Burner Gas Gauge

Anybody have any recommendations on a QUALITY gas gauge for my outdoor propane burner? I kind of want to get one on there to prevent running out of gas midway through a brew.

I think a spare tank would be a better purchase.

Brewfat said:

I think a spare tank would be a better purchase.

Click to expand...

+1 I have one that screws on, but it is only good if you leave your burner attached 24/7. In my case I don't and the gauge resets every brew. On that note you should look into getting one of the hanging weight hooks or weigh it.

Not sure how a gauge prevents running out in the middle of a brew.

A spare tank is the way to go...

Cheers!

a good bathroom scale under your tank will tell you if you know the empety weight
Pressure dont change as long as there is liquid in the bottle so a gauge shouldnt change before you alreaady empty

I just brew 2-3 batches and then have it filled, noting the quantity required. I can then estimate the amount used per batch. Obviously you could get really detailed and keep track of how long the burner was lit for various operations and get an average burn rate per hour.

I can usually get 4 5gal batches out of a 20lb tank. I use it for everything (heating water for mash and sparge, and 60-90min boil). I am using a Blichmann burner, so I have a relatively high burn rate in exchange for reduced time to boil.

Paul

Brew Pedaler Brewer

+1 on weighing tank. They're called 20 LB tanks because they holds 20 lbs. of fuel.
It should weigh 18 lbs. empty, 38 lbs. full.

+1 to the above. Get a spare tank. Any "pressure" gauge won't actually work. It is the same problem as a CO2 tank pressure gauge. Since the contents of the tank is actually a liquid that boils off the pressure of the tank doesn't really change as the tank empties (absent of temperature changes). A pressure gauge would just show you the vapor pressure of propane at X degrees until there was no liquid and your tank was empty anyways. The only real way to do it is by weight as others have said... basically stick it on a scale and count down 20 lbs....

Thanks for all of the information! Seems like just having a spare tank is the popular option. I may try to find one cheap on Craigslist. Around here its $50 for a new propane tank.

natefrog255 said:

Thanks for all of the information! Seems like just having a spare tank is the popular option. I may try to find one cheap on Craigslist. Around here its $50 for a new propane tank.

Click to expand...

I think you can buy a full one at a gas station for that much. Keep and get it filled from then on.