2 questions about using propane

How do you tell at what rate your burner uses propane? And what's the best way to tell how much is left in a tank? (measuring pressure or weight, i'd presume...)

I don't know about the usage, but while the burner is on, you can feel how full the tank is by the temperature difference. The part with propane will be cooler.

I think it really varies depending on everything from the BTU rating of burner, to the ambient temp and cooking vessel.

I'm using a 10k btu Bayou Classic burner. I use an 8 gal. aluminum pot. I have been brewing in warmer temps of 75ºF plus.

I figured after 4 brews my tank needed a refill, but at the U-haul place the guy said I was only half empty. I'm sure I could have at least gone another 2 boils before getting low enough to be concerned.

I worried about it because most people here seem to need a refill after 4 sessions. I assume it's because they're using 25-50k btu burners, and many are also heating their mash and sparge water with the propane. I mash in a 5 gal. MLT rubbermaid cooler inside with water from the stovetop and boil the wort outside on the propane burner.

I may have to look into getting one of those tank level sticker things myself...

Man, that's probably more than you wanted to hear. Sorry.

There should be a tare stamped on the tank somewhere, if you wanted to actually measure out how much gas you have left. Once you've used it for a while, you can pretty much tell if you've got enough just when you lift the tank up. Always keep a backup tank so that you can run the tanks dry before swapping (if you're a swapper).

If your know the empty weight...just weigh it periodically to gauge how full it is.

The best thing you can do is invest in a second tank. It will pay for itself soon enough because you will only need to fill an empty...when it's truly empty. Most fill stations (around here( charge aflat fill rate, even if you still have some gas in the tank.

Nothing says "piece of mind" like a fresh, spare LP tank sitting in the corner.

My grill is big enough to hold 2 tanks underneath, so I just keep a spare. It's proved useful once already, and I've only been brewing for half a year.

Best and easiest way to to weigh as said above. Run it completely out and the weight it. (tare stamps are not always 100% accurate I have found) Then weight it each time you get it filled. Some places will put an extra pound in there vs other places. If you do the exchange thing, then you'll probably have to get an average over time.

yeah I have a second just in case. I usually exchange them though, so it would be hard tomget an accurate tare.

I guess i just have to dedicate 1 tank entirely to brewing (no grilling) and see how long it lasts.