Why was my propane tank not filled to 100%?
Ever wonder why we don’t fill your propane tank to 100% when we make a delivery to you? It all boils down to safety measures, a cornerstone of our propane delivery service.
Propane expands in the presence of heat – just like water, except much more quickly and at a much greater volume. In fact, propane increases to nearly 17 times the volume of water over the same temperature increase!
If your tank was 100% full and the temperature inside the tank rose (from the outdoor heat, for example), it becomes a dangerous situation.
That’s why our drivers only fill your above-ground propane tank to approximately 80 percent of its actual capacity (we can add a bit more to underground tanks because the ground insulates them from big temperature swings). The extra space in the tank is a cushion against the pressure that builds up in a tank when it’s hot.
Our highly trained drivers actually don’t fill your propane tank by watching the level on the gauge, but by an even more accurate method which is based on when the bleeder valve emits liquid. This is an internal device in the tank which shows the tank is at it’s maximum safe capacity as the gauges can sometimes be unreliable. Its one of the many measures we take to keep you safe at home.
To calculate the approximate fill capacity of your propane tank, multiply the tank’s total capacity by 0.8. Here’s a cheat sheet:
| Propane Tank Size | Capacity at 80% |
| 57 Gallon Tank | 46 Gallons of Propane |
| 120 Gallons Tank | 96 Gallons of Propane |
| 240 Gallons Tank | 192 Gallons of Propane |
| 500 Gallons Tank | 400 Gallons of Propane |
| 1000 Gallons Tank | 800 Gallons of Propane |
Never Worry About Your Propane Tank Level Again
Switch to Propane Depot and save up to 30% on propane, plus get a monitor installed for free as long as your usage is over 100 gallons a year. If it’s under that there is a minimal charge for the monitor.
With our custom portal and phone app you can view your tank level online, order fuel (if you prefer to order yourself), view delivery history, pay your bill, see your current price and more. If you prefer to order yourself chose our Monitored Will Call service and our custom software will send you automatic text alerts when it’s time to order fuel so you don’t have to remember to log in and check your level. If you prefer to have us handle everything choose our Smart Fill service and we’ll watch the tank levels and usage, delivering automatically as needed.
We’re Long Island’s top rated propane company.
Click here to request a quote or call us at 631-400-SAVE
