Everyone deserves the unmatched convenience offered by propane fueled fireplace. It offers an ambience and warmth just as good as that of a wood-fueled fireplace without all the mess and labor that comes with wood burning. Even if you have the best smokeless fire pit that money could ever buy, a wood-fueled fireplace would never be as clean and less laborious as a propane-fueled fireplace.
So how long does a propane tank last on a fire pit? This is a question people tend to ask before or after purchasing a propane firepit. Well, it depends on how often you’ll use the firepit and its fuel consumption rate. For you to calculate the amount of fuel you will need, you must establish the fire pit’s consumption rate. Read on to find out how long your 20lb propane tank would last on your portable propane firepit.
The standard gas fire pit like the famous Endless Summer 30″ Outdoor Propane Gas Rock Top Fire Pit will last for about 3 to 6 hours on a 20lb propane tank. The Endless summer fire pit has a rating of 50,000 BTU.
A 20lb propane tank can last you as little as an hour or as much as 9 hours depending on your fire pit BTU. A 20lb propane tank contains 430,000 BTU. To determine how long it will last on a firepit, you divide the figure by your fire pit’s BTU rating.
You can get more usage time from your 20lb tank by reducing or keeping the flame low this reduces the BTU rating. Wind also affects the usage time of your tank. On a windy day the BTU would be high because a higher flame setting is required.
Here is a table with an approximation of the amount of time you will get from a propane tank with different firepit sizes and consumption rates.
| Size | BTU | Time | |
| H-Burner Drop-In Pans | 18” x 6” Drop In Pan
24” x 8” Drop In Pan 30” x 10” Drop In Pan 36” x 12” Drop In Pan |
70K BTU
120K BTU 125K BTU 165K BTU |
6 Hours
3.5 Hours 3.5 Hours 2.5 Hours |
| Linear Burner Drop-In Pans | 30” x 6” Drop In Pan
36” x 6” Drop In Pan 48” x 6” Drop In Pan
|
54K BTU
65K BTU 91K BTU |
8 hours
6.5 hours 5 hours |
| Round Drop-In Pans | 13” Round Drop In Pan
19” Round Drop In Pan |
48K BTU
92K BTU |
9 hours
4.5 hours |
| Round Burner Rings | 6” Round Burner Ring
12” Round Burner Ring 18” Round Burner Ring 24” Round Burner Ring |
48K BTU
92 K BTU 147 K BTU 294 K BTU |
9 hours
4.5 hours 3 hours 1.5 hours |
| H-Burners | 18” x 6” H-Burner
24” x 8” H-Burner |
75K BTU
125K BTU |
6 hours
3.5 hours |
To get the correct fuel consumption you need to know the BTU (British Thermal Units) that your firepit uses per hour. Most fire pits come with the label. Some manufacturers include the information in a manual. If your firepit doesn’t come with the BTU information you can check with your dealer or on the manufacturer’s website.
Propane is not sold by BTU. It is sold by the gallon or by the pound. After you have established the BTU rating of your firepit, you can convert it to pounds or gallons to know how long your propane tank will last.
You have gone ahead to buy the best deck fire pit or the best portable propane firepit but you have no idea how long your 20lb propane tank will keep you warm. Btw! The Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe Outdoor Portable Propane Gas Fire Pit is the best portable propane firepit you can get your hands on. It is compact and easy to transport and it comes as a complete firepit kit.
So, how long does a propane tank last on a fire pit? This depends on the consumption rate of your firepit. You can calculate the usage of your propane tank by converting the BTU rating of your firepit into pounds then dividing it by that of your propane tank. The results you get might not be the actual amount of time the propane tank will last you but a close approximation.
