I'm looking for some advice / input from you guys that live in the country.

I've recently bought about 100 acres out in Brenham. I have a 500 gallon tank that I got filled last week. They put around 400 gallons of propane in it. How long will this propane last?

We don't live out there. We're out there about 2 weekends a month. We have a small older house on the land. The propane is used for heating the house and the water heater. When we're not out there we set the heater to around 60 degrees. We probably take 12 showers a year out there, so the hot water heater isn't used much either.

How often should I plan on filling the tank?

The OB is good, but not sure if THAT good, to be able to predict your propane usage based on the info given.

My guess...a long time between fills, since about 8 months of the year only your water heater will consume propane.

My guess is a long time

1 year, 5 months, 12 days, 7 hrs, 3 minutes, 59 seconds from right now... give or take

Not just a long time. A reeeeeeaaaaaaly long time.

If you turn off your water heater when not out there it would easily last multiple years. I recently lived out on family land in an old house built in the 60s (so not super well insulated) and have a 150 gallon tank and get 2 or 3 refills per year. Furnace and stove use it, not water heater and was just me by myself. Not sure how much a water heater draws though if you leave it on all the time.

Usoos said:

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I've recently bought about 100 acres out in Brenham.

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Subtle brag

Go to a tankless heater and it will last two forevers.

I appreciate the help. I'm not looking for a precise answer. I'm just trying to get a feel for it. If I have to fill the propane often enough, then I'd look at converting to electric everything.

If the 400 gallons will last years, then I won't worry about it. I've just never used propane, so I don't know how much is used.

have em top it off once a year

OP, myvrank holds 200 gallons when full. Have a tankless water heater and gas heat in the house. Wife, kids, laundry etc.

Summer months I use about ten gallons a month.

November to March, about 35-40 per month.

Usoos said:

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I appreciate the help. I'm not looking for a precise answer. I'm just trying to get a feel for it. If I have to fill the propane often enough, then I'd look at converting to electric everything.

If the 400 gallons will last years, then I won't worry about it. I've just never used propane, so I don't know how much is used.

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You don't know much about propane so you brought a 500 gallon tank and filled it with 400 gallons of propane. You sound like a good customer. Come seem me for some Roundup. I'd say the 5 gallon concentrate would be perfect for each dandelion.

Old RV Ag said:

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Usoos said:

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I appreciate the help. I'm not looking for a precise answer. I'm just trying to get a feel for it. If I have to fill the propane often enough, then I'd look at converting to electric everything.

If the 400 gallons will last years, then I won't worry about it. I've just never used propane, so I don't know how much is used.

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You don't know much about propane so you brought a 500 gallon tank and filled it with 400 gallons of propane. You sound like a good customer. Come seem me for some Roundup. I'd say the 5 gallon concentrate would be perfect for each dandelion.

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I figured it has 100 gallons or so in it before he filled it up

OP doesn't live in an RV

https://sonichits.com/video/Pinkard_%26_Bowden/Propane_(Parody_to_Cocaine)

If you got a sellers disclosure statement from the previous owner, check to see if it lists the previous propane supplier. They will have usage history.

Depends on how much u use it.

Ur case = a good while

I use about 400 gallons per year on a 2,700 SF house and four folks. Water heater, stove and furnaces on propane. We use somewhere around 10-15 gallons per month in the warmer months. That number goes up to maybe over 80 gallons a month in the winter, depending on temps; the furnaces really like gas.

Not sure if it was your intent, but your reply reads a little bit condescending, particularly for a rookie. OP asked for some input, if you don't have anything constructive for him, no need to disparage. That's not the typical culture of this board.

Which side of Brenham?

For general propane knowledge, they never fill the tanks up all the way to allow for expansion of the gas. It's a safety thing.

Brazos1865 said:

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I use about 400 gallons per year on a 2,700 SF house and four folks. Water heater, stove and furnaces on propane. We use somewhere around 10-15 gallons per month in the warmer months. That number goes up to maybe over 80 gallons a month in the winter, depending on temps; the furnaces really like gas.

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We're in a 2,740 SF house - two folks full time but we have fairly frequent company of up to five more. 2 tankless water heaters, 5-burner cooktop / 2 ovens (and the wife cooks a lot), and furnace on propane. Consumption from 2-26-18 to 11-6-18 averaged 0.6 gal/day. Consumption from 11-6-18 to 1-18-19 averaged 4.8 gal/day. ... so basically an 8x increase when the furnace is running. Full disclosure - the wife likes to keep it toasty in the house during cold weather so I think we probably burn more than the average user during the winter. There is some noise in the numbers because they fill the tank to somewhere between 80% and 90% (of 500 gal) depending on the driver, but the numbers are in the ball park.

Using your occupancy times I'm guessing about 3 years. Top up once a year.

All I know is if you don't check them ocasionaly, they seem to be programmed to run out on a day like today. Cold and windy.

nonameag99 said:

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Old RV Ag said:

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Usoos said:

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I appreciate the help. I'm not looking for a precise answer. I'm just trying to get a feel for it. If I have to fill the propane often enough, then I'd look at converting to electric everything.

If the 400 gallons will last years, then I won't worry about it. I've just never used propane, so I don't know how much is used.

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You don't know much about propane so you brought a 500 gallon tank and filled it with 400 gallons of propane. You sound like a good customer. Come seem me for some Roundup. I'd say the 5 gallon concentrate would be perfect for each dandelion.

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I figured it has 100 gallons or so in it before he filled it up

OP doesn't live in an RV

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Neither do I. RV is Ross Voluteers.

If it had 100 gallons, why not see how long that lasted. That is not a joke or meant as smart ass.

dr_boogs said:

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Not sure if it was your intent, but your reply reads a little bit condescending, particularly for a rookie. OP asked for some input, if you don't have anything constructive for him, no need to disparage. That's not the typical culture of this board.

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My apologies then. I thought it no different than those saying forever or a reeeeealllllyyyy long time. I will be more sensitive in the future.

As others have said, with the use case you describe 400 gallons will last you a long, long time. I'd venture a guess of at least a couple years. That said, you should check it every time you're there. First because it's a good habit to get into and second it prevents the exact Murphy's Law scenario a previous poster offered... running out precisely before a time you need it the most. Finally, I'd recommend calling several companies to get the best price per gallon. You can potentially save quite a bit with 2-3 phone calls.

BTW, Direct Propane is who I use. Aggie owned & operated, and always very courteous and responsive.

https://directpropaneservices.com/about-us/
+1 (512) 276-7800

Make sure to dump some Rid-X down the toilet every time you visit.

You really shouldn't have to check it that often. However, there can be wide seasonal swings in the price of propane. If you can save 60 cents a gallon on a 300 gallon fill....that's a savings of $180. So you should try to time your fills (which will be very seldom) when prices are lowest. Generally prices correlate closely to swings in the price of regular unleaded gasoline....so use that as a general gauge on how propane prices are moving. They can also go up very quickly if there is excessive use in other parts of the country. So while propane here in Texas is generally around the price of regular unleaded...it can be 50 cents higher than regular unleaded if there's an extended cold snap in the Northeast.

I would start thinking about finding a low price once your tank reads 30%....there can be a delivery fee if you buy a small amount so make sure you have enough delivered to avoid that fee....talk to your supplier. Your 400 gallons should last you between one and two years. But check more frequently at first to learn your consumption rates...and check more frequently if there are long periods of very cold weather and/or high winds combined with just cold weather.

But....keep in mind that your limited use will give you the luxury of timing your purchases to get the lowest cyclical prices. With your usage pattern though....absolutely do not enter into a "keep full" agreement with your supplier. They will fill it when prices/margins are high and let if go pretty low if prices are not in their favor. You have the luxury of controlling when you fill it and attempt to avoid the highest prices. Again...that could save you $200 to $300 per year with your usage situation.

Usoos said:

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I'm looking for some advice / input from you guys that live in the country.

I've recently bought about 100 acres out in Brenham. I have a 500 gallon tank that I got filled last week. They put around 400 gallons of propane in it. How long will this propane last?

We don't live out there. We're out there about 2 weekends a month. We have a small older house on the land. The propane is used for heating the house and the water heater. When we're not out there we set the heater to around 60 degrees. We probably take 12 showers a year out there, so the hot water heater isn't used much either.

How often should I plan on filling the tank?

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It will be many years between fill ups. A 250 G Propane tank will run a Waterheater, Cooktop, Log Lighter for a year in a 2600sf house with 4 BR and 3 Baths with a family living there full time.

Hope that helps.

dr_boogs said:

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Not sure if it was your intent, but your reply reads a little bit condescending, particularly for a rookie. OP asked for some input, if you don't have anything constructive for him, no need to disparage. That's not the typical culture of this board.

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And yes I am a rookie on this place. But, I'm sure I'm older than almost everyone on here. Never posted on places like this. Heck, I don't even do email really. My apologies again if my tone is not calibrated yet. My 14 year old granddaughter is the one who taught me to post. Have just read for several years. I do like reading the content y'all post over here.

Now she has shown me how to edit a post. And she says to tell y'all that my cell phone is a flip phone and not a smart phone.

Thanks for your input.

I'm new to the whole propane thing, so just trying to get a feel for it.

I let the propane tank go empty a couple weeks ago by accident. So I reached out to the propane company whose sticker was on the side to fill it.

The 500 gallon tank came with the house. The propane company (Fayetteville Propane) said that they usually fill it up to 80% due to allowing for expansion. They also performed a leak test in the house since the tank was dry. They said this was pretty standard since they didn't know if the propane was consumed or leaked out.

I'll monitor it more closely going forward. Thanks for your help.