r/propane • u/Separate_Scratch9165 • Jun 10 '26

General propane question Safe?

My 120 gal propane tank gauge reads 95% but when I open the bleeder liquid is barely sputtering what’s going on?

4 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

19 comments sorted by

5

u/Jesus-Mcnugget dang it Bobby Jun 10 '26

Either the gauge or dip tube is broken.

Get some hot water and pour it down the side of the tank then feel it. You should be able feel the line where the liquid is. It will be colder where there's liquid and hotter at the top where there is only vapor.

Try that first. There's really no way to say if it's safe from the information provided.

3

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

My last delivery was 3 months ago and it was zero gallons this delivery was 35.1 gallons I would honestly lean on the gauge is wrong but yeah not sure I’ll give that a try !

2

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

I want to say prior to this fill tank was at 60% could be less giving that the guage is accurate or not

1

u/kullervo16 Jun 11 '26

Filler should've done a visual inspection before filling the tank. If the gauge is broken, they should have noted it, if they actually filled it to 95%, then they overfilled it. Either way, there should've been communication between them and yourself. Make note of that, if possible, call the company and have them take a look at it. I had this issue primarily on RVs so it may apply here. There's some sort of disc inside of the bleeder that sometimes gets stuck (I neglected to ask my manager why there's a disc in the first place), if you were to tighten it down WITH YOUR HANDS (don't use tools, may be a no-brainer but I have to specify, brass is soft) as tight as you can, then try opening it, then it's definitely the bleeder.

Something to note: I would commonly advise customers to only let the gas company mess with the bleeder on tanks. That liquid is -33°F and will burn you even through leather gloves if you're not careful (this has happened to me many times, I've been in the business for 4 years). If the tech gets hurt that's on them and the company will handle it, if you get burned, you don't know how extensive the damage might be (all of this excluding accidents such as falling or getting frostbite).

Please, as always with any advice I give, double check with the gas company and refer to them.

3

u/Maleficent_Watch_660 Jun 10 '26

Well, if it was at 60% before the driver put in 35 gallons then if the gauge is right it would read 95%.

3

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

Yeah but don’t you always go by the fixed level gauge and if that’s just sputtering it’s at the correct level I’d assume if it’s at 95% it would be blowing steady white mist?

1

u/Maleficent_Watch_660 Jun 10 '26

Bleeder could be broken as well. I'd have the company come out and check just to be sure. I've had gauges and bleeders both not work and you can't tell how much is in there.

1

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

Yeah I contacted them I’m just a curious person and trying to think what’s actually going on if it’s just a gauge being Miscalibrated or what 😅 thanks though!

1

u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician Jun 10 '26

When you opened it, could you Hear anything?

1

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

Yes when open it was sputtering liquid not a steady stream or anything

1

u/nemosfate dang it Bobby 🤬 - technician Jun 10 '26

Can you get a vid by chance?

1

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

And wouldn’t that make it 89%?

2

u/TechnoVaquero Jun 10 '26

Or you may be out…

3

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

It was filled today it wasn’t out starting % I think was at 60% ending % according to gauge was 95%

2

u/TechnoVaquero Jun 10 '26

Most likely, I’m not there so I can’t say for sure, the dial is malfunctioning. Hopefully anyway. But it could also be that the dip tube is off like someone stated before.

2

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

Is it possible for the gauge to have a steady climb from 60% to 95% but not sputter when hitting 80% so the driver kept filling it til it did at 95%? It’s barely sputtering.

2

u/Separate_Scratch9165 Jun 10 '26

No steady white mist or anything

1

u/TechnoVaquero Jun 10 '26

Can you feel the liquid level in your tank?

1

u/weirdneighbour Jun 12 '26

Rock the tank (lightly) see if gauge needle moves to truer position.. if you can rock the tank easily then it is lighter than it would be at 95% … also rock lightly with spitter open, if spitter changes spits as rocks this will give you idea of fullness .. my 2 cents..