Does anyone use a gas gauge on their propane tank?


 
R

Rick Lea

TVWBB Super Fan
My step-dad uses one in his 5th wheel trailer. My summit has a very primitive spring loaded scale which is supposed to measure the fuel remaining. I find it to be not to accurate.

Have you found an accurate gauge or should I just buy a spare tank? Would rather go with the gauge if I could find an accurate one.
 
Rick, I have one of those spring loaded gauges on my Genesis 2000 and it works good enough to let me know if I'm low on gas. I move the tank up and down a bit to see where it will settle.

Those in-line pressure gauges are pretty much worthless since the liquid propane evaporates in the tank to keep the pressure up. They're good to let you know that you just ran out of gas.

I used one of those magnetic gas gauges eons ago on an old non-Weber gasser and it worked pretty well. They sense the temperature difference between the liquid and gas in the tank. There are several models so google them up and see if that's what you're looking for.

Hope this helps..

Bill
 
Buddy of mine went to a Propane Filling Station and talked them out of an old non-OPD tank - which he took to K-mart and got an new Blue Rhino tank (trade in) which he refills.

I hang with some bad folks
 
Originally posted by rick lea:

I might as well buy another tank for backup.
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What Bill said. I had one of them gauges that let you know about 30 seconds before it ran out. As far as a spare tank, I get mine at BJ's for $20.00 + a fill for $9.50
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$9.50.... $13 here at BJs...

We've got 3 tanks rotating between the grill and the mosquito magnet.
 
I think those magnetic strips you apply to the side of the tank and pour hot water over, to indicate the propane level, are more accurate.
 
Originally posted by Vin:
$9.50.... $13 here at BJs...

We've got 3 tanks rotating between the grill and the mosquito magnet.
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Had my tank filled at BJ's today $11.99
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Last year it cost $7.49 for a refill.
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Now to my knowledge we don't get propane overseas from the Arabs so this would be just a good old fashion price gouging from corporate America then.
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A pressure gauge is not a reliable way to tell how much propane is in the tank. If you think about it carefully, liquid propane is liquid because the pressure is above the vapor point of the gas. That point is constant, for all practical intents. So as gas is released, the pressure drops and more liquid converts to gas, until it reaches that equilibrium point.

What this means is, the pressure is pretty constant until the liquid is gone, then you start seeing a decrease in pressure. So the tank will appear full most of the time, than drop down to empty pretty quickly.

The way to measure the propane is weight. That always works.

And IMO, yes you should have a spare tank at the ready for when you run out of gas. Otherwise you need to watch your propane levels closely and run out for a refill before your tank is empty. This is silly. A second tank is pretty cheap.
 
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