Can You Leave a Propane Tank Outside All Winter?

Know How to Prevent Propane Problems Due to Cold Weather

You may be familiar with how temperatures below freezing can affect the gasoline in your car and result in poor fuel efficiency. Since propane is also referred to as liquid propane gas, or LPG, customers often ask us if the cold can affect propane in the same way when temperatures plummet.

While propane is stored as a liquid, it’s not affected by cold temperatures until it reaches -44°F, which is well below our average lows. Even with some valley locations dropping below freezing overnight regularly, you don’t need to worry about your propane freezing. The main effect of freezing temperatures on propane is that it causes the gas to contract. That can mean different things depending on what kind of tank you have.

Portable Cylinders

If you store your portable grill cylinders outside in the winter, they should be perfectly fine. By the time you’re ready to grill, any contraction from colder temperatures will have reversed. You should still store your tank safely in the winter.

Never keep a propane tank indoors, even in a garage or shed. Propane tanks should always be kept in an open, well-ventilated space, ideally out of direct sun and at least 10 feet from your home. You should also make sure your tank is in a secure, level, and upright position. Keeping your tank upright protects against damage that could lead to leaks.

Aboveground Storage Tanks

While temperatures need to get extremely cold for a very extended period to affect the propane in an underground tank, it’s a different situation with an aboveground propane tank.

When it’s extremely cold outside, the volume of propane in your aboveground propane tank will contract, resulting in a loss of pressure. The problem is, if the pressure becomes too low, the propane inside your tank will not be able to reach your gas burner. That means you may not be able to run your propane appliances, including your furnace or boiler. In addition to no heat, you need to worry about pipes freezing.

Avoiding Low Pressure Problems

There are three easy ways to protect the propane in your tank from freezing temperatures and prevent pressure problems.

1. Fill your tank: The best way to prevent pressure problems in your propane tank is to keep your tank at least 30% full. The more propane is in your tank, the more positive pressure there will be. When the forecast is predicting a stretch of low temperatures, check the gauge on your tank and call us for a propane delivery. Or, sign up for our convenient automatic delivery service. We factor the weather into our deliveries, so we’ll make sure you never run low. But we ask that you factor in the weather too. Please keep driveways plowed and sanded, and clear a path to your tank so we can deliver your fuel safely.
2. Keep the snow off: If you notice snow accumulating on your propane tank, brush it off. When sunlight can reach your tank, it keeps the propane inside warmer and slows contraction.
3. Turn down the heat: It may seem counterintuitive, but another way to reduce pressure problems is to turn down your thermostat. Your propane-fueled furnace or boiler won’t run as often, so it won’t try to draw propane from the tank, allowing the pressure inside your propane tank to rebuild.

Protect Your Storage Tank

Admiral offers convenient automatic delivery service and wireless tank monitoring, both options that can help you make sure your tank always has enough fuel to protect against pressure problems. It’s just one of the reasons so many of your neighbors in the Tennessee Tri-Cities area have trusted Admiral for more than a quarter of a century.

When it comes to propane delivery and service, we do the best job because we’re your neighbors, and we know where you’re calling from whether you’re in Blountville, Greeneville, or anywhere in between.

Contact us to become a customer today.