Propane tank monitor

I also use one tank at a time without making use of the auto-switch over feature. I like the door knob cover idea on the tank valve you're drawing from. We boon-dock frequently and I do the bathroom scale thing when I want to know EXACTLY how much propane remains in the partially used 30# tank (working with the tank's empty weight stamped on the tank and plus 4.2 #'s per gal actual remaining propane). That way I can determine clearly if I think it'd be worth the bother or necessary to top-off the partial tank at a convenient refill stop along the way. We also carry an extra 20# tank for portable grill, lantern, heater, etc.

robsouth wrote:
I, like some of the others, only open one tank at a time. Having running slap out one cold night from not checking the "red - green thingy", I like knowing that I have more when one runs out.

Same here...........

myredracer wrote:

opnspaces wrote:
Unfortunately the gauge Pine5008 posted won't do what you want. The problem is that a propane tank is liquid on the bottom and vapor on the top. RV's pull the vapor off the top and as the vapor comes off the top the liquid boils and releases more vapor to replace what was lost.

So the gauges that hook on the regulator will only tell you that you have pressure in the tank. The pressure will be the same whether you have a full tank, half tank, or 1/4 tank. Once the tank is empty the gauge will suddenly drop from full to empty. There really isn't much in between.

You are 100% correct. I bought a pair of the gauges because they were on sale at Kohl's for cheap and wanted to see how they perform.

I find that you can read the gauges and they both read the same all the time, but when a tank is nearing empty, it will suddenly drop to the very low end of the green range and you can tell when it's almost time to refill it. And you can tell at a quick glance when a tank is empty when it's in the yellow or red zone. In 2 camping seasons, strange as it may seem, it's been working for me.

Thanks opnspaces and myredracer for giving the OP a more accurate description of the gauge. In my defense, I only acknowledge three readings on my tanks, "full, not empty, and time to go to store". For someone like the OP, that wants a accurate reading of tank level, this gauge is not the solution.

Pouring warm or hot water on your propane tank shows you exactly how much propane is in your tank.

opnspaces wrote:
Unfortunately the gauge Pine5008 posted won't do what you want. The problem is that a propane tank is liquid on the bottom and vapor on the top. RV's pull the vapor off the top and as the vapor comes off the top the liquid boils and releases more vapor to replace what was lost.

So the gauges that hook on the regulator will only tell you that you have pressure in the tank. The pressure will be the same whether you have a full tank, half tank, or 1/4 tank. Once the tank is empty the gauge will suddenly drop from full to empty. There really isn't much in between.

You are 100% correct. I bought a pair of the gauges because they were on sale at Kohl's for cheap and wanted to see how they perform.

I find that you can read the gauges and they both read the same all the time, but when a tank is nearing empty, it will suddenly drop to the very low end of the green range and you can tell when it's almost time to refill it. And you can tell at a quick glance when a tank is empty when it's in the yellow or red zone. In 2 camping seasons, strange as it may seem, it's been working for me.

Pine5008 wrote:
Try this out:
http://www.amazon.com/Astor-Propane-Pressure-Barbeque-Gauge/dp/B00LLIG74I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1414194957&sr=8-1&keywords=propane+tank+monitor

Cheap and easy

IT's not working . Well, yes is working but only when empty

Twenty pound tanks are now available with true float guages so surely the thirty pounders will be available with the guages soon.

Dick

I don't have a auto change over and I just keep one tank close until the other one runs out. The tanks are easily exchanged in a lot of places so if I run out in the middle of the night I just switch it over to the other one and then exchange the empty tank for a new one the next day in town.

The most reliable method of checking remaining propane in a tank is to weigh it. I have a spring scale that I use. It does require lifting the tank off the rack. I find one tank lasts long enough I don't have to check the auto change over every day. When the gauge turns red, I fill that tank. If I want to know how much I have left in the other tank, I can weigh it. The tare weight is stamped on the tank. Propane weighs a bit over four lbs per gallon.

pugslyyy wrote:
I don't like using the auto-changeover because I like knowing when I've drained a tank - and I'm not super diligent about checking that indicator to see if they switched automatically.

That is precisely why I have a third tank when I go south for the winter...:)