Here's why your propane tank is never full

Here’s a promise you probably didn’t expect your propane provider to make: Our commitment to you is that we’ll never fill your tank when we make a delivery. Not once. Not ever.

What’s that, you ask? Why wouldn’t we honor a customer’s request to fill his or her propane tank? The simple answer is that we’re committed to keeping our customers, our employees, and the members of the communities we serve safe.

Propane delivered to the tank at your home or business is stored in a liquid state under pressure. It expands in the presence of heat, creating pressure that can build in a propane tank when it’s hot. The additional space inside the tank is needed to allow for propane to expand into a vapor. That’s why we’ll only fill your tank to 80 percent of its water capacity.

You may own your propane tank or lease one or more from Ferrellgas. Generally, propane tanks used at homes throughout the country typically have 250 gallons, 500 gallons, or 1,000 gallons water capacity. You can calculate the approximate fill capacity of these and other common-sized tanks by multiplying the tank’s water capacity by 0.8. Here’s a simple cheat sheet.

Under the dome of your propane tank you’ll find a fill valve, a tank shut-off valve, a safety relief valve, a regulator, and a tank gauge. The tank gauge shows you the percentage of propane in the tank. Keep in mind that this gauge should not read 100 percent because 80 percent is considered full.

If you ever have questions about the propane tank at your home or business, don’t hesitate to give the pros at Ferrellgas a call.