Does Cold Temperature Really Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?
Similar to the majority of other types of materials, propane is affected by cold temperatures. As the temperature declines, the propane gas contracts. That reduced level of gas inside the tank is reflected by the gauge that reflects the level on the tank. Normally, this occurs whenever a homeowner checks the gauge in cold weather and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending on the climate, the level on the tank may not go up as much as expected.

Propane Tank Level Gauge
The gauge on the propane tank will show what percentage of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are typically not filled over 80% full because this will allow for the gas to expand during hotter temperatures. For example, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80 percent at normal temperatures reflects around 400 gallons of propane inside the tank. This is about how much is able to be stored.

Normal Temperatures
The propane industry operates the popular web site Propane 101, that considers the propane reference point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. For example, if the gauge reads 50% of capacity on a day when the temperature is close to 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank will contain around 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that same day is much lower than 60 degrees, the gauge would read lower. In the same way, if the temperature is a lot higher than 60 degrees, the gauge would actually read higher because the gas expanded.

Effect of Expansion and Contraction
The energy contained or amount of energy contained inside a tank will not change when the gas either contracts or expands, according to the propane industry website. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but just the density of the gas has changed.

Cold-Weather Delivery
If a homeowner orders 100 gallons of propane to be delivered, they would receive 424 lbs. of propane. If the homeowner has a 1000 gallon propane tank, they can expect the gauge to go up by 10% with the delivery of 100 gallons. These numbers will be accurate if the temperatures were close to 60 degrees at the time of delivery. If the delivery took place during colder weather, these chillier temperatures will result in a smaller increase reading on the propane gauge.