What can you use bottled gas for?
There are two main types of gas for household use: Butane and Propane. These are most commonly used for BBQs, patio heaters, indoor heaters and mobile camping stoves. However, the type of gas bottle you need will depend on your appliance.
Getting the right gas bottle is essential to ensuring your outdoor appliance works effectively and safely.
Butane gas bottles
Butane gas is usually only suitable for indoor use. It’s typically used with portable indoor heaters.
Butane has a boiling point of -1°C and cannot operate in temperatures below this. This means that, although the British summer weather may recently be reaching new heights, we don’t recommend using Butane for any outdoor appliances, such as patio heaters or BBQs.
Butane can be used for mobile cooking in motorhomes, caravans or while on a camping trip. But generally, for all-year camping, Propane is a better choice.
How long your Butane gas bottle lasts will depend on the kWh and the heat output of the appliance. The kWh depends on the heat setting of the appliance. Typically, a 13kg Butane gas cylinder will last for roughly 42.4 hours on a full heating setting, 63.2 hours on a medium setting and 127.2 hours on a low heat setting. At Homebase, we stock 13kg refill Butane bottles, so you can keep your home toasty with indoor heating all through winter.
Propane gas bottles
Propane gas bottles, also called patio gas bottles, are used for BBQs, patio heaters and pizza ovens. Unlike Butane, Propane’s boiling point is -42°C, so it can function effectively outside throughout the year.
How long Propane gas bottles last depends on the kWh of the appliance and the heat output, which vary depending on different BBQs and different settings on a patio heater. For BBQs in particular, the heat output can vary considerably based on the kind of BBQ you have, the number of burners it has, whether it uses side burners and the types of rotisserie configurations. For a 4-burner BBQ operating at 10kW output, a 10kg Propane bottle would run for roughly 13.9 hours. If the typical cooking time was 30 minutes per event, this bottle will do for 13 to 14 BBQs.
At Homebase, we stock both 5kg and 10kg Propane gas bottles. These patio gas bottles are all refillable. When you run out, simply return to your local Homebase store for a top up for just £30 for 5kg or £54 for 10kg.
Remember that all these gas bottle time periods are approximate. They may vary depending on the type of burner you’re using, whether you’re using a low or high heat, and the frequency of use.
