Propane Tank Questions

[Panhead John]

I’ve got a couple of questions for all you gassers out there. It’s been 15 years or so since I’ve had a gas grill. Now that I’ve got my first gas griddle, I’ve got a few questions. Approximately how many cooks do you find you get out of a standard 20 lb. propane tank? I know there’s a lot of variables of course and there’s no way to give an exact answer, but I’m just looking for a ballpark number. Since using my griddle 3 times so far, my cooks have averaged about 20 minutes each time. If you had to guess, about how many cooks should I get out of that time length? 5-10, 10-15? I haven’t a clue myself.

My second question is how do you know when you’re getting low and need a refill? Are there any gadgets out there that can gauge how much gas is left, and is accurate? I remember when I had my gasser years ago, I bought this plastic stick on and removable sticker that changed colors when it was low. I don’t even remember if it worked or not. Thanks for any help you can give.


I know I should always have a 2nd tank available for the ready, but I’d rather not keep one around all the time, storage space is getting short.

[Donw]

Get a small 50 lb hand scale. Empty tank is about 17 lbs. When you get a ‘full’* tank weigh it. After a typical cook weigh again and that will tell you how much used for a typical cook and you can get a rough idea of how many cooks before empty.
*Full depends on actually what the filling company decides it is. Many nationals never actually fill to the full capacity of the tank.

[Uncle Bob]

Agree with weighing the tank, disagree on the weight. On the collar of the tank there is a marking for "tare wt", or "TW", they typically run 16-18ish pounds. Propane is roughly 4 Lbs per gallon and most places fill to 80-90 % for "safety" reasons. The tank I got today is 18.5 lbs tare had 16 lbs of gas from an Amerigas supplier. Normally I get existing tank filled at TSC which is the least expensive near me and will fill to 90%, but the empty was over 10 years old which they won't fill.

[Panhead John]

Uncle Bob About how many cooks would you say you’ve gotten on your griddle from one tank? I know we have different sizes, just looking for a ballpark number.

[Uncle Bob]

Panhead John, I don't pretend I'm that kind of wizard. I don't keep track, the variables are really too multiple to try to outwit. Some people think they're that smart, I obviously am not. To me weighing remaining fuel is the accurate solution if I'm curious, no messing with hot water, "sloshing" whatever that tells you, sketchy gauges,or any other voodoo. Also, I have three tanks in rotation because no matter what, they always run out during a cook.

[gboss]

Easiest way to tell how much is left is to weigh the tank. Or just pick it up with your calibrated guns and gauge by how much you strain.

In theory, you could put a pressure gauge before the regulator, but you'd need to compensate for ambient temp to get any kind of useful information.

[Oak Smoke]

I just pick mine up and slosh it around a bit to see if I can feel liquid sloshing inside. If you don’t feel much liquid you’ll soon be out of gas.

[Rod]

I think we get 5-7 cooks on our 4 burner Blackstone. Usually only light 3 burners at once. It's kind of a propane hog. As far as gauging, I bought 2 tanks from Costco that have a gauge on them that works pretty darn accurate. I believe it uses a magnet and there is something inside the tank as the gas level drops to move the needle on the gauge. You can check it out here on Amazon or the Flame King website to see how it works. I think I paid $35 from Costco.

So far I've only filled up one of them when it was in the low range and it took 3+ gallons. When full I think they take 4+ gallons. So that's pretty accurate to me. I have another one that is in the low range and am gonna let it run dry and see what the gauge says when it's empty after being used for the first time.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Rod, very helpful to know.

[Jerod Broussard]

Just know when it's half-empty, technically it's still half-full.

If you use it enough you really need a backup. Purchase a generator that runs on propane, further justification for the backup.

[ItsAllGoneToTheDogs]

My Dad always tried to tell me, but of course I never listened... doesn't matter if you have a gauge or you keep track or whatever, you'll always run out of gas when it matters most. So just have 2 tanks and rotate out the empty for a refill... didn't start doing this until about a month before I sold my last gasser

[Texas Larry]

Probably already posted, but I use one of these—
DOZYANT Propane Tank Gauge Level Indicator Leak Detector Gas Pressure Meter Universal for RV Camper, Cylinder, BBQ Gas Grill, Heater and More Appliances-Type 1 Connection

[synodog]

I have 3 tanks. 2 were given to me from friends moving out of state. I only use the gas grill much anymore and the turkey fryer burner for thanksgiving. For that reason, I don’t keep track of how full they are until I’m down to one.
I know, not helpful.

[Panhead John]

I am not gonna be negative because you took the time to try and help. So, only a positive comment from me….your last sentence was 100% accurate!
😂

[GolfGeezer]

The magnetized strip you refer changes color when you pour hot water down the side of the tank. It changes color to show where the gas level is. I used them for a while, but now have some inline gauges, easily available on Amazon. Those will go from showing "full" or all green to about a 1/4 full pretty quickly. Then it is guess work. - lifting to feel the weight is what I do mostly now. As for how long, that is difficult to answer. Keep a log for the first couple of tanks and you’ll get a pretty good guesstimate.

[Panhead John]

You’re right Mr. Geezer, now I remember…having to pour hot water down the side of the tank. Yeah, keeping a log would be helpful. Thanks

[bmillin]

I've never understood how the inline gauges work. The pressure would be the same as long as there is liquid in the tank, no? Pressure can be ~145 at 70 to ~235 at 105 degrees. Similar, I would think, to a CO2 tank. It seems like they really don't kick until until you are running on fumes. Could be wrong.

[gboss]

The tank pressure will vary as the tank empties. However, most applications have a pressure regulator. The tank pressure will continuously decrease as the gas is consumed, however the pressure on the load side of the regulator will remain constant until the tank pressure drops below the regulator pressure.

[WayneT]

I’ve an in-line gage on the tank itself and a weight based gage on my Weber Genesis. When they both indicate low gas, I take it off the grill and weigh it in my hands and slosh it around. If the third method confirms the first two, I replace it. I’ve only used my gasser for searing and very short cooks lately. One 20# tank May last me 3-4 months depending on my cooking schedule. I have three 20# tanks because I have the gas grill and a patio heater. Be aware, Costco will not fill a tank beyond the expiration date embossed on the tank.

[mnavarre]

Get a backup tank. The gauges are finicky, and if you've got a full backup, you're set. Even if the in-use tank runs out you're back up and running again in a couple of minutes. Remember "two is one, and one is none". And if you buy a used tank, just take it to a cylinder exchange kiosk, there's a good chance it may be out of code, so places like U-HAUL won't fill 'em, industrial gas places will swap you tanks but charge you a fee to re-cert the tank. The exchanges have that priced in.

[tbob4]

The question for me is hard to answer for a couple of reasons. First, I was doing the exchange tank thing at ACE and sometimes only got three cooks out of them. Pissed me off for obvious reasons. I now have three tanks and get them filled at Tractor Supply. I get about five good cooks on it which includes using the air fryer and top. If I am not using the fryer I could get up to 7, I believe. I really am still playing with it after having it for about two years now and using it very often. I don’t have good success using one or two burners which I know would save on fuel. I find that it takes too long to get one area to temp that way and I feel like I am wasting fuel. This is contrary to advice of others. I have had the tank run out on me on numerous occasions so having more than one is a must.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Ted, you’re right, I need another tank.

[MBMorgan]

Hey, PJ. Get yourself a new backup tank. Make sure it’s certified for 12 years after manufacture. And one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B06XR...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

You’ll be golden …

Oh ... and forget about exchanging tanks. Get them refilled yourself. It's more economical, and you'll always know you've got a healthy tank.

[Panhead John]

Thanks Mike, new tanks and getting refilled…or exchange was gonna be my next question.