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

Propane Tank Level Gauge
The propane tank's gauge shows you what fraction of the tank is full. Usually, tanks are not filled more than 80% in order to allow the gas to expand on hot temperatures. Like for instance, 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 manages the popular web site Propane 101, that considers the propane reference point to be an exterior temperature of 60 degrees. Like 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 have about 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is much 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 since the gas expanded.

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

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