Propane tank level gauge indicator

[AndyWillowbee]

Morning

Anyone installed a level gauge indicator on their propane tanks? Looking for a way to site-check tanks and hoping to benefit from someone whose already found one that fits and works well.

Thanks

[Vermilye]

The only actual pressure gauges type are pretty much useless. They only show a change when the tank is nearly empty. You can purchase tanks that have a "gauge" built in. It is not actually a pressure gauge, but a dial attached to the float in the tank. Those work well.

There are devices that work by ultrasonics that attach to the bottom of the tank, and while expensive, work well. Example

[tractors1]

Originally Posted by AndyWillowbee

Morning

Anyone installed a level gauge indicator on their propane tanks? Looking for a way to site-check tanks and hoping to benefit from someone whose already found one that fits and works well.

Thanks

Mopeka ultrasonic works with a phone app. No need to remove tank covers.
https://mopeka.com/

[Mike G]

I bought a tank with gauge, which uses an actual float in the tank, from Sam's Club a couple years back. It was reasonably priced. Not sure if they still offer them.

[HABBERDABBER]

In season, Costco carries empty 20lb new tanks with a gauge on them. I don't know if this is the type of gauge attached to a float.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by HABBERDABBER

In season, Costco carries empty 20lb new tanks with a gauge on them. I don't know if this is the type of gauge attached to a float.

Yes, whether they are made by Worthington or Manchester, the vertical 20-pound tanks with a level gauge work on the float which is there for the OPD.

[fudge_brownie]

A $7.99 scale from Amazon works pretty well.

[goalie39]

For anyone looking for tanks with built-in gauges, try U-HAUL. I needed new ones for my 2010, and they had the best price I could find locally. Gauges work great.


Before that, I would just weigh the tanks with the bathroom scale. Just subtract out the Tare Weight (the weight of the tank when empty), and you know how much propane is left. The Tare Weight is stamped on the side of the tank (typically something like T.W. 17.5). So if my tank weighs 30lbs on my scale, 30-17.5=12.5, my tank would have 12.5lbs of propane left. A completely full tank can hold 20lbs of propane, so would weight 37.5 lbs.



Admittedly this method isn't the best if you're on the road, since you need a scale and need to turn off the propane.

[Bill and Earline]

I replaced my two original tanks with the Costco ones that Habberdabber mentions. They were $26 each, as I recall.

The smart play would have been to replace just one, because who really goes through more than the first tank on most trips. Then when the original and the gauge one get some age on them, buy another Costco one, in say, ten years, and keep switching them out like that, one at a time.

Wait, how old am I?

[HABBERDABBER]

39 years old, right?