you
If you are looking to go high-tech, there are now Smart Tank Monitors where you can check how much propane you have left on a wireless device. It gives you real-time results without having to check your physical tank.
The Smart Tank Monitor offers convenience and ensures your home’s safety by alerting you if it suspects that the tank is malfunctioning. If you live a busy lifestyle and want to knock one more thing off your to-do list, this is the product for you.
Determining When You’ll Need a Refill
It is best to request a propane delivery when your tank levels gets down to 30% capacity. This ensures that your propane supplier will be able to refill your tank without requiring a leak check which, as mentioned earlier, is an additional fee.
If you are a planner and want to figure out how long before you need to refill your tank, there’s a calculation for that too. As a disclaimer, this is a rough estimate, so you should still check on your tank instead of solely relying on this number.
You need to know the number of gallons your tank holds before figuring out how long the fuel will last, so make sure you have done that. Next, find the BTU (British Thermal Unit) on your tank or appliances. This unit tells you the energy required to produce heat.
The rough estimate is 1 gallon of propane requires about 92,000 BTUs. All appliances have different BTUs.
Once you have figured out the BTUs of your appliance, divide 92,000 BTUs by that number. The total will tell you how many hours it takes to use up one gallon of propane.
So let’s take the average BTUs per burner on a home stove, which is 7,000. If you’ve got four burners that are 28,000 BTUs. 92,000 divided by 28,000 BTUs equals 3.9 hours.
If it takes 3.9 hours to burn 1 gallon of fuel and your tank holds 1,000 gallons, you’re then going to need to divide 1,000 by 3.9. Therefore, it will take 3,900 hours for your fuel tank to run out, but that’s only if this appliance is the only one using the fuel. Otherwise, you’ll need to add up all the BTUs and plug that into the equation. Another reminder that this number tells you when your tank will run out of fuel, but you do not want to wait until that point to replace it.
Switch & Save up to 30% on Propane
Propane Depot is Long Island’s top rated family owned propane company offering propane delivery and tank installation complete with 24/7 service. Plus you’ll never run out of propane again with our smart propane tank monitors.
Stop overpaying for propane! Click here for a quote or call us at 631-400-SAVE
