It’s often difficult to guess just how much propane you’re going to use in the summer – especially if you have a number of propane appliances that are working long hours in the background, out of sight and mind (a propane water heater, for example, or a propane patio heater).
Occasionally, you might even suspect you have a propane gas leak because you’re using more propane than you thought you would.
Of course, if you suspect you have a propane leak, have your system tested right away (if you don’t have propane leak detectors installed in your NJ home, we highly recommend them). And, as always, if you smell the rotten egg odor of propane, leave the house immediately and follow all propane safety instructions.
Most of the time, however, you won’t have a leak – you simply underestimated your propane usage. Fortunately, our friends at propane101.com have a solution to help you with that problem: a handy guide to calculate summer propane usage that takes into account common appliances at typical usage levels.
Estimating propane usage in summer
Since you’re probably not running your appliances at 100 percent capacity all day long, the table below estimates propane usage for running them at 25 and 50 percent capacity for 2 to 6 hours a day.
As you’ll see, the estimate of potential propane used varies from 1.2 to 7.2 gallons a day, which is a substantial range. It’s easy to see how a few extra loads of laundry and hot showers could result in using much more propane than you think. Here’s an example:
For a gas range, dryer AND water heater at 25% capacity 2 hours per day:
220,000 BTU/hr (total for all appliances) ÷ 91,547 (BTU/gallon for propane) = 2.4 gal/hr
2.4 gallons x .25 (25% capacity) = .6 gallons (per hour)
.6 gallons x 2 hours = 1.2 gallons
This number can then be used to calculate more intensive use of propane appliances:
- 25% capacity for 6 hours – 3.6 gallons per day
- 50% capacity for 2 hours – 2.4 gallons per day
- 50% capacity for 6 hours – 7.2 gallons per day
If you add a propane pool heater to the mix (at 425,000 BTU/hr), operating for one hour per day at 75 percent capacity, it adds about 3.5 gallons per day to your usage:
425,000 BTU/hr ÷ 91,547 = 4.64 gal/hr
4.64 x .75 = 3.48 gallons
As you can see, pool heaters use a lot of gas – a big reason why we highly recommend using a swimming pool cover to retain as much of your pool’s heat as possible. A propane generator adds another variable to the equation, since you don’t know if, when, and for how long you will have to use it.
Whatever ways you calculate your usage, it’s always important to have enough propane on hand to enjoy your summer. The good news is that when it comes to reliable propane deliveries, Blue Flame Delivers!
Need more propane this spring and summer? We can help. Contact Blue Flame today for the most reliable propane delivery in our New Jersey Service Area.