How Much Propane in Tank - Easy Test to Check Propane Level

If you want to know how much propane is in your tank and you don't have a scale on your grill, get about a quart of hot water from the tap and run it down one side of your tank. Run your hand down the tank to check the propane level. The propane will absorb the heat and you will feel the level of the propane in the tank.

If you have a 30,000 btu grill, a tank will last 8 to 10 hours.

[newsveteran]

Thanks for getting straight to the point, not trying to be funny, and not saying "basically" every other word. Nice intro, good content and presentation.

[socalcook]

Dang! It actually works. You saved my cookout tomorrow because I was almost out but thought I still had a few cooks in it left. Great tip. Thank you!

[DThomas]

THIS WORKED!!!
We weighed the tank (with some propane in it already) and subtracted the actual weight of the empty tank container first.. so we could tell that it was more than half full... then we tried THIS, and we were very happy to see that this is simple and works very well, and is accurate!

THANK YOU for sharing this simple idea!

[tuts]

No time consuming fluff prior to getting to the point??!! Spot on sir!

[mycahmilton]

Thanks a lot! I'm only 19 but I'm the man of the house and it's vital that I know home improvement tips like this. This one was really great!

[TheAshenRider]

Awesome tip!  Even had Hank Hill to show us.

[tunetown]

Nice Also a 20 lb tank is 37 lbs full and 17 lbs when empty. If you have a scale on hand.

[daphne]

Quick, simple, to the point. 👏🏼 Bravo!

[FIXITHomeImprovementChannel]

Hi,
Just disconnect the tank from the grill and pour hot water down the side. You should get a good idea of how much propane is left in the tank. Then the key is knowing how many btu's your grill uses. The average 3 burner grill uses about 30, 000 btu's. That gives you about 9 hours of cooking time with a full tank.

[BossRedRanger]

Thanks SO much! I'm getting prepped for the coming tropical storm and you saved me a bottle fee!

[j_freed]

Hey nice tip. I sometimes just grab the tank off it and swish it around to feel if there is a litre or two of fluid compressed propane in there!

[quantumprocess]

Common sense tips that can save lives. Thank you.

[Alice.]

It is always amaze me that in this era of such high technology, that there is not a better way to check how much propane remains in a tank!!!! I just can't believe it!

[wakamoli]

Propane weighs 4.24 lbs per gallon. The tank is required to have a tare weight stamped on it. all you have to do is weigh the tank and subtract the tare weight from the gross weight will give you the net weight and take that value and divide it by 4.24 will give you the number of gallons in the tank.

[impetiousdoom]

2 tanks, run one dry then swap to the full one. Refill the empty. But thanks for the tip.👍🏼

[robevans]

This is how to make an effective, useful and to-the-point video. Excellent!

And this method is better than trusting the built-in tank scale on some grilles, as they are notoriously inaccurate.

[ixfd]

You can also easily check the liquid levels using a thermal imaging camera. The downside: thermal cameras are pretty expensive.

[juliekarpenske]

Thanks for that! Super handy for a wife trying to cook dinner on my husband's grills.

[phillbr]

You could also weigh it on a bathroom scale and subtract the tank weight which should be printed on it.

[ollieox]

Now THAT'S something I wish I knew years ago. Thanks for posting.