How much propane am I going to need?

I don't think people are saying they are getting "shorted" on exchanges in the sense of being shortchanged on the promised amount of propane. However, it's clearly stated on the Blue Rhino tanks that you get the re-certified 20 lb tank + 15 lbs of propane in it. That's 25% less than a standard fill.

That is, as you say, the "markup on top of markup" on those deals.

 

No, I fill my tank when I know I won't have enough gas for a full brew day. That way there's no risk of the gas running out when I'm off doing something else.

 

Not to beat a dead horse, but if you haven't already bought a burner, and your house is supplied with Natural Gas, consider that instead of propane (not sure why propane is considered the default when NG is available). In my neck of the woods, the natural gas equivalent of a 20 lb refill of propane costs about $1.50 (15 lb exchange equivalent costs about $1.12). Even during the record high natural gas prices of five years ago, it was still less than half the local price of propane. And there's no need for a spare tank because you will NEVER run out! (if you do, then losing a batch of beer is the least of your worries - there's some seriously bad sh*t going down!). And you won't waste gasoline or even a second of your time driving to Ace Hardware for a refill/exchange.

 

I'm doing full wort boils, starting at 5.5 gallons, and I have gotten three batches done (two included steeping grains at 155 for 20 minutes) and burned through about 3/4 of my 20 lb tank. I'm using a king kooker 7 gallon pot turkey fryer set up. Really though, just get a backup tank. You have enough things to deal with on brew day besides running out of fire.

 

I fill them at Flying J too, and for about the same cost; they never bitch in the winter, either

Also: Grilling season is never over.

 

to me, that is bizarre. you can be certain that you are leaving gas in the tank (and since i might get 4 or 5 boils from a full tank, it could be 25% of the tank) if you always need to be topped up for an uninterupted brew day. and short of a really uniformed guess based on weight, how do you know how much propoane is in the tank? when it is empty... i know it is empty.

doesn't seem logical Lee. your filling up and buying propane you already paid for. get a second tank and quit your losses.

that's just me though.
Cheers.

 

When you get a fill instead of exchanging, you only pay for what they put in. No losses there.

Also, you can gauge the fill level pretty easily if you have used a tank regularly for any good period of time. It may be a guess, but it's a very educated one.

 

REALLY?!?!?!?!?

 

It varies, some burners are really good at burning propane while others are better at creating heat.

 

Some sort of shelter/windscreen really helps with conserving fuel...

 

My 23 tip Natural Gas Chinese Wok burner (I don't know the BTU rating for this burner - I've been led to believe it's somewhere north of 100K BTUs) will bring 12 gallons to a rolling boil in about 20 minutes. I suspect the same burner configured for propane will do the same. 5 gallons will, no doubt, be faster. Note, this is without a windscreen (this burner is a monster!)

 

It'll sure beat a picnic table in the middle of a yard...