Tank Gauge not really very accurate


 
D

David Woody

New member
I have been BBQ with charcoal grills my whole life (64 years). My wife recently bought me a new gasser Gensis E320 and I really do like it for those quick & real easy cleanups cooks such as burgers, dogs, steaks, chicken, fish, etc. Here is my problem? I have one of those tank gauges that is suppose to register when you are empty. Previously on fish & turkey fryers I would just lift the tank to really determine when it was empty or at least very close. Since this tank is actually held by the lip of the scale it is very difficult to lift. As I was planning a big family get together I did not want to run out of gas in the middle of the cook so the red line was close to the bottom on the tank gauge so I changed it out. The tank feels like it is only about ¼ full rather than being empty and would have probably (Maybe not) had enough fuel. Surely this same problem has been encountered, so what is a simple solution. Normally would just have let it run out and then change, but as this was a special occasion. With charcoal I never had to deal with this problem.
David
 
David one solution is to get another tank as a standby but that could be expensive. The other thing I would do is locate a vendor that refills your own tank. That way you pay for the propane that is actually replaced, be it 1/4 or 1/2 of the cylinder. In your case you could have topped off your tank and not have to worry about running out. I read on the internet and other forums that those exchange outfits don't refill to capacity the ones you get.
 
David, I also have a similar gauge on my Genesis, and found it to be inaccurate.
I then bought a gauge that goes between the tank and the gas line, costly at 20 bucks, but I believe it to be quite accurate.
(I also bought a second tank and have it as a stand-by).
 
I also keep an extra full tank at hand. I always seem to run out of gas during the middle of large family cooks.
 
Joe, Jim & George Thank you for your suggestions. I actually do have extra tanks available, the problem was more about not wanting to change out in the middle of a cook & determining if you had enough gas left for say 30 minutes of cooking. Does anyone have a better way of checking the amount of fuel they have left for say 1 hour to maybe 30 minutes of use. I realize that there are variables, but not having that much experience with gas in determining how much cooking time you have left. Just want to pick your experienced brains. Do they sell a guage that goes on the bottle rather than change the weber waranty setup. David
 
Dave since you don't want to change tanks during a cook you can use the bathroom scale method beforehand.

A normal-size 20-pound capacity tank weighs 17 to 18 pounds empty, and 34 to 35 pounds after being filled. To determine how much gas is left, weigh the tank and subtract 18 pounds for the tank; multiply this number by 30 to determine approximately how many minutes of grilling time are left.

(weigh the tank -- 18 * 30 = minutes of grilling time are left)

Another method is to pour hot water over a section of your tank, then run your hand up and down the side. The part of the tank that turns warm is empty; the part that feels cool is full.

joe
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Joe Abad:
Dave since you don't want to change tanks during a cook you can use the bathroom scale method beforehand.

A normal-size 20-pound capacity tank weighs 17 to 18 pounds empty, and 34 to 35 pounds after being filled. To determine how much gas is left, weigh the tank and subtract 18 pounds for the tank; multiply this number by 30 to determine approximately how many minutes of grilling time are left.

(weigh the tank -- 18 * 30 = minutes of grilling time are left)

Another method is to pour hot water over a section of your tank, then run your hand up and down the side. The part of the tank that turns warm is empty; the part that feels cool is full.

joe </div></BLOCKQUOTE>That's a neat trick.

Here's the calcs, put in the BTU usage of your appliance to determine how long a pound of propane will last:

propane (p) = 21548 BTU/lb
genesis high (gh) = 42000 BTU/hr, 3 burners on high
genesis med (gm) = 27000 BTU/hr, 3 burners on medium (guess)

p/gh = .513*60 = 30.78 minutes per pound on high
p/gm = .798*60 = 47.88 minutes per pound on medium
 
OK, I am going to show my inexperience with gas, but if I am using all three burners for a steak cookout, with say a 10 minute warm up & clean the grill and 5 minutes on each side and say another 2 to 3 minutes allowance to flip steaks for a total of 23 to 30 minutes. I just weighed the old bottle I took off the grill and it weighs 20.2 lbs. The tank gauge indicator was showing empty or a red line on last level on my Genesis E320.

Tank weight – bottle wt.= 20.2-18(-/+1lb.)= 2.2 lbs.
42,000 BTU=30.78 minutes per pound on high
2.2 lbs.*30.78= 67.7 minutes of cook time left in bottle

So in effect I could have easily cooked the family cook out and probably even 1 more with out running out. This is exactly what I was asking and would only come from experiences. Also Mac on the gauge you have do you change out when it hits red or before? Does anyone just let it run out and then just change with the extra tank? Or does this make you look to foolish in front of a large group? How do you know you run out of gas before temperature really falls way off. (Mind you several beers may have been consumed) Thanks for everyone who has responded, you all have been really helpful.
David
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mac McClure:
Hey David,
I hated it when I would run out of fuel before my food was ready. I fixed the problem with this.

http://www.amazon.com/GasWatch...Safety/dp/B000S5S3M4

It's been on for over 2 years now and I haven't prematurely run out of fuel. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

This is exactly what I have. "I then bought a gauge that goes between the tank and the gas line, costly at 20 bucks, but I believe it to be quite accurate."
 
Also Mac on the gauge you have do you change out when it hits red or before? Does anyone just let it run out and then just change with the extra tank? /quote]

Dave,
To be honest, I do both. If I don't feel I have enough fuel to finish my meal (gauge in lower yellow or in the red zones) I will change my tank out with my standby tank before I start. Sometimes I'll just preheat the grill until the fuel is spent, then change tanks. I'll empty my tanks when I'm burning weeds. Let me clarify a point here. My side burner sees more use then the main grill. I use it to light my charcoal chimneys. So a full tank last a looooong time.
As for "looking foolish" just tell them you wanted it to run out so it would be "lighter" when you take it to refilled.
icon_wink.gif
But if you can, keep a standby at the ready.
Click to expand...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">chimneys </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Again thank you all for helping with this issue. Jim & Mac- I ordered a gauge, really feel this is the answer. I do have another question & that is lighting your charcoal on the side burner of Genesis E320. I have been using the mini minion method for years, but have always found it difficult to light a small number of briquettes. With the Weber chimneys starter inverted does not really work well and have gone to using the small packet starters and found that I usually need at least three to get going. Do you use the mini minion method on your charcoal grills and if so are you successful lighting three or four briquettes on your Genesis side burner. Is there a secret in getting these lighted? I have used coffee can years ago, but as age has me looking for easier simpler method. I can light about a dozen coals successfully, but the less number seems to make it more difficult. I have even tried to stack on the side of chimney starter, but with little success. Since the gasser is the new toy, have not tried yet? David
 
Dave,
All of my Weber starters are modified. By this I mean that I flipped the "grate" over so the cone is pointed down. This moves the charoal closer to the fire so it will light small amounts. I'm sure somebody here has pics of this mod. I should really learn how to post them myself.
icon_rolleyes.gif
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Mac McClure:
All of my Weber starters are modified. By this I mean that I flipped the "grate" over so the cone is pointed down. This moves the charoal closer to the fire so it will light small amounts. I'm sure somebody here has pics of this mod. I should really learn how to post them myself.
icon_rolleyes.gif
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
This what you mean?
RapidfireChimneyStarter.jpg
 
no that's not it, that's the whole chimney upside down

Remove the grate inside (conical) flip it over so the cone is pointing down, not up, and reinsert it.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Remove the grate inside (conical) flip it over so the cone is pointing down, not up, and reinsert it. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>


Thanks Shawn,
That's what I meant to say. All you need is a large screwdriver to do this.

Timothy, Thanks for finding that link.
 
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