It’s happened to a lot of cookers… so it could also happen to you! You’re in the homestretch of a day of prepping for the cookout. Chicken’s on… and the gas on the… grill is… slowly… dying.Running out of propane is easy to do because it’s so hard to see through metal! (Although I have seen some transparent plastic tanks recently that look great.) Most of us don’t have a gas gauge either.
Here’s one tip for your next cook out:
You can estimate how much gas you have left in your propane tank by heating up some water to a boil (you can do this in the microwave or ins
ide). Make sure you have enough hot water to gently heat the SIDE of the propane tank in question. Tilting the tank on a bit of an angle, pour the hot water up and down the entire side of the tank from bottom to top.
The level of liquid propane inside can be determined by feeling the new temperature of the tank with your hand. Where your hot water has succeeded in heating the tank is where it’s empty. Where the tank is noticeably cooler is where you have some remaining liquid propane.
If there is no noticeable difference you’re probably all out.
Never heat a propane tank. Cylinder pressure rises to dangerous levels when over heated. Weight of the tank is how you know exactly how much lp gas you have in your cylinder.
Awesome tip and easy to follow and use. I have to try this the next time I am using my Propane Meat Smoker. Thanks for the great tips.