LP by the gallon, by the pound

   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #1  

oldgrizzlybear

Bronze Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2002
Messages
76
Location
NW Mississippi
Tractor
Yanmar 1500D
Does anyone know the conversion of gallons of LP to pounds. A gas station prices by the gallon, the LP dealers by the gallon and I would like to compare prices.

Larry
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #2  
I generally just think of LPG as being 4 pounds per gallon, but if you want to be more precise, I believe it's actually 4.2 pounds per gallon.
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #3  
Who sells by the pound?
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #4  
Yeah, I guess I have never seen LP sold by the pound.

Specifications:

Characteristics of Propane

Chemical formula C3H8
Specific gravity, liquid 0.509
Specific gravity, vapor 1.52

Weight per gallon 4.24 pounds

Ignition temperature 920 - 1,120 degrees Fahrenheit
Maximum flame temperature 3,595 degrees Fahrenheit
Heat value per cubic foot of vapor 2,516 Btu
Heat value per pound of liquid 21,591 Btu
Heat value per gallon of liquid 91,547 Btu

Hope this helps you.

Murph
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #5  
Around here they put on a scale and fill it. They have a meter as well but they fill it by wieght. I'm not sure if thier selling by the pound or not though.
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #6  
CTyler,

You are right. But typically you find that when refilling the small tanks or upright tanks. Going by weight is more accurate for them tanks. I am mostly talking about the gas grill tanks. A lot of codes are stopping companies from filling them on their own. You pretty much see the tanks now at stores as a refill exchange.

Murph
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #7  
You can fill the tanks either by weight or by the meter or by observing the fixed liquid level gauge (bleeder valve), but the weight is by far the better method in my opinion. I've seen people in the business fill tanks without even opening the bleeder valve (on tanks which have them). And the meter alone is not a good method in my opinion because the guy filling the tank usually does not really know for sure that the tank was completely empty to start with. Personally, when I was pumping LPG into portable tanks, I used all three; set the tank on the scales, open the bleed valve if there was one, and watch the meter.
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #8  
Bird,

I use to fill tanks too. Many years ago, like maybe twenty. We used a scale all the time for the portables. But we emptied them first. Yep we bled them out because at that time all tanks weighed different. So you could only put in the difference of the tank empty. I believe today all or most of the tanks have an empty weight stamped on them. Plus in Minnesota it is illegal to refill them.

Murph
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #9  
Bird:
Up here in the frozen north anyone dispensing C3 at a garage must have attented a certification course. I beleive they will fill bottles up to 100#. After that WHIMIS regulations are in effect.

For filling the bottle is weighted before and after filling to measure the pounds charged for. C3 vehicles are filled by volume measurement.

At my former workplace we had a small Frac train producing around 2500 meters cubed of C3 a day. We used to fill our small tanks by holding them and estimating how much they weighed.

Egon
 
   / LP by the gallon, by the pound #10  
<font color="blue"> in Minnesota it is illegal to refill them </font>

I don't think I understand. Surely you don't have to buy a new bottle every time you empty one. Who fills them initially?

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( most of the tanks have an empty weight stamped on them )</font>

In my limited experience, I never encountered any DOT cylinders (or tanks or bottles) without both the tare weight (T.W.) and water capacity (W.C.) stamped on them.
 

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