LPG bottles offer convenient storage and easy access with Australia’s extensive LPG infrastructure networks. Additionally, with Elgas you can enjoy easy online ordering and quick delivery to ensure you never run out especially during winter.
Checking your gas bottle level
Finding out how much gas is left in a gas bottle is easy.
Here’s how it’s done.
- Fill a bucket with warm (not too hot) tap water.
- Slowly pour a generous amount of the warm water down one side of the gas bottle.
- A line of condensation may appear indicating the gas level. If not:
- Wait a few moments, then feel the side of the gas bottle where you poured the water.
- You should feel a noticeable cooler change of temperature at the level of the gas.
- If you feel no difference, the gas bottle may be empty.
Checking your gas bottle regularly will let you stay on top of your usage especially with gas heaters and know when it’s time to check levels and re-order. This process works not just for regular LPG gas bottles but for bbq bottles too.
Watch a quick video on How to Check Gas Bottle Level
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Did You Know that Your LPG Boils?
LPG (propane) is stored under pressure as a liquid in a gas bottle. It turns back into a gas by ‘boiling’. LPG draws heat from the steel walls of the gas bottle. This ‘boiling’ LPG makes the gas bottle feel colder.
When gas escapes the bottle rapidly, ice can even form on the gas bottle exterior, providing the perfect gas bottle level indicator.
Gas bottle level gauge
A gas bottle level gauge is an ultrasonic unit that sits under the BBQ gas bottle and sends a reading via Bluetooth to an app on your mobile phone. You can download and install the app. The sensor works well on BBQ size bottles but cannot be used with a 45kg gas bottle. For larger gas cylinders, you’ll need to stick with the hot water test.
It‘s worth noting that pressure gauges don‘t tell you how much gas is in a gas bottle. This is because LPG isn‘t compressed gas – it is liquified gas. The pressure in an LPG bottle can vary but it won‘t tell you how full the gas bottle is. With LPG, the pressure inside your cylinder remains the same until the last of the LPG is vaporised.
How to tell when a gas bottle is full
Your gas bottle will probably never be 100% full, for various reasons. Firstly, gas bottle dimensions aren’t regulated in Australia, so manufacturers have liberty to create their own cylinder designs. To ensure all gas bottles are filled to the same filling level of LPG, SWAP’n’GO bottles are all filled at around 80% capacity.
Another reason to fill below full capacity level is to allow for natural expansion of the gas during warmer days.
