Here's How Long A Propane Tank Will Typically Last For Your Grill

Summer is all about cooking on the grill and keeping your kitchen clean and cool. However, if you've ever fired up the grill only to have the flames end abruptly mid-cook because the propane has run out, welcome to the pangs of grilling. The good news is that with a little planning and knowing these gas grill hacks, this doesn't have to happen. A standard 20-pound propane tank should last between 18 and 20 hours when you are grilling on a medium-sized grill, while a larger grill will give you approximately 10 hours of grilling time.

If you prefer to think in terms of the number of cookouts you can make on this outdoor cooking contraption, you can grill between eight and 10 meals of hamburgers, hot dogs, steaks, and veggies on high on your medium-sized grill before the propane tank needs to be replaced. For a larger grill, you can halve that number. However, this is just a general guide. If you want to get really technical, you can estimate how long it will last by taking the tank's British Thermal Units or BTU and dividing that by the grill's BTU to get the approximate number of hours. The higher the BTU, the more propane your grill is using.

There are other factors that can influence how many weeknights or weekends of grilling you may be able to enjoy. How you cook can drain or conserve your propane. If you have multiple burners and you like to keep them running on high, you are going to burn through your propane more quickly compared to if you are just using one burner. Additionally, if you like to grill in those colder months when it rains, snows, or the wind cools things off, it is going to take more fuel to heat up the grill and cook your best grilled steak or Jamaican grilled chicken.

Getting your grill ready for summer is an important task. One of the best ways to navigate this grilling issue is to have a second propane tank on hand so you can switch it out when your grill decides the propane tank hooked up to it is out of juice. If you feel like your propane tank is running out of gas prematurely, check for leaks and consider using a weight scale to help keep track of how much gas you've used.