Boondocking is a bit of a gamble when your trailer has only one 30 pound capacity LP tank. I've looked all over for a source of a 30 pound tank with an integral float gauge, but have never located a vendor with one in stock.
I've drooled over the ultrasonic
Truma LevelCheck since I first saw an advertisement, but $70 plus shipping seems steep. None the less, I like the concept.
I spotted this scale in a sports store the other day. The price was right and it jumped into my cart with some other stuff.
The disadvantage of a scale is that the LP bottle must be disconnected and removed from the mount. The advantage of the scale is that it is simple and cheap.
It's not terribly convenient to hold up the scale with the LP bottle and read the scale (or take a one-handed picture of it!)
The black follow-up needle makes it much easier to see that the gross weight of the bottle was approximately 38 pounds.
Every bottle is stamped with the tare weight (TW.) In this case the empty bottle weighed 23.3 pounds when it was manufactured in August 2012.
Thanks to the scale, I know that I still have nearly a half a tank of gas.
While researching this post, I ran across
Moscap Engineering's Gas Check Level Indicator. Currently $29.95 w free shipping. Now to con one of my friends into trying it first.
Who could resist clicking on that title!
ReplyDeleteThe ultrasonic gauge intrigues me. I have it bookmarked. Maybe I can resist buying it. But probably not. :)
I just checked Amazon today for the Moscap Engineering unit. From the reviews it looks like they may have some significant quality assurance issues. The Truma unit isn't available from Amazon. If you get one I'd love to hear how well it works.
DeleteI will probably wait till this trip is over since I am trying to work campgrounds into the budget first. :)
ReplyDeleteI sure know how that goes! So glad to be in the west with lots of boondocking options.
DeleteNone of our gas gauges ever worked properly....now I just resort to pouring very hot water on the tank while the stove is on. When the tank is hot to my hand.... all the way to the bottom....I'm about out!
ReplyDeleteIntegral float gauges work and 20 pound tanks are available with them, but aftermarket pressure gauges are useless since the vapor pressure doesn't vary until the tank is essentially empty. I've used the hot water trick but hate to use fuel to see how much fuel is remaining. I'm still hoping the Truma is successful.
DeleteWhen I moved out to the boondock in Virgin, I bought me a Mr. Buddy heater which I have been running off my 1.5 gal "tiny tank" that I had for my BBQ grill. I have been wishing I knew what the tank weighed empty. Now I know! TW = 9.9 lbs! THANKS! Great post!
ReplyDeleteNow all you need is a relatively accurate scale.
DeleteLooking forward to seeing you in our neighborhood.