Reading My Propane Tank Gauge

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Safety is our #1 priority at Hawkins County Gas.  We strive to make our customers feel comfortable and safe at all times.  In the event of an emergency, call our 24-hour emergency line at (423) 272-8841 or (423) 357-8585.  If your call is not answered please dial 911 and report your emergency.

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Homeowners use propane for a vast number of tasks:  home heating, water heating, clothes drying, fireplaces, cooking and back-up power.  To ensure there is enough propane for all of your home energy needs, it's important to check your propane tank fuel gauge on a regular basis.

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If a propane tank runs out of as completely, it may introduce air into the system, which can cause damage to the tank, or worse, may cause your pilot lights to go out.  If not handled properly, this situation can be dangerous.  As a result, federal code requires you have a qualified technician inspect your entire propane system before you can turn the gas back on.

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To avoid these issues, learn how to read your propane tank gauge so your family and home are safe.

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One of the most important things to understand about your propane tank is that the fuel gauge shows you the fuel level as a percentage of the capacity of your tank, not the total amount of gallons in the tank.

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While not all propane tanks have the same gauges, their purpose remains the same:  to show you how much propane is left in the tank.  Most gauges are "float gauges", (like the fuel gauge in an automobile), which reads the level of liquid propane in the tank via a floating arm.  As the level drops, so does the float gauge.

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If you have a propane tank for home energy usage, then you've probably noticed that after a propane delivery, the tank gauge reads 80%.  Don't worry, you're not being scammed and there is nothing wrong with your tank or the gauge.  Although you use propane in gas form, propane is stored as a liquid in your tank to allow it space to expand and contract as the ambient temperature rises and falls.  The maximum fill percentage is always going to be 80%.

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You can perform some simple math to determine how much gas is in your propane tank.  just multiply the tank's capacity by the reading on the tank gauge.  For example, if your 500-gallon tank is showing a gauge reading of 60%, that means you have 300 gallons of gas remaining in your tank (500 x 0.6). 

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Remember, if your tank gauge reading is 10% or less, please contact us to schedule a delivery.