Propane Tank questions

[rsholman]

Hi Everyone,

My first post, we had a Jotul 370 stove installed a few weeks ago and are running it with propane. I had a 120-gallon tank installed and the first fill happened last Wednesday, the ticket shows they filled it to 80% which was 86 gallons.

I checked the gauge yesterday, 6 days later and it shows 38%, I just can't believe that we've used half of the fuel, my calculations say I should get about 4 hours per gallon and 30 days of 12 hour per day use on the stove. The BTU output of the Jotul is 20-24,000. We have used the stove way less than that over the past week, averaging 4-5 hours per day.

I live in MA and it was 60 degrees on the day of delivery and has averaged in the low 30's since the fill.

Is the gauge messed up? I didn't look at the gauge, right after they filled it.

Would I see that much contraction due to temp?

I don't smell anything and the gauge has been consistent since I checked it yesterday, despite running the stove for a couple of hours, there is no way that much fuel would have leaked.

Any thoughts? I am currently on endless hold with Amerigas.

 

[DAKSY]

I'd say if your gauge is correct, then you MAY have a leak in the gas line.
Your math is correct, although the BTU rating is for INPUT - not OUTPUT.
At ~79% efficiency, your MAX output is near 19K BTU/hr.

 

[StockHR]

I have to agree with Daksy, you may have a leak. I had a Jotul and no way you should be going through propane that fast. I would have Amerigas come out and pressure test for a leak. A couple of things about Amerigas; Always check their delivery after they leave check the gauge the next day also. And finally they are the WORST propane company in New England when it comes to customer service. If you only have 1 tank you might think about having them install a second 120 just so you don't run out when you really need the stove for heat.

 

[rsholman]

Thanks, Both

I'm suspecting a faulty/frozen gauge. The needle is in the exact same place since I initially looked at it on Monday, and we've used the stove every day. I'm aggravated with myself for not looking at the gauge right after they filled it. I assume they use a gauge on the hose to determine the fill?

I will continue to try Amerigas, to have them take a look and confirm. I was on hold for 90 minutes yesterday and had to drop - their customer service is the worst I have ever seen, I have never had less than 60 minutes of hold time.

I couldn't get any other gas provider to drop a tank for "ornamental" use right now but will look to change it in the spring.

 

[49er]

And finally they are the WORST propane company in New England when it comes to customer service.

It's not only in New England, we say the same thing in CA.

I assume they use a gauge on the hose to determine the fill?

They most likely used the bleeder valve on the tank itself to determine when the tank was full.

You might try pouring some hot water on the tank to see if you can get an idea of the gas level in the tank and compare it to the gauge. After pouring hot water on the side of the tank, the tank will feel warm to your hand above the liquid level and cool at and below the liquid level.

Also I would have thought if the tank was empty, the first fill would be closer to 96 gallons.

 

[rsholman]

Also I would have thought if the tank was empty, the first fill would be closer to 96 gallons.

Thanks for the thoughts, the tank had 10+ gallons of fuel when they delivered it, that's why they topped off at 86 gallons. Still showing at 38% full despite daily use, I tried waving a magnet over the needle, the needle will follow it, but goes right back to 38% once I take the magnet away. Will try to get them out next week and also try the water trick to gauge the level.

 

[IHMan]

Ive had an undergound 500 gal tank for about 25 years. My needle occasionaly sticks.
I was told a lubricant is added to the fuel to prevent the float from sticking. My guess is your gauge is faulty,
Ask for another tank when they come to pressure test your lines

 

[bjr23]

I just ran my 120 gallon completely dry just for the reasons you've talked about. I gonna invest in a 24" pipe wrench and see if I can remove the gauge/sender unit and install a new unit. I bought my very old tank (1940's) and suspect the float inside the tank. The new units today have electronic senders and I want to see if I can couple to my computer to monitor the usage. And yes, it'll require a ADC board to make this happen.

 

[velvetfoot]

I'm waiting on a tank for a generator, but with a lot of time on my hands, I bought a remote tank gauge from tankutility.com . It uses wifi. Hooks up to an existing Rochester remote ready gauge. Does 4 readings a day and sends the readings once every 24 hours, to save battery. It provides info and graphs to a phone app or computer. It seems to work, far as I can tell without mounting to a tank, lol. I think about 190 bucks. No subscription.