How much propane do 3 burner Weber grills generally use when cooking?


 
C

ChrisArgentino

TVWBB Fan
Generally speaking, how much propane does a 3 burner grill consume in an hour of use. Let’s assume medium- medium high burner setting.

Maybe a quarter tank? Or maybe 1/8th of a tank?

Also, do newer grills use less fuel due to a possible more efficient burn?
 
One to two pounds per hour or another way to look at it is 10 to 20 hours use from a full 5 gallon / 20lb tank running at med high temps.

A better estimate needs more details on the grill and some math.
 
Chris, I agree with DanHoo's estimates.

As far as the efficiency of the burn, that might give you an extra 10%. Nothing major. I think that an older grill could also be efficient, but either way, you wouldn't really notice a difference.
 
Here's more accurate estimate using a 3 burner Genesis Silver B as an example.
The silver B is rated at 36,000 BTU or 12,000 BTU / hour per burner, and using 21,548 BTUs per pound of propane

3 burners on high: 1.67 lb/hour or 12 hours on a full 20 lb tank.
2 burners on high: 1.11 lb/hour or 18 hours on a full 20 lb tank
1 burner on high : 0.56 lb/hour or 36 hours on a full 20 lb tank.

on my Silver B, two burners on high will run over 400F.
( no wind and surrounding temps in the 70F to 85F range )

A "full" propane tank is the other variable. I believe 20 lbs of propane is 4.7 gallons. I think exchange tanks have around 4 gallons.
When I have tanks refilled I ask them to fill to 4.5 gallons. One place I went to put in 4 gallons and said that was how his boss trained him. I didn't argue with him as I was paying by the gallon not by the tank. My point is a "full tank" may not be 20 lbs so run time may vary.

And to add another grill into the comparison,
Genesis E330 with all burners on high including the sear burner is 48K BTU per hour which means I'll get nine hours of run time on a full tank if I run it wide open all burners on high. Good to know if I ever cook pizza on it again.

note 1: the use of BTU really means BTU hour.
note 2: I found different values for BTUs per pound of propane. I used a common one of 21,548 BTU per pound.

a couple of links.

Energy units and calculators explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Basic units of measure for energy, fuels, and types of energy sources.
www.eia.gov www.eia.gov

Propane or Natural Gas BTUs & Pressures: How to Calculate, Measure, & Set LP "Bottled" Gas or Natural Gas Pressures & BTUH per Cubic Foot

Propane or Natural Gas BTUs & Pressures: How to Calculate, Measure, & Set LP Bottled Gas or Natural Gas Pressures & BTUH per Cubic Foot How to report defects found in oil or gas piping inspections, Home inspection report language examples for LP or natural gas piping defects Questions & answers...
inspectapedia.com inspectapedia.com
 
Last edited:
DanHoo said:
Here's more accurate estimate using a 3 burner Genesis Silver B as an example.
The silver B is rated at 36,000 BTU or 12,000 BTU / hour per burner, and using 21,548 BTUs per pound of propane

3 burners on high: 1.67 lb/hour or 12 hours on a full 20 lb tank.
2 burners on high: 1.11 lb/hour or 18 hours on a full 20 lb tank
1 burner on high : 0.56 lb/hour or 36 hours on a full 20 lb tank.

on my Silver B, two burners on high will run over 400F.
( no wind and surrounding temps in the 70F to 85F range )

A "full" propane tank is the other variable. I believe 20 lbs of propane is 4.7 gallons. I think exchange tanks have around 4 gallons.
When I have tanks refilled I ask them to fill to 4.5 gallons. One place I went to put in 4 gallons and said that was how his boss trained him. I didn't argue with him as I was paying by the gallon not by the tank. My point is a "full tank" may not be 20 lbs so run time may vary.

And to add another grill into the comparison,
Genesis E330 with all burners on high including the sear burner is 48K BTU per hour which means I'll get nine hours of run time on a full tank if I run it wide open all burners on high. Good to know if I ever cook pizza on it again.

note 1: the use of BTU really means BTU hour.
note 2: I found different values for BTUs per pound of propane. I used a common one of 21,548 BTU per pound.

a couple of links.

Energy units and calculators explained - U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA)

Basic units of measure for energy, fuels, and types of energy sources.
www.eia.gov www.eia.gov

Propane or Natural Gas BTUs & Pressures: How to Calculate, Measure, & Set LP "Bottled" Gas or Natural Gas Pressures & BTUH per Cubic Foot

Propane or Natural Gas BTUs & Pressures: How to Calculate, Measure, & Set LP Bottled Gas or Natural Gas Pressures & BTUH per Cubic Foot How to report defects found in oil or gas piping inspections, Home inspection report language examples for LP or natural gas piping defects Questions & answers...
inspectapedia.com inspectapedia.com
Click to expand...
Wow. That answered my question for sure. Thank you so much!
 
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