How Long Does a Gas Bottle Last in a Heater?
We’ve done the math for heaters ranging from 3000W to 15000W based on different tank sizes for you below so you don’t have to. We’ve erred on the side of caution with this list, your mileage may vary depending on ambient temperature but this table is correct to within +/- 10%.
The result you see below is the number of hours you can expect to get from a tank. To calculate the running cost, simply divide the cost of your gas tank (or refill) by the number of hours. E.G a 13kg tank refill for £33 providing power for a 13000W patio heater will last for 12 hours. £33 / 12 hours = £2.75 per hour.
| Tank Size | 3.9kg | 4.5kg | 5kg | 6kg | 7kg | 11kg | 13kg | 15kg | 19kg | 47kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3000W | 15.60 | 18.00 | 20.00 | 24.00 | 28.00 | 44.00 | 52.00 | 60.00 | 76.00 | 188.00 |
| 4000W | 11.70 | 13.50 | 15.00 | 18.00 | 21.00 | 33.00 | 39.00 | 45.00 | 57.00 | 141.00 |
| 5000W | 9.36 | 10.80 | 12.00 | 14.40 | 16.80 | 26.40 | 31.20 | 36.00 | 45.60 | 112.80 |
| 6000W | 7.80 | 9.00 | 10.00 | 12.00 | 14.00 | 22.00 | 26.00 | 30.00 | 38.00 | 94.00 |
| 7000W | 6.69 | 7.71 | 8.57 | 10.29 | 12.00 | 37.71 | 22.29 | 25.71 | 32.57 | 80.57 |
| 8000W | 5.85 | 6.75 | 7.50 | 9.00 | 10.50 | 16.50 | 19.50 | 22.50 | 28.50 | 70.50 |
| 9000W | 5.20 | 6.00 | 6.67 | 8.00 | 9.33 | 14.67 | 17.33 | 20.00 | 25.33 | 62.67 |
| 10000W | 4.68 | 5.40 | 6.00 | 7.20 | 8.40 | 13.20 | 15.60 | 18.00 | 22.80 | 56.40 |
| 11000W | 4.25 | 4.91 | 5.45 | 6.55 | 7.64 | 12.00 | 14.18 | 16.36 | 20.73 | 51.27 |
| 12000W | 3.90 | 4.50 | 5.00 | 6.00 | 7.00 | 11.00 | 13.00 | 15.00 | 19.00 | 47.00 |
| 13000W | 3.60 | 4.15 | 4.62 | 5.54 | 6.46 | 10.15 | 12.00 | 13.85 | 17.54 | 43.38 |
| 14000W | 3.34 | 3.86 | 4.29 | 5.14 | 6.00 | 9.43 | 11.14 | 12.86 | 16.29 | 40.29 |
| 15000W | 3.12 | 3.60 | 4.00 | 4.80 | 5.60 | 8.80 | 10.40 | 12.00 | 15.20 | 37.60 |
Interested in buying a patio heater? Why not take a look at our favourite patio heaters or all of our gas patio heaters.
How Much Gas Does a Patio Heater Use?
The average modern day “efficient” patio heater will use approximately 1kg of gas (propane/lpg) per 12kW of power.
So to calculate how much gas you’ll use you need to use the following formula.
X = Gas Tank Size
Y = Wattage
Z = 12000
(X / (Y/Z)) or (12kg / (3000W/12000W)) = 48
Based on a 3000W table top patio heater & a 12kg tank of gas costing £33
12000W = 1kg (1kg of usage per 12000W per hour)
3000W / 12000W= 0.25kg (3000W usage per hour)12kg divided by 0.25kg = 48 hours per 12kg tank of gas
Based on a 15000W patio heater & a 12kg tank of gas costing £33
12000W = 1kg (1kg of usage per 12000W per hour)
12000W (1kg) + 3000W (0.25kg) = 1.25kg (15000W usage per hour)12kg divided by 1.25kg = 9.6 hours per 12kg tank of gas
As you can see the price varies greatly depending on consumption. Gas heaters are substantially more expensive than electric heaters (with electric being up to two thirds CHEAPER to run). We’ve written a more comprehensive article on how much it costs to run a patio heater, which compares the price differences and savings for both commercial and home users in detail.
