How do I check the level of a propane tank used with my grill?
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Answers:
the hardware store most likely has these:..little plastic strips you stick on the tank...they give a good est. on the level by the temp. since the LPG is colder where it is in the tank.there are also pressure guages that can tell you when its low but not much more like 3/4 1/2 ect
If your tank doesn't have a gauge, you can't check the level. You could unscrew the regulator and lift the tank up. If it's pretty heavy, you probably have a decent amount of propane left. It it's really light, you're probably almost out.
You can buy propane tank gauges online and probably in stores that sell grills and grill accessories. A quick search of the web turned up these:
http://www.become.com/shop?q=propane+tan...
This isn't scientific,but when the grill is on put your hand on the tank.Where the propane level is will be cold.Hope this helps!
pour warm water over your propane tank, then rub rub your hand slowly over the side...where the tank is cool/cold is the amount of propane left in the tank.
I tried different methods and nothing seemed to work. I went out and bought a second tank. That way you will always have gas and not have to worry about running out in the middle of a party.
There's a gadget that senses the weight of a full tank, then displays how much of the weight disappears as you use up the gas -sort of like the gas guage in your car: you end up thinking in terms of half-full, quarter tank, etc., as opposed to how may units are still there. There are other gizmos as well, but they take more work -like boiling water and puring it over magnetic strips. Ridiculous. Then there's a guage that fits in the gas line between tank and grill: Try Lowes or Home Depot, and it that doesn't work, try this:
http://www.barbecue-store.com/gaslow.htm...
or do a search in Google or Yahoo for this:
propane grill tank gauge
Now, here's MY, el-cheapo way of doing it. Get 2 tanks, or else borrow a neighbor's tank that you KNOW is either full or darn near empty. Likewise, get a tank that is the opposite, so you have one full and one empty. Last resort, go to a place that has a tank exchange, take along a bathroom scale, and ask to weight a full and an empty tank.
Let's say the full one weighs 35 lbs, and the empty weighs 25 lbs (I'm making these up -I'm a charcoal guy and simply need to look in the bag to tell when I'm on empty). So now, you keep a cheap bathroom scale UNDER the tank you're using, and as it approaches the weight of an empty tank, you know it's time to get a new one.
Here's another technique I might try (I love this stuff). Get a spring from Lowes or home depot or wherever. Mount one end of the spring midway between the middle and one end of a flat board, so it is at a 90 deg angle with respect to the board. Take another board of the same size or somewhat bigger and put a pice of pipe across it. Now, take the spring board, and put it spring side DOWN on top of the other board, so you end up with a see-saw. Now put the tank on top board over the spring. The other end of the board will tilt UP. Put a pointer on that end that points to a yard stick mounted close by. As you use gas, the tank will weight less and the pointer will gradually point lower on the yardstick. You may need to experiment with position of tank, extra weight here and there, etc,. but you get the idea. This contraption -which I now think I will actually go and BUILD, I'm so excited- should be only slightly larger than the diameter of the tank, and ideally would fit on top of the mounting bracket for the tank.
Another idea! Get a grandfather clock. Remove the weights and cables .
Hope this helps and happy grilling!
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