Gas Level Indicator : ?

[SMHarman]

First isn't it 15kg bottle.
As already said look for the TARE weight on the side, thats the empty weight (or the full plus tin - I can't remember) Weigh it and the difference is the Kgs used.

Or if you are having a big barbie, replace it anyway. Better safe than out of gas.

Originally Posted by towny

Of course, you could just have a proper barbecue and use charcoal. Personally I can't understand the attraction of 'barbecue' cooking on gas. If I wanted to do that I could just use the cooker in the kitchen.

Well you can, but the lava rock does result in a proper barbeque cooking rather than cooking on gas. Most home cookers don't have griddles,.

Final advantage, is that you can get home from work, switch it on and be cooking 20 mins later, so can bbq regularly through the summer (and spring and autumn - with the patio heater alongside). Harder to quickstart like this on charcole. Another bonus, safer with children, finished cooking, switch it off it cools quicker than letting the coals burn out (or water on them).

[Tricky]

Buy a can of component freezer (maplins) and spray down the cylinder early in the morning the level of gas will be indicated by the area that shows no frost the 1st...

[keithwalton]

hmm i've never dealt with gas bottles myself but speaking as an engineer, i'll try and answer some of the stuff said above.

Gas bottles i presume are presurised with gas to weight. The pressure would be quite alot greater than atmospheric. It can also allow it to be storred as a liquid rather than a gas (LPG is like this i believe)

The gas will be let out in a controlled manner by using a throttle valve which will limit the pressure and flow rate of gas leaving the bottle to a safe amount. The pressure storred in the bottle will be much greater than this.

If the gas was storred as a liquid in the bottle (kinda ironic aint it) then it would settle at the bottom and have a finite level much like a bottle of water. You should then be able to read where this level is by some sort of permiativity device.
If it's storred as a gas then you'd be stumped to find a level as it would expand to fill its container. only weight would then do it.

Because of the throttle mechanism you will only be able to tell when the gas is about to run out a few moments before it does as the gas supplied will be a little over atmospheric pressure.
1.5 Bar as an estimate whilst internally it'll be say 15 bar initially.
Until it falls to 1.5 bar internally you wont notice any difference in performance then once it passes the threshold it will fall to what it is internally until it hits atmospheric pressure to when it'll stop coming out.

To summerise, better to be safe than to run out. If its storred as a liquid then you should be able to find it's level

K

[Mike]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

iirc correctly the tare and gross weights should be stamped on it , so you get your full 18kg of gas , i think
i will try and have a look at work tommorrow

Just checked and I got the weight on the bottle wrong.............

It states 13 kgs...........on the bottom it states T1 as 3 kg...is that the tarr weight resulting in the weight of gas as 10 or 13 kgs !

[paulyoung666]

Originally Posted by Mike

Just checked and I got the weight on the bottle wrong.............

It states 13 kgs...........on the bottom it states T1 as 3 kg...is that the tarr weight resulting in the weight of gas as 10 or 13 kgs !

10kg of gas and 3kg of bottle

All I do is shake it - you should be able to hear the liquid gas sloshing around. You should be able to tell if it sounds nearly empty.

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

10kg of gas and 3kg of bottle

Exactly, now go stand on the bathroom scales, then pick thebottle up and calculate the difference.