There are many different reasons that people use a propane tank. One of the most common reasons is to operate a grill. It is important to know how much propane you have because you do not want to run out before you finish cooking. Some propane tanks come with a gauge to tell you how much fuel is left, but if yours does not, there are a few other ways to find out how much propane you have left.

Use Hot Water

You can use hot water to find out how much propane is left in your tank. You should get out a bucket and fill it with hot water. You don’t need boiling water; you can use hot water from your tap. Once it is full, you can pour the hot water down the side of the tank. Then you will run your hand down the side of the tank until you feel a cool spot. This cool spot is where the level is for how much propane is in the tank.

The reason that this happens is that the propane inside the tank will absorb the heat from the water, so the part of the tank that has propane inside will be cool when you touch it. The tank above this point has nothing but air inside, so it will not absorb the heat, and the tank itself will be hot.

Feel How Heavy It Is

If you have a lot of experience with propane tanks, you might be able to tell how much propane is inside by lifting it up. If you don’t have a lot of experience, you should practice this so that you will know in the future. You can use a scale to weigh the tank.

Most of the time, the tank will tell you what it should weigh when it is full. This number should be around 20 pounds of propane. There will also be a number to tell you what the tank weighs empty, which should be around 17 pounds. If you place the tank on the scale and it is too light, then you know that you need more propane.

Use a Gauge

If you want to get precise numbers, you can buy a propane tank gauge. You can pick one up at any hardware store. There are several different types of gauges, including the following:

• Inline pressure gauge: You install this type between the gas line from the grill and the cut off valve on the tank. It will tell you if the tank is full, empty, or low.
• Analog propane scale: These scales are similar to a luggage scale, and you run the hook through the handle of the tank, pick it up, and it tells you the remaining gas level.
• Digital propane tank scale: You will weigh the tank to see a reading of the remaining amount of time for cooking and the gas fill percentage.

Many people find these gauges to be very useful when they need to measure the amount of propane in their tanks. There is nothing worse than starting a cookout, only to find out that you don’t have enough propane.

When you use propane to cook out on your grill, you need to be able to tell when you are running low on propane. You may be able to keep track of it during the summer when you are using the grill more often. However, when winter comes, you probably put the grill away. You may not remember how much propane there was when you take it back out the next year.

Fortunately, there are many different ways to determine how much propane you have left in the tank. You can use a scale to weigh the tank, or you can run hot water down the side. Buying a gauge that tells you how much propane is left is always a good idea as it is the most accurate method of the three.