Dometic LP GasChecker (LPGC10)

I'm new to this propane game so I'm still learning.  We took our new 1475 out for 5 days last month, did some cooking and heating of water and air, but ran the fridge on shore power.  We are generally frugal with heat, been keeping our house at 61 during the day, 59 at night.  The Truma was set pretty low at night.  The dealer supposedly gave us a full LP tank.  So I have no idea how much we used.

I tried the hot water trick on my tank this afternoon, had absolutely no idea what it was telling me.  There was a difference in the wet tank surface above and below the central weld, but I don't know if was real or if it was just the way the water rolled down the surface and past the weld.  I could imagine I believe I thought I think I saw a difference between the surface on the sloping curved top surface and the vertical side, but since the slope was changing I have no idea if it was believable.

Bottom line, I have no idea how much profane, I mean propane is left.  I'm leaning toward wanting a tool that gives me an unambiguous reading, even if I have to try it three or four times to make it speak.  That Dometic pencil probe is looking nice right now.  Of course we won't be going out again for several months, but I don't want to get two days into a planned five day trip and run out of propane.  Then my speech may actually become profane.

Here is what some of us use  -  Just the sensor and Bluetooth app. 

https://mopeka.com/ 

@VicH posted:

Here is what some of us use  -  Just the sensor and Bluetooth app.

https://mopeka.com/

That seems like a nice device but I have one quesiton.  How thick is it, which is to say will it fit in the half inch I have between the bottom of the tank and the surface which the tank's ring pedestal sits on?  Are those aluminum feet really necessary?

I'm not sure how many questions that ended up being.

@jimmuller posted:

That seems like a nice device but I have one quesiton.  How thick is it, which is to say will it fit in the half inch I have between the bottom of the tank and the surface which the tank's ring pedestal sits on?  Are those aluminum feet really necessary?

I'm not sure how many questions that ended up being.

The latest version is much thinner  than  the older one that I am using.  The older one is 0.42 inches,  new one is 0.28 inches.

Thank you, @VicH.

I ordered one of those Mopeka gauges and it came a day or two ago.  A few minutes ago I installed it and boom, just like that, it told me I had 70% in the tank.  Pretty slick.  Now, if it is accurate that's even better!  After consulting with my more experienced brothers I think that 70% figure seems about right.  I'm not sure how full the tank was when the dealer delivered the trailer to us, despite an offhand comment that it was prepped and ready to go.  But after a 5-day trip in cool weather with significant cooking and nice hot showers it seems in the ballpark of what they typically consume.

Thanks for the suggestion.

Don't know about the newer version. On my older version Mopeka says to apply a very, very thin coat of thermo grease to keep the rubber sensor from sticking to the paint other wise the sensor might stick and get pulled out when removing.
Also a good idea to sand most of the paint off where the sensor sticks.
Oh, very important..when removing carefully twist the sensor, do not just pull off.

We too have the older, thicker mopeka, works great for us with the phones bluetooth app. They sell a rubber ring for the bottom of the tank, this gives more clearance for the older, thicker sensor. The little aluminum feet are near worthless.

@Rvcrzyjeff posted:

We too have the older, thicker mopeka, works great for us with the phones bluetooth app. They sell a rubber ring for the bottom of the tank, this gives more clearance for the older, thicker sensor. The little aluminum feet are near worthless.

              I too use the rubber ring -  works great 

@pau hana posted:

Don't know about the newer version. On my older version Mopeka says to apply a very, very thin coat of thermo grease to keep the rubber sensor from sticking to the paint other wise the sensor might stick and get pulled out when removing.
Also a good idea to sand most of the paint off where the sensor sticks.
Oh, very important..when removing carefully twist the sensor, do not just pull off.

     Yep &  Yep   mine had no thermo grease and it shelf destructed when I removed it the fourth time.   It was the old style w/ a 3 year warranty - They replaced it for me  -  FREE.    Most happy with it.     

I understood the grease to be an aid for ultrasonic coupling, like an ultra sound, smear the couplant on mama's belly.

Mine included a tiny tube labeled ultrasonic grease but no instructions one way or the other except how to pair to the phone or receiver.  It fits under the tank without needing any spacers.  What impressed me the most was that it just worked.  Or it seemed to.  Maybe it tells everyone they have 70%.

I have two Mopeka units one on each tank, the units fit neatly in the space between the tank and the bottom shelf on our new 1995.  They provide for peace of mind to be able to check the tank levels from inside the trailer so I know when to switch the tank lever to the other tank (or when spotting a propane refill station on the road and wondering if I need to top off) .  When I installed mine the units came with the grease to apply between the unit and the sensor.  

I have an extra unit that I installed on my home Weber grill tank. Neat product.