Does Cold Temperature Affect a Propane Tank Level Gauge?
Propane is like the majority of other types of materials in that it is affected by cold temperatures. The propane gas contracts when the temperature declines. That reduced level of gas in the tank is reflected by the gauge which reflects the level on the propane tank. Usually, this happens whenever a homeowner checks the gauge during cold weather and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending on the weather conditions, the level on the tank might not go up as much as expected.

Propane Tank Level Gauge
The propane tanks guage would show what fraction of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are usually not filled over 80% full as this would allow for the gas to expand during hotter temperatures. For example, a 500 gallon tank, at a reading of 80% at normal temperatures reflects around 400 gallons of propane in the tank. This is about the amount that is able to be stored.

Normal Temperatures
The propane industry manages the popular web site Propane 101, which considers the propane baseline point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. Like for instance, if the gauge reads 50 percent of capacity on a day when the temperature is near 60 degrees, then a 500 gallon tank will have around 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that same day is a lot lower than 60 degrees, the gauge would read lower. Also, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge would actually read higher due to the expansion of the gas.

Effect of Contraction and Expansion
Based on the information provided by the propane industry website, the amount of energy contained in the tank does not really change as the gas contracts or expands. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but only the density of the gas has changed.

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