Propane Cylinder Size Chart: Dimensions, Weight, BTU - LearnMetrics (2023)

FAQs

How long will a 15000 BTU heater run on a 20 lb propane tank? ›

The ProCom Heating Single Infra-Red Tank Top Propane Heater (Single Burner) operates in 3 heat settings with a maximum of 15,000 BTU. These low cost outdoor heaters are the perfect solution when you need instant heat. This small but powerful heater can run for up to 43 hours on a single 20 lb. propane tank.

A standard sized 20-pound propane cylinder holds approximately 430,000 BTUs of liquid propane. Each gallon of propane contains 91,502 BTUs of potential heat and each pound contains approximately 21,548 BTUs.

Tanks are measured based on their height/length and diameter (measuring from one side, to the other, across the center point of the tank).

For such 50,000 BTU heaters, a 20 lb propane tank will last between 7 and 8 hours. That is to say that a 20 lb propane tank can last a whole evening, even if it has to power a 50,000 BTU patio heater.

A 100-lb. propane tank has a BTU capacity of 2,160,509.

If the heater is running constantly it will burn a full (actually 20 pounds) tank in about 35-40 hours.

Let's walk through how to do this. Liquid propane (LP) has 91,500 British thermal units (BTUs) per gallon. Electric heat has 3,413 BTUs per kilowatt hour (kWh) or 1,000 watts per hour.

To measure how many pounds of propane are left in your tank, simply weigh it on a scale and subtract the TW number. For example, if a tank weighing 27 pounds has a TW of 17 pounds, there's about 10 pounds of gas left – a little more than half a tank.

How much does a full 20 lb propane tank weigh? The full 20 lb propane tank weighs 29.5 pounds, on average. You need to add the weight of 16 lb of propane to the empty weight (13.5 lbs) of the 20 lb propane tank to get the total.

At higher temperatures, propane expands and creates an outward pressure on the 250-gallon tank. To account for that pressure, we only put 80% of fuel (propane) in the tank. 200 gallons of propane in a full 250-gallon tank contains 18,300,000 BTU of energy (or heating).

How many BTUs is a 500 gallon propane tank? ›

That means that a full 500-gallon tank holds 400 gallons of propane. Its totally energy content is 36,600,000 BTUs (100% efficiency).

A standard 20lb. propane cylinder will last for up to 10 hours in an outdoor gas heater.

Does propane expire? Another way you get peace of mind with propane delivery from Bottini Fuel is that propane doesn't have a shelf life or an expiration date. That's because propane doesn't go bad! Other fuel sources can degrade over time, like kerosene, diesel, heating oil and gasoline.

Note that a 30,000btu unit will go through a gallon (about 4.2#) in a bit more that 3 hours (figure 91,500 btu's per gal LP). The typical '20#' cylinder is filled short, only about 3.5 gal.,so you would run about 10.5 hours.

By contrast, propane is cleaner burning and can easily be found at most gas stations and grocery stores. It's also much cheaper than kerosene.

A propane tank cold temperature limit is -44 degrees Fahrenheit — at that point, propane turns from a gas to a liquid. Propane can only heat your home when it's in a gaseous state, not when it's a liquid.

The pressure in a 100# tank should be no different that in a 20# tank. As always I stand ready to be corrected but the only difference I'm aware is the over damage you can do to your back due to 80 more pounds being moved.

The Simple Answer

A 100 lb. tank holds 23.6 gallons and weighs 170 lbs. when full.

100lb Propane Tanks: A 100lb pound tank is approximately 4-foot tall and 1.5-foot in diameter. These types of residential propane tanks will hold a little less than 25 gallons of propane when full and can be used for things such as home fireplaces, dryers and grills.

Provides 3-12 hours of heat from two 1lb. propane cylinders and up to 220 hours on two 20 lb.

How many square feet will a 20000 BTU propane heater heat? ›

Up to 20,000 BTU's/hr heats up to 700 sq. ft.

To convert from BTUs to cubic feet per hour divide BTU/1100 (example: 50,000 BTU by 1100 = 45.5 cubic feet of gas per hour).

Provides 3-12 hours of heat from two 1lb. propane cylinders and up to 220 hours on two 20 lb.

As a rule of thumb, a medium-sized grill on high heat will use approximately two pounds of fuel per meal. Following this rule, a 20lb propane tank will provide 18-20 hours of cooking time on a medium grill. A larger grill can burn through 20lbs of propane in as little as 10 hours.

The most common patio heaters produce roughly 40,000 BTUs per hour - meaning a 20-pound propane tank will provide upwards of 10 hours of heat on the highest setting.

Under federal law, propane tanks (also called cylinders) can't be more than 12 years old. If yours has passed that age, you are not supposed to be able to refill it.

There is no expiration date on the tank. However, a propane tank's date of manufacture or requalification date can be found stamped onto its collar. It will be in a month-year format — for instance, 06-22 for June 2022. Using that information, simply add twelve years to determine when your tank expires.

The simple answer is propane can last for decades. As a matter of fact, it is one of the most storage-friendly, stable and resilient energy sources around. With no expiration date, propane won't degrade or lose its potency over time, so its shelf life is extremely long.

However, when temperatures drop too low within the tank, right around -44 degree Fahrenheit, the propane no longer has the ability to convert into its gaseous form.