How long does propane last?

[jgilliam1955]

New to camping. Did a search, no luck.
How long does Propane last when heating?
And under normal use? My new Casita has two 20 pound bottles.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by jgilliam1955

New to camping. Did a search, no luck.
How long does Propane last when heating?
And under normal use? My new Casita has two 20 pound bottles.

That is such an open question, no real good answer.
For me in summer when I don't run the furnace all summer.
Winter when I run it while in the evenings and in the mornings. about 2 week per 20lb cylinder.
NOTE: Summer fridge and cooking use propane, cooler weather add
furnace.

[Raspy]

Propane has 91,600 BTU's per liquid gallon.

I don't know the size of your heater, but if it was rated 30, 000 BTU's (this is the input, not the output), then it would run just over 3 hours on each gallon.

A 20 lb propane cylinder holds about 4.7 gallons of propane.

So, 4.7 X 3 hours each = 14.1 hours per 20 lb cylinder.

When the bottle is nearly empty, in cold weather, the heater might not work as well because the bottle pressure can get low enough to not operate correctly. This occurs with a long period of heavy use.

Also, this time only counts when the heater is actually burning. So, if it is cycling on and off, the total hours will be a lot higher. For example, if it was running 50% of the time, the propane would last twice as long. The 14.1 hours would become 28.2 hours.

Then factor in the water heater and the cook stove with their variable amounts.

[Byron Kinnaman]

Since you have two cylinders I suggest that you watch when the one you are using runs out. Do this is hot summer weather and cooler to cold weather. Then you'll have some idea when to refill the empty one while using the other one.
FYI to me that's the only reason for two cylinders.

[Casita Greg]

Nice math, but the Casita Suburban furnaces are only 16,000 BTUH, so you can pretty much cut those numbers in half. Of course, it also isn't running all the time either, so the bottom line is that your propane consumption is totally dependent on how hard you "drive it" which is obviously a nebulous calculation at best, and it will vary greatly from one user to another. In short, there is no pat answer, or magic number. It's one of those things you'll just have to learn by using it and see what you get. Keep good records of how much you use while running different equipment, or groups of equipment, such as if you use the water heater and fridge on propane, and if you use the galley stove a lot, etc.

[Raspy]

I decided to change my tanks from (2) 20 pounders, to (2) thirty pounders. A very simple conversion that only needed a longer threaded rod to secure them.

In cold weather, when one runs out, we still have two or three days of reasonable use before I top them both up at a gas stop. In warm weather, showering uses the most. If that is being done at the camp showers, the propane will go on for several seasons, I'd guess.

I also sometimes run a propane camp fire from our tanks and it uses more than the space heater. Last year in Oregon, all open wood fires were banned at the camping area. But not propane camp fires. As I interpreted it, "anything with an off switch" was OK.

[Casita Greg]

Since we rarely stay anywhere without hook-ups, or at least electricity and water, we rarely ever even use propane in the trailer. I can't remember the last time I even cracked a valve on a mounted tank, but I kept the ability to do so just in case. I went just the other way with my setup by downsizing to two smaller 11 Lb. tanks instead. I bring one composite lightweight 5 gallon tank which I use for the Camp Chef stove, and that's usually about all the propane we use. Lasts us about a month for cooking 3 meals a day.

[wilyoung]

As others have said, that depends on how you use it. We have two 20# bottles and usually refill one each season. That includes some furnace use in the "shoulder" seasons.


You probably have an automatic switchover tank selector. That is, a switch which selects one tank at a time and an indicator when that tank needs refilling. When the selected tank runs low the automatic switch switches to the non-selected tank and and indicates that switchover, usually by some sort of red flag. Turn the manual selector to the (hopefully) full tank, the flag should go to green. You can then remove the "empty" tank and get it refilled. Hook it back up, open the valve on the refilled tank (the auto switch will not use this tank until the other gets low) and wait for the red flag to show again. Then reverse the process. (Note: Keep the valves on both tanks open for the auto-switchover system to work right.)


With some experience you will learn when to start watching for the flag to go red.


Just a note of caution: Any time you disconnect and reconnect a tank check for leaks at the connectors. A sharp nose is usually good enough, but brushing on soapy water and looking for bubbles work, too.


Another trick: To get a rough idea of how much liquid propane is in a tank you can let hot water run down the side of the tank. Then run you finger up the tank starting at the bottom. The tank will be cool where the liquid is and and feel warmer above the liquid/gas demarcation line. I start at the bottom and run up because the tank might be quite warm at the top, especially if the water is hot and the liquid is low.

[steve dunham]

I have a propane tank that was filled over 7 years ago and the propane still burns okay so from my experience a tank of propane lasts a long time .

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

I have a propane tank that was filled over 7 years ago and the propane still burns okay so from my experience a tank of propane lasts a long time .

LOL yes.. it does .. at least it does if you dont use the propane up. In fact, in that case, the tank (cylinder) will "expire" before the propane becomes non-existent or impotent.

[Jon Vermilye]

Until you get good at estimating how much is left, I guarantee that a tank of propane will last until it is freezing out & you are 30 miles from the nearest propane refill location!

[Alex Adams]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

Until you get good at estimating how much is left, I guarantee that a tank of propane will last until it is freezing out & you are 30 miles from the nearest propane refill location!

Or in the middle of cooking a beautiful steak! (ask me how I know)

[Byron Kinnaman]

Originally Posted by Jon Vermilye

Until you get good at estimating how much is left, I guarantee that a tank of propane will last until it is freezing out & you are 30 miles from the nearest propane refill location!

That's kind a Murphy's Law thing, I think.

My first time running out I was about 10 miles from a small town that propane. I work and started to cook breakfast and I couldn't keep the stove light. Propane cylinder empty. So I took the cylinder and went into town found nice little restaurant to get breakfast and then off to get the cylinder filled. 14 years later I do a much better job of estimating when I'll run out. My estimated are generally a little off so I estimate on the conservative side and refill.

[John in Santa Cruz]

Originally Posted by Alex Adams

Or in the middle of cooking a beautiful steak! (ask me how I know)

at the hardware stores they have this cute gadget called a 'steak saver', that threads onto a regular sized propane regulator fitting and lets you use a 1 lb disposable cylinder to finish your steaks when the 20 lb bbq bottle runs out. hah!

[cpaharley2008]

Greg, that Casita looks brand new, amazing what those shelters can do. As far as propane, I always end up buying a new trailer before having to refill both my tanks, 2-3 years should be fine.I'm keeping the next one, so I'll post an update later, hopefully a long time later.

[Casita Greg]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

Greg, that Casita looks brand new, amazing what those shelters can do. As far as propane, I always end up buying a new trailer before having to refill both my tanks, 2-3 years should be fine.I'm keeping the next one, so I'll post an update later, hopefully a long time later.

Thanks, it's 11 years old now, but has always been stored under the carport cover. It does make a big difference, especially keeping the sun off it. My neighbor has a couple of huge fir trees next door, and a lot of sap dripping branches overhang my driveway, so I think my investment in the carport was money well spent. My wife bought a brand new Crew Cab 4X4 Chevy Silverado with all the bells and whistles, and of course, she gets to park under the other half. That leaves the back half of my truck partially sticking out beyond the carport cover, (I park in front of the trailer,) so I do catch a lot of the tree sap on my trucks canopy cover. Oh well, Happy wife happy life.

As to the propane tanks, I too can't remember using ever using even one trailer mounted tank in all the years I've had the trailer, hence my reason for downsizing them. Still wanted to retain the option, but two large tanks was just hauling around a lot of weight for no good reason. They work well for my backyard barbecue though. My portable lightweight composite tank, carried in the back of the pickup, serves all my propane needs for our Camp Chef 2-burner stove all season. Even when I take it up to have it filled, or more appropriately, "topped off" again, there's still usually 1/4 tank or more left in it.

[GlenP]

Hi, I highly recommend an auto-switchiver regulator. It floads a red indicator when it has switched over to the second tank. Once you move the selector lever to the second tank, it allows you to disconnect the first tank and go get it filled. Great for insuring finished dinner and warm sleeps

Cheers!
Glen

[Radar1]

My propane usually lasts until the tank runs out.
Of course, that depends on whether I need it for heat or not. Furnace uses a lot of propane. We frequently run the fridge on propane, and our water heater is propane only. On a 3 1/2 month trip up North we refilled our 20 lb tanks twice. That was over 6 months ago and we haven't had to refill since then, even though we camped for about 8 weeks without a need for the heater.

We have an autoswitch regulator, but I prefer keeping one bottle turned off so I know exactly when the first tank runs dry. That way I know exactly when the tank runs dry, and don't have to rely on checking the tank status indicator every day, which is hard to see on our setup.

[ROBERT ONEILL]

It will only last until it is all gone. That is the only answer that can be found to be true. Your mileage may vary depending on your individual use. The shelf life of propane in the tank is indefinite when not used. How far can you drive on a full tank of gas in a car? lol and I though everyone knew that.

Also, normal used to be a setting on your washing machine. I'm sure lawyers forced normal removed when the media pounded on their drum that there is nothing normal unless they (the media) say so and they will continue to push what is normal until everyone, I repeat "everyone" is using the proper (media) talking points. Normal use of anything is subject to too many factors.

The reason for two tanks is so you don't run out and can run out to get one filled when it runs out before the other one runs out because if both run out, you have really run out.. Hope all this has been helpful to someone reading this post. I have to go now because I have a tank that has run out and you know the drill.

[C&G in FL]

Originally Posted by cpaharley2008

I'm keeping the next one, so I'll post an update later, hopefully a long time later.

Yea, right Jim! And I’ve got some dry land in South Florida where you can go camping or store it “long term.”