Does Cold Affect the Level Gauge on a Propane Tank?
Like most other types of materials, propane is affected by cold temperatures. As the temperature declines, the propane gas contracts. That reduced level of gas in the tank is reflected by the gauge that reflects the level on the tank. Usually, this comes into play whenever a homeowner checks the gauge in cold weather conditions and sees the amount of the tank level before and after delivery. Depending upon the weather conditions, the tank level might not rise as much as expected.

Propane Tank Level Gauge
The gauge on the propane tank will show what fraction of the gas tank is still full. Tanks are usually not filled over 80% full as this will allow for the gas to expand during hotter 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 could be stored.

Normal Temperatures
The propane industry operates the popular website 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 would have about 250 gallons of propane. If the temperature that day is a lot lower than 60 degrees, the gauge will read lower. In the same way, if the temperature is much higher than 60 degrees, the gauge would actually read higher because the gas expanded.

Effect of Expansion and Contraction
Based on the information given by the propane industry web site, the amount of energy contained within the tank does not actually change as the gas expands or contracts. The amount of propane itself has not changed, but just the density of the gas has changed.

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