How Long Will A 500 Gallon Tank of Propane Last?

When your tank needs to be filled contact Cape Cod Oil & Propane

Do not assume that a 500-gallon propane tank holds 500 gallons of fuel.

The propane that goes into a tank is in liquid form. This means that it will expand as it warms up. Therefore, propane tanks should only be filled to 80% capacity for safety purposes. A 500-gallon propane tank is considered full when it has 400 gallons of fuel in it.

So exactly how long will this 500-gallon tank of propane actually last an average homeowner? Answering this question is important to help prevent a fuel run-out, which is something no homeowner here on Cape Cod or anywhere wants to deal with. Therefore, let’s get to the bottom of answering this question together!

What impacts how much propane a home will use

There are multiple factors that influence exactly how much propane a home will go through a day, a week, a month and a year. This includes:

• What appliances and equipment you are powering propane with
• The age and condition of these appliances and this equipment
• The size of a home
• What type of climate you live in if you are using propane to power your home heating system

Estimating propane consumption

Exact propane usage varies from household to household. A 500-gallon propane tank can last a homeowner anywhere from a little over a month to about 14 months.

It is pretty safe to assume that a 2,220 square foot home usually goes through about 700 to 1,000 gallons of fuel a year. However, the exact amount of fuel that a home will use annually is impacted by all the elements listed above.

Appliances and how much propane they need

Here is a snapshot of how much propane a standard household appliance will typically use:

• Grills: On average, you need about one pound of propane per hour of grill time. When using a medium sized grill you can count on a 20-pound cylinder lasting between about 18 and 20 hours.
• Water heaters: Warming a home’s water with a propane-powered water heater uses about 1.5 gallons of propane a day.
• Pool heaters: Pool heaters can use up to about four gallons of propane an hour. However, the exact amount of fuel used to heat a pool depends on the size of this pool and how often you warm it.
• Clothes dryers: Drying your clothes in a propane-powered dryer will take about a little less than one gallon of propane a day.
• Gas stoves: Depending on exactly how often you cook, a propane-powered stove will use about five to 10 gallons of fuel a month.

You can use the above breakdown to estimate how long your 500-gallon propane tank will last you and your home.

Propane services from Cape Cod Oil & Propane

Homeowners here on Cape Cod can count on Cape Cod Oil & Propane to be their full-service propane delivery and services provider. We offer propane deliveries as well as propane tank installations, repairs and maintenance.

Businesses here on the Cape can count on us for bulk propane deliveries too.

Contact Cape Cod Oil & Propane today to learn more about the propane delivery and services we offer throughout Cape Cod.