20 lb Costco propane tank… interesting.

[Sundancefisher]

A while back I bought a couple Costco 20 lb propane tanks. They came with a free fill which was great.
They also have a gauge to show how full the tank it.

Been using it a while and the gauge was going from yellow to red so went for a fill.

Only cost $7. Normally Costco fills run be about $15. Coop is $30.

So it struck me that the guage is kinda useless. Tank was half full but the gauge suggested approaching close to empty.

Anyone else notice this?

Usually I just wait until the tank runs out but I was swinging past Costco after camping.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Yeah, I find those gauges to be kind of useless overall, not just on the Costco tanks.

[glen moa]

I use a 50lb fish scale to weigh my tanks. Empty weight should be on the tank.

[Mayhem]

Meh...I don't put a lot of faith in those 99 cent gauges. I just pick it up and give it a swirl, not too hard to tell approximately how much is left in the tank.

That said, I have two 20lb Costmo tanks that are almost 10 years old and the gauges are still surprisingly accurate

[Sooner]

Originally Posted by glen moa

I use a 50lb fish scale to weigh my tanks. Empty weight should be on the tank.

Me too. Write down your full & empty weights, pretty easy way to use it as a gauge.

[KGB]

Well same story here, my gage is usele… But the good thing about filling up at Costco is that they charge you per pound of propane, not per fill… Another word, if you take a half tank to Hughes or Coop- it’s still $30.

[Bergerboy]

Originally Posted by KGB

Well same story here, my gage is usele… But the good thing about filling up at Costco is that they charge you per pound of propane, not per fill… Another word, if you take a half tank to Hughes or Coop- it’s still $30.

The COOP by my house fills by the pound.

[Tannerdog]

Same at Costco but I think they are by the L They charge for what they pump into the tank, not flat rate/tank size so great for topping off tanks that aren't empty.

[calgarychef]

Propane is measured by weight (obviously) and the gauges work on pressure… or don’t work if you prefer to call it that. Pressure doesn’t move much on liquid gasses like that.

[Grizzly Adams1]

Originally Posted by calgarychef

Propane is measured by weight (obviously) and the gauges work on pressure… or don’t work if you prefer to call it that. Pressure doesn’t move much on liquid gasses like that.

Until I cut a 20 lb. bottle up to make a smoker recently, I didn't realize there is a valve in there that prevents you filling the bottle more than 80 %.

[1hogfarmer]

Never had one with a gauge, just gone by feel or no burn haha

[Au revoir, Gopher]

Originally Posted by Grizzly Adams1

Until I cut a 20 lb. bottle up to make a smoker recently, I didn't realize there is a valve in there that prevents you filling the bottle more than 80 %.

In days of old, we were allowed to fill them to 90%. We filled our own tanks (20lb and 100lb). The tanks all had dip tubes on them. You opened a little valve on the side of the main valve and when liquid started spitting out you stopped filling. I'm guessing there are all sorts of regulations against doing that these days.

Originally Posted by 1hogfarmer

Never had one with a gauge, just gone by feel or no burn haha

The only one I have with a gauge I bought because they didn't have any without a gauge. I've never actually looked at it, so I have no idea if it is accurate or not.

ARG

[Davey Boy]

Pour boiling water down the sides of the tank. The frost line that shows up is the level of the tank. You can use warm water also, just run your finger from top towards bottom, along where you poured the water, where you can feel the temp. change is where the level is.

[bat119]

I had a bbq about 20 years ago the tank sat on top of a crude scale it was a handy thing I wonder why they quit making those now I use NG never run out

[urban rednek]

I have a 20 lb. tank with a gauge that I bought at Costco in May 2019. When the needle bottoms out, I swap tanks. The receipt usually shows 11-13 litres to refill. Since a properly set up 20 lb. tank holds 17.8 litres, it seems that the gauge has a 25% oops factor built in. Much like the low fuel indicator on modern vehicles.

FTR- Costco sells propane by the litre. Which is why it is considerably less than places that charge a flat fee tank.

[Okotok]

Originally Posted by Au revoir, Gopher

In days of old, we were allowed to fill them to 90%. We filled our own tanks (20lb and 100lb). The tanks all had dip tubes on them. You opened a little valve on the side of the main valve and when liquid started spitting out you stopped filling. I'm guessing there are all sorts of regulations against doing that these days.
ARG

I worked at Canadian Propane as a gas jockey back in the 70's. I've never seen a 10% valve on a 20lb or 100lb bottle, only on fixed tanks like motorhomes or propane powered vehicles. All bottles were filled by adding bottle capacity in pounds to the filler hose Weight and Tare Weight stamped on the bottle. This left enough airspace for vaporization by design. If there was an overfill oops, the old bottles without the excess flow valves were easy to blow off any excess!

[tbiddy]

We don’t have access to Costco but the best value I’ve found is Co-Op. They charge by the pound. But I just run 2 tanks. Fire up the Q and cook on it till it runs out. Grab the 2nd bottle, hook it up and finish cooking supper. Fill the empty tank next time I’m in town.