If you rely on propane to keep your home warm during our bone-chilling Iowa winters, you already know how well propane does its job. But during periods of extreme cold, some people worry that their propane supply will freeze up inside the tank and they will not be able to get gas to keep their furnace and other appliances running.
This is something you should not worry about because propane’s freezing point is about -306°F. This temperature could only be produced in a laboratory setting because this freezing point is too cold to happen anywhere on Earth—including the South Pole.
Propane does have a boiling point of about -44°F. At this temperature, liquid propane can no longer turn into a gas. Now it is possible to reach that temperature but it would be very rare. For trivia buffs, the city of Washta in northwest Iowa proudly proclaims itself as the Coldest Spot in Iowa—because it set a record-low in the state of -47°F in January 1912 (That’s without the wind chill factored in!)
The main concern during extremely cold winters is not propane freezing, but a loss of pressure in your tank.
Like all liquids, propane contracts in the cold. When it does, the volume of liquid propane in your tank shrinks, resulting in a loss of pressure. If the pressure gets too low, propane won’t be able to reach your gas burner.
To avoid low pressure problems during cold weather extremes, follow these tips
Please reach out to your propane company if you have any questions or concerns about your propane tank.
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