Propane Tank Size/Usage?

[Bigshow0003]

I have a propane tank installation coming for my shop. We are in the process of finishing the interior.

30x40x10
Slab is insulated by 2" foamboard.
R-19 walls with 7/16 OSB.
Ceiling will either by R-38 glass; OR I will have 3" spray foam on the roof deck (undecided on that at this point).
Big Maxx propane heater - 80,000 BTU.
1 16x8 OH door, 1 36" man door, 1 36" x 36" window.
Four corners, bottom plate, and wainscoting seam have been sealed with Great Stuff spray foam (at the direction of our builder).

I'm in far northern WI, 15 miles from UP MI. Below zero and 100 inches of snow per season are common here.

I have a 250 Gal tank reserved. There will be a 20' run from the tank to the building. Then another 9' vertical run to the heater.

I plan to keep the shop at a constant 45 all winter with an occasional bump to 55 or 60.

I understand there a lot of variables, but those of you in colder climates - any estimates on usage for a winter? Will the 250 gal tank suffice?
Thanks!
Big Show

 

[yeldogt]

My outbuilding is 1600sf ... had twin 100's feeding a 40k 80% for years. I used a few hundred gallons keeping it much warmer in PA.

You will not regret the foam

 

[Jackfre]

I have been in discussion with my local LP provider on a larger tank due to the addition of a generator. They like to have two fills/ yr. to make the tank rental numbers work. They do not want to have to much $teel in the yard. Given it is your first year, I think I'd shoot for a 330 as a trial and review with the co at the end of the first season. You are ensured of a bit more capacity so you are not buying on the market price mid-season. Once you get a season under your belt you can look further at options as to buying your own tank or dealing with the LP cos.

 

[Bigshow0003]

Jackfre - I failed to mentioned my situation on that.
My house is on a 500 Gal tank that is leased through a local supplier. I don't pay rental fees as long as I keep filling with them. This tank is not accessible to the shop, hence the need to add a second.

In addition, I do an early bird pre-buy (price lock) for the season of 800 gallons. I will be adding the 2nd tank (exclusive for the shop) and upping my pre-buy to 1,000 gallons. Two leased tanks, everything under one account.

So I guess my original question was 2-fold:
Will the 250 gal tank suffice?
and two, will 200 or 300 gallons get me through winter in the shop?

Currently I don't usually use all 800 gallons in a winter. That remaining unused balance gets credited to the next pre-buy.

 

[Adk Mike]

2 /120’s at capacity hold 200 gallons
1 250 at capacity holds 212
1 320 holds 256.
So basically the same. Get a 500 that hold 400 gallons. The trick to buying propane is minimizing your delivers. Truck cost big money. Plus the reserve is nice. Mike

 

[TheOtherChris]

I own a 500 for the shop and a 1000 for the house.
Both will get me through the year.
Because I own the tanks I can shop propane from each of the dealers and but from the cheapest. They do not charge the same price for a rented/leased tank as they do for an owner tank.

 

[fitter30]

Gallon of lp 91,000 btu's. Tanks only get filled to 80%

Sent from my KFDOWI using Tapatalk

 

[toyotadriver]

If you are buying the tank, go with a 500 gallon.

I live in a warmer climate than you and have the same size shop and same size heater. I run it off a 120 gallon tank and it’s barely enough. When I find a 250 gallon tank I’ll be replacing the 120.

I think I’d want a 500 if I was in your shoes

 

[finn]

I am about 100-150 miles north of you, and probably get two or three times as much snow. My shop is larger, 48x54, and probably leaks more, but I get by fine with a 330 gallon tank. I prebuy and they fill it monthly, at about 100 gallons per month this last winter, with the shop temperature set to ~42-45 degrees. I wasn’t there this winter, but my provider was pretty diligent at keeping the tanks filled

For reference, our house is about a mile away and was taking ~ 75-100 gallons / month , with the temperature set to ~50 . Have a 500 gallon tank there.

A second house is smaller (~1500 sf) and uses ~60 gallons/ month, with a 250 gallon tank.

None of my tanks were shoveled out last winter. I inquired about larger tanks, but the provider said no problem. They have shovels and long hoses. I also asked the driver about the tank size, and he affirmed that what I had was perfectly fine, and, in addition to a shovel, he carried snowshoes in the truck, and a long pole to locate buried tanks. Said he had to dig down five feet to find and fill one the previous winter.

Bottom line, speak to your provider, but, as long as the hose reaches the tank rom a plowed parking area, snow is not an issue.

 

[toyotadriver]

I like to have a large enough tank that I only have to fill once per year. I fill every Aug or early Sept when prices are usually the lowest. Might not be as viable an option for those who live in colder climates though.

 

[Bigshow0003]

Thanks Finn, by comparison your building is double mine; and you use approx 500-600 gals per winter to heat your shop. (Assuming 5 or 6 months of heat). So by estimation, I may need around 300 gals for winter. By reading other threads and research, 300 gals was becoming my best guess to get through winter.

 

[finn]

Ok; I went back and pulled up the propane spread sheet my wife keeps, and documented that we used415.6 gallons of propane from July, 2019 to the most recent fill on March 31. The building has two man doors, five windows ~4x4’, and two 14’ tall overhead doors, one 1’ wide and the other 14’, along with 16’ ceilings.

I spent the winter in Az, so the temperature was set to maintain ~42-45 degrees.

The previous winter we only traveled for a few weeks, so the shop saw much more use, and, as expected, propane use was much higher, at 872 gallons for the season.

The heating season is about five months long.

 

[kj_mustang]

I spent the winter in Az, so the temperature was set to maintain ~42-45 degrees.

The previous winter we only traveled for a few weeks, so the shop saw much more use, and, as expected, propane use was much higher, at 872 gallons for the season.

Wow, makes me appreciate my insulation job and milder winter. I don't use 800 gallons of propane for the whole year for my 32x52 shop, set at 58 F, plus all my hot water for the house & shop, heated floor on the attached 2 car garage, gas cooktop in kitchen and one gas fireplace. I fill my 1,000 gallon tank once a year in July or August. Next winter I should have the radiant floors going in the house too.

 

[dfiler2]

My shop is 30 x 38 and I have a 75,000 BTU hanging heater and a 250 gal tank. On a normal winter, I have it filled twice. I have a Honeywell WIFI thermostat set to 45 then a schedule set up to automatically bring it up on weekends and I usually turn it up before I leave work so it's warmed up before I get there in the evenings. I used an inch of spray foam then the rest fiberglass.

 

[TractorJeff]

30 by 30 R19 walls, R38 ceiling, 10x10 door on west, 12 x 10 boor on south, maintained at 45'ish uses 30 to 35 gallons a month down here (nov thru mar).

 

[finn]

Wow, makes me appreciate my insulation job and milder winter. I don't use 800 gallons of propane for the whole year for my 32x52 shop, set at 58 F, plus all my hot water for the house & shop, heated floor on the attached 2 car garage, gas cooktop in kitchen and one gas fireplace. I fill my 1,000 gallon tank once a year in July or August. Next winter I should have the radiant floors going in the house too.

Look at my location, then look at yours. Two entirely different climates.

Saving grace is that I run the a/c in the house for maybe a total of two or three weeks for the entire year.

 

[finn]

30 by 30 R19 walls, R38 ceiling, 10x10 door on west, 12 x 10 boor on south, maintained at 45'ish uses 30 to 35 gallons a month down here (nov thru mar).

What’s your ceiling height? Mine is 16’, so that’s a lot of cubic feet and wall / ceiling exposure.

 

[TractorJeff]

12 feet

 

[Bigshow0003]

Utilizing the information shared here, and after a couple discussions with my propane provider, we decided on a 330 gal leased tank. I added a pre-buy of 300 gallons to our account for the year. Thanks for all the feedback.