How To Replace Your Propane Grill Tank

Make sure your propane cylinder is full and ready to go.

Summer means a lot of things in North Carolina: baseball on TV, camps for the kids and afternoons around a refreshing pool. One of the main perks of this time of year is gathering family and friends at your home for a cookout.

If you’re like nearly two-thirds of American grillers, you use propane to fuel your barbecue. Most freestanding propane grills use a 20-pound grill tank. For families in Fuquay-Varina and elsewhere in our service region, the best deal for refilling your grill’s propane cylinder can be found at the LG Jordan showroom in Apex. We’ll fill your grill tank for less than you’d pay at a cylinder exchange.

In this post, we’ll explain how to replace the propane cylinder in your freestanding grill.

How do you switch out a grill tank?

Most freestanding grills have a compartment where you stow the 20-pound cylinder that fuels your burners. Some grills even have a restraining bolt that secures the container, often connecting it to a scale telling you approximately how full it is.

Before disconnecting a spent propane cylinder to attach a new one, you should confirm that your grill is turned off and the cylinder valve is closed. To remove the spent grill tank, you will twist the pressure regulator to unscrew it from the valve. If there’s a retraining bolt, remove it. Then, you can lift the grill tank out of the compartment.

You would reverse this process to install your new propane cylinder. Place it into the grill’s storage compartment, affix the restraining bolt (if applicable) and then screw on the pressure regulator.

What safety checks should you do before using a new grill tank?

Firstly, it’s important that you always transport and store your grill tank in an upright position, never on its side. Additionally, keep the cylinder outdoors but shaded from direct sunlight.

You should also perform a basic at-home leak test after attaching your grill tank:

1. Spray the cylinder valve, grill regulator and hose with a 50/50 mixture of dish soap and water.
2. Open the tank valve. If you see bubbles, close the valve and tighten all the fittings.
3. Open the valve again. If you still see bubbles, there’s likely a leak. Immediately close the cylinder and contact your propane supplier.

How can you check your current grill tank fill level?

If your grill doesn’t have a built-in scale, we can offer these three ways to check your grill tank’s fill level.

1. Weigh the Cylinder on a Home Scale. On the collar of your grill tank is a marking for TW or tare weight, which is the weight of the empty cylinder. You’ll also see a marking of WC or water capacity, which is how many pounds of liquid propane the cylinder can hold. Weigh the cylinder, subtract the TW from the scale reading and divide the resulting number by the WC to find your grill tank’s percentage fill.
2. Use a Bucket of Hot Water. Pour hot water over your cylinder and run your hand down the metal. Since propane absorbs heat quickly, the metal will turn cool at the fill line.
3. Buy an Eternal Grill Tank Gauge. These affordable devices can be found in home stores, hardware stores and online retailers. You attach them between the grill tank’s valve and the pressure regulator, and they tell you how full the grill tank is.

If you need some top-quality propane for your grill tank, come to LG Jordan Oil & Gas in Apex, NC, for a propane cylinder refill. Contact us for more information.