How long does propane last?
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swackattack
Well-Known Member
I get about 3 extract/pm out of mine
I get 3 or 4. Do keep a backup handy
A scale comes in handy to see how much is left in the bottle
GASoline71
Well-Known Member
Yup! Had to snatch a tank off of the travel trailer one time to keep a brew goin' becuase I had forgot to get the backup brew tank filled!
Gary
bschoenb
Well-Known Member
couldn't resist!
DoubleAught
Well-Known Member
I think I got 5 or 6 out of my last tank. I have two tanks that I rotate so I don't have a brew day emergency.
SwillyBilly
Well-Known Member
I didn't start with a full tank (pulled it off the BBQ grill) and have gotten 5 batches so far. I brewed today and thought it would probably run out so I had a spare handy but it didn't run out.
I do partial mash 3-4 gallon boils in a 5 gallon brew pot. Generally 20-30 minutes to get a good boil and then 60 minutes after that.
I do partial mash 3-4 gallon boils in a 5 gallon brew pot. Generally 20-30 minutes to get a good boil and then 60 minutes after that.
Chesterbelloc
Well-Known Member
Doing ten-gallon batches... I get two out of a tank (in the Winter). I don't hardly ever seem to brew in the warm weather (60F or higher).
I think this is partly due to the fact that I still have plenty of beer to drink when the things begin to finally heat up in late-June. In Florida, and doing smaller-batches you should get plenty of uses out of one-tank.
how long does it take you guys to get up to a boil using propane burners? I'm in a small apartment with a small stove and i put my pot in bewteen 2 burners but it doesn't really let either flame fully hit the pot and it takes close to an hour to get the boil started.
iskuse
Well-Known Member
I get about 8 hours out of one 20 gal tank
Wayne1
Well-Known Member
It will depend on where you get the tank filled. The propane tank swap places only give you 15 lbs of propane in a 20 lb tank. If you take it to a facility that fills it for you, you can get a full 20 lbs and at least another brew out of the tank. It might even cost you less for the fill.
Out here, I see the swap tanks range from $16 to $20.00. That is for 15 lbs.
I just got my 20 lb tank filled with 20 lbs for $17.00 and my 40 lb tank filled for $32.00. The propane service I used also offers "buy three 20 lb fills and get the fourth one free". That brings the cost of the 20 lb fills to $12.75.
Not just at Lowes. I think that is ANY pre-filled off the rack vendor.
I got 5 all grain batches from my last Blue Rhino tank (15 lbs I imagine) that is HLT and boil.
If you have a close place to get more you can risk running out by brewing during their working hours. Nights or when the store would be closed, play it safe and have a backup tank. I am still playing it risky.
I have a 20lb tank and I've used it for 5 all-grain brew in a bag batches, plus about half a summer's worth of cooking on the grill. I know some don't like this idea, but I get my hot water on demand from my furnace, so I use hot tap water to start with which is around 120 degrees so I can get a full boil of 7-8 gallons in about 10 minutes. Once I get it boiling, I turn the gas way back and play with the air mixture to the point where I can keep a rolling boil going with all blue flames. I just brewed on Sunday though and I know this was the last batch (the 5th) I will get out of the tank as towards the last 10 minutes of the boil I had the tank wide open and I barely had flames coming out...but it kept a rolling boil, so I got lucky.
I'm lucky enough to be able to use my outdoor side burners and natural gas. I wonder how much difference there is in cost. I usually run it on medium to High the whole time, take about 30 minutes to get to boil then do 90 minute boils.
Wayne1
Well-Known Member
From the Blue Rhino website:
How much propane does Blue Rhino put in its tanks?
Inflationary pressures, including the volatile costs of steel, diesel fuel, and propane, have had a significant impact on the cylinder exchange industry. In 2008, to help control these rising costs, Blue Rhino followed the example of other consumer products companies with a product content change. We reduced the amount of propane in our tanks from 17 pounds to 15 pounds.
To ensure our consumers are properly notified, Blue Rhino clearly marks the amount of propane contained in our tanks, right on the package.
No ripoff. The Blue Rhino tanks are labeled as to how much they contain.
It is up to the consumer to pay attention to the labeling and search out the best value. For me it is spending a little extra time and traveling to a facility that will fill my tanks to capacity. For others, the convenience of a tank swap may be worth the extra cost.
The same thing applies to CO2 tanks. I get my 20 lb. tank refilled for $12.00. I do have to make a special trip to the facility. Others exchange cylinders for more money but greater convenience. It is entirely up to you to decide.
Gigemags05
Well-Known Member
Ive gotten nine extract batches out of my current bottle. It's about to be empty, but isn't there yet. I get them filled
its nice starting from 120 degrees but most likely you only need to go up to 160-170 degrees. I'm more interested in how fast i can get up to a full boil after I"m done sparging though i guess the temp of my wort after the sparge would be above 120. I'd love it if i could go from sparge to full boil in 10 minutes. would help brewday out a lot
Stauffbier
Well-Known Member
I always weigh my tank on my bathroom scale. A typical 15lb blue rhino tank will weigh about 37 lbs (tare weight plus gas weight) when full.. Last week my propane guy told me you should average 8-10 hours of burn time per gallon of gas. I believe the tank holds around 3.6 gallons more or less.. I'm not sure if that's true or not, which is why I always weigh mine. Once it gets below 24lbs I'll get it filled... I think the best strategy would be to get a second tank, which I plan on doing.
I'd say this is comparable to what I get. But I do think it matters what burner you're using.
FWIW, if any of you haven't done it, adjusting the oxygen mix in your burners (BBQ and Brew) can really help you get hotter temps and more efficient gas usage.
You are correct. I mash in the 150s and then have to heat up the water from there, but still, for some reason if I turn the gas way up, I go from 150 to a rolling boil in about 10 minutes. I only said from 120 to boiling in 10 minutes because the first time I bought my aluminum brew pot, I boiled water in it for a while to get the oxidized layer and it took about 10 minutes to get the boil.
It seems no matter what I can get it to 190-200 very quickly, then it takes a long time to get that last 10 degrees or so to boil.
postal_penguin
Well-Known Member
4.5 with my Blichmann Top Tier heating both mash and sparge water in 40F weather and 80 minute boils. Probably closer to 5 or 5.5 if you do 60 minute boils and are in a warmer climate.
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