How long does a propane tank last?

Question

hi, i just bought a portable grill, had to buy a 16.4 oz propane tank. does wonder how many hours of cooking is that if anyone knows it would be very helpful ty

Answer 1

Depends. How many BTU's does your grill produce?

The hotter the flames, the faster the propane will be used up.

But if the manufacturer recommends such a small tank, then I would think at least a few hours, 2-3 maybe?, on high..

Another way to tackle the math is like this.

100,000 BTUs = 1 gallon.

1 gallon = 128 ounces.  

100,000 / 128 =781.25 BTUs per oz.

781.25btu x 16.4oz  = 12,815.5 BTUs.

So the only question you need to answer is how many BTUs your grill is rated for.  Many of the portables are rated around 10,000 BTUs (give or take), therefore using LPG guy's calculations,  one tank will last just over an hour...

Answer 2

I'm used to figuring out propane consumption on much larger volumes than this, but I will give it a try for you...

100,000 btu's will consume 1 gallon of propane in one hour. This is fact!

The rest of this you might have to check my math on, but I'm pretty sure I'm correct...

1 gallon = 128 ounces

you have 16.4 ounces

128 divided by 16.4 = 7.81

if we divide 100,000 by 7.81, we get 12804.

That means you've got 12804 btu's of energy, give or take, in that cylinder.

You need to look at the rating plate of the appliance and see what the btu rating is. Keep in mind, that those ratings are for the burner on full temperature. If you turn the burner down it will use a little less fuel.

So...if you are running a 10,000btu burner you've got a little over an hour. If it's a 20,000 btu burner, your going to hoover it up in about a half hour.

Those little bottles don't last long. IF you are hiking or kayaking and weight means everything, they're OK, but you really need to look at 5lb cylinders or bigger...

Answer 3

depends how ofhten you cook !!

Answer 4

Depends on what kind of grill, what temperature you are cooking at...

Ask Hank Hill