Propane use - How much do you need/use

[kmacdonald]

With all these propane users it's no wonder see multiple boat explosions every year. I remember one that blew to roof off the boatell. Incinerated ever boat in it. Please be careful with it!

[mikedefieslife]

Originally Posted by kmacdonald

With all these propane users it's no wonder see multiple boat explosions every year. I remember one that blew to roof off the boatell. Incinerated ever boat in it. Please be careful with it!

Why? How many car explosions do you see a year as a percentage of cars on the road (excluding action films), or house explosions as a percentage of housing stock. There is no reason for boats to exploded any more than those.

[Jim Cate]

What a feeling of power rushes through me as I see the explosions dotting the landscape and the thread...

I didn't think folks would be able to resist!

Jim

[kmacdonald]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

What a feeling of power rushes through me as I see the explosions dotting the landscape and the thread...

I didn't think folks would be able to resist!

Jim

Didnt want to disappoint. 🤩

[mako]

At our house my wife has available 3 cooking sources: electric resistance (total crap); induction and a commercial propane burner.

My conclusion for a new build would be ideally to have both an induction and gas burner in the galley. Doesn’t have to be expensive. Or second choice would be the gas on deck at least.

But we would want to have both sources. Can’t wok very well on an induction. Nothing beats gas for BBQs. Different uses plus redundancy.

[hpeer]

I don't use propane so I can not contribute directly to the usage question.

What I do note is that listening to the cruisers net propane refills are a constant source of amusement to me and stress to others. Listening to the posts here contradicts to what I hear on the radio. Maybe its just poor planning by some cruisers but it seems they are constantly scurrying about looking for refills and the correct connections. Why the disconnect with reports here I do not know. Red meat to the fanatics.

We don't cook a whole lot so our fuel usage is low. 5 gallons of kerosene seems to last years and years. Yet even kero can be problematic to get these days so we tend to keep at least a couple of gallons on board.

Shat i did have trouble obtaining in Dominica during lockdown was alcohol to preheat the burners. I ended up using a mix of sterno (hot but messy and too stiff) with industrial grade rum (not hot enough alone.) Mixed about 1:1
it worked well.

Just thought id throw something out there to energize the nay sayers.

[Jammer]

Mike OReilly - 1.6 gallons/month
AnglaisInHull - 3.1 gallons/month
Sparx - 3.6 gallons/month
NewMoon - 1.5 gallons/month
Svsumurun - 1.2 gallons/month
chouliha - 2.3 gallons/month
Simi 60 - 1.6 gallons/month
Vasco - 2.8 gallons/month
El Pinguino - 1.9 gallons/month (normalizing "one month plus" as 1.25 months)
* CarlF - 0.8 gallons/month but galley is mostly electric
wingssail - 3.3 gallons/month including bbq and water heater

wsmurdoch - 1.9 gallons/month
Nicholson58 - 0.7 gallons/month (does not use oven and takes conservation measures)

mikedefieslife - 1.2 gallons/month (normalizing "nearly six months as 5.5 months)
sailorphil9 - 1.9 gallons/month
sailorboy1 - 1.4 gallons/month
a64pilot - 2.4 gallons/month
klaspat - 2.4 gallons/month
Cheechako - 2.3 gallons/month

0.7 to 3.6 gallons per month


Average 2.0 gallons not including *

[chrisr]

we have 2 x 3.7kg bottles (the small ones - don't ask me what this is in furlongs or whatever unit is used elsewhere)

one bottle lasts the owner & myself (full time live-aboards) about 2 months and costs about 15 ozzies to re-fill

i'd like to carry more but the locker won't accomodate without major surgery

cheers,

[wsmurdoch]

Jammer,

Thanks for putting all that together.

Bill

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Jammer

Mike OReilly - 1.6 gallons/month
....

I think your math for MikeO is wrong.
MikeO: 27.5lb/6mo = 4.58lb/mo / 4.24lb/gal =1.08gal/mo for 2 people


Chrisr: (3.7kg * 2.2lb/kg) / 2mo = 4.07lb/mo / 4.24lb/gal = 0.96gal/mo for 2 people no heat, no HW.

[JPA Cate]

One large tank usually lasted us 3 months. However, while it was winter here in Tassie, with the boat sitting in colder water and air, we were only getting 2.5 months on it. Usage, more to boil water, heat shower water, cook, and warm plates so the food would stay warm longer.

We also burned 20 l. per week of diesel for heating, and charging batteries, because with the low sun angles here, the solar wasn't keeping up like it does in summer. The heating is a heater made by Fab All, a Dickinson knock off, and it is not forced air, with ducts to the cabins which would be much better for cold places.

Ann

[Jammer]

Originally Posted by Adelie

I think your math for MikeO is wrong.
MikeO: 27.5lb/6mo = 4.58lb/mo / 4.24lb/gal =1.08gal/mo for 2 people

He revised his usage upwards in this post.

[chrisr]

Originally Posted by Adelie

I think your math for MikeO is wrong.
MikeO: 27.5lb/6mo = 4.58lb/mo / 4.24lb/gal =1.08gal/mo for 2 people


Chrisr: (3.7kg * 2.2lb/kg) / 2mo = 4.07lb/mo / 4.24lb/gal = 0.96gal/mo for 2 people no heat, no HW.

thanks adelie ! much appreciated

so much less than average, but as you say : no heat & no gas hw...

cheers,

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by JPA Cate

One large tank usually lasted us 3 months. However, while it was winter here in Tassie, with the boat sitting in colder water and air, we were only getting 2.5 months on it. Usage, more to boil water, heat shower water, cook, and warm plates so the food would stay warm longer.

We also burned 20 l. per week of diesel for heating, and charging batteries, because with the low sun angles here, the solar wasn't keeping up like it does in summer. The heating is a heater made by Fab All, a Dickinson knock off, and it is not forced air, with ducts to the cabins which would be much better for cold places.

Ann

How big's the tank? Lb or kg, I'm ambi-measurement.
How often do you eat off the boat per week?

[Adelie]

Originally Posted by Jammer

He revised his usage upwards in this post.

My bad, I only spot checked the math for the first 7-10 saw that you had it pretty right except for the very first one.

Slight quibble, I would have stated usage in tenths or hundreds of a pound or tenths of a kg, more resolution.
Also, my experience is that tanks tend to be filled by weight not volume.