What Gas do I Need for a BBQ?

Propane gas is a great choice for your BBQ. It is available all year round and is simple to use. You connect the gas canister to the BBQ and let it ignite the food. Propane is the most common gas used for domestic BBQs. It is also a clean burning fuel, so you don’t have to worry about gas emissions. This makes it a fantastic option for individuals who intend to barbecue frequently.

What Gas do I Need for a BBQ (1)

What Gas do I Need for a BBQ?

While it may seem like a lot of work, gas for a BBQ is a fantastic choice for outdoor entertaining. It’s versatile, easy to use, safe, and easy to fill. The convenience and safety of using gas for a BBQ will make your outdoor activities much more enjoyable. 

  • Butane gas is a cleaner burning alternative to propane. Butane gas doesn’t require a laborious ignition process and reaches maximum heat quickly. Butane gas is also less expensive than propane. It also works well on a BBQ that’s used weekly. Butane gas is also the most common choice for people who want to enjoy cooking outdoors. However, it’s important to remember that there are other options for gas for your barbecue.
  • Propane is a great option for gas-powered BBQs. It is a cleaner burning fuel than its competitors and is easy to clean. Propane can easily be cleaned with a rag. Butane is also a good gas choice for your BBQ because it is lightable almost immediately and reaches maximum heat output. A little research before you purchase your next BBQ will save you a lot of hassle.
  • Propane is the most common type of gas used for grills. Propane tanks are available at most grocery stores and hardware stores. Propane tanks are usually the most expensive, but if you’ve bought one before, you’ll save money. Also, propane will last longer in a tank than other types of gas, so it’s good to get a second one for emergencies.
  • Propane is often called propane tanks because of its convenience, but several different cylinders are available. Propane tanks are often large enough to accommodate a large gas BBQ but are also very ‘hungry.’ As a result, you’ll need more than one gas bottle for your BBQ. This will allow you to cook as much food as you want.

Once you’ve selected the type of gas you’ll need, the next step is to get the barbeque hooked up to the gas line. Propane gas grills can be connected directly to your home’s gas line. This allows you to easily plug them in and out when you’re not using them. The gas line has an on/off switch to ensure that your barbeque is full.

  • Propane gas is a great choice for year-round cooking. This gas burns much cooler than butane and is great for outdoor cooking. Propane BBQs also come in four and nine-kilogram bottles. You can even convert propane to natural gas. Switching to natural gas is easy if you don’t have access to it. It’s time to start cooking!
  • Propane is more energy-dense than natural gas. Propane contains more energy per cubic foot than natural gas. Each propane and natural gas cubic foot has a different cooking capability. When buying a grill, check the BTU rating. A higher BTU rating means a larger grill with more cooking surface. You can always buy one with a higher BTU if you need to know which gas is better for your grill.

What Makes Butane and Propane Gas Different from One Another?

Butane and propane gas have important differences.

Butane gas is mostly used for indoor portable heaters, single-burner cooking equipment, and camping. Butane, which has a boiling point of -2oC, is frequently less expensive than propane.

Large appliances and commercial heating are the two main applications for propane gas (For instance, using BBQs or food trailers for heating and cooking). Propane can be utilized yearly with a boiling point of -42 degrees Celsius. If you wish to use your grill or another device in cold weather, propane is the best fuel.

Either gas can be utilized on a BBQ, but propane is frequently the preferred option.

What Advantages do Butane Gas Barbecues have?

When used with a gas BBQ, butane gas has many advantages. These advantages consist of the following:

Efficiency in warm weather – Butane gas is a particularly efficient fuel source if you’re barbecuing in warm weather (that’s the ideal time, right?). However, if you wish to cook outside in the winter, butane won’t flow efficiently in the cold.

Low toxicity-Butane burns relatively cleanly, making it the ideal fuel source if you want to utilize one with little influence on the environment.

With butane, you can quickly and easily get it lighted and burning without going through a lengthy process. Choose butane gas as your fuel source if you want to start cooking as soon as possible because it ignites instantly and reaches its maximum heat output immediately.

Cost-effective: Because it frequently costs less than BBQ gas, butane should be your fuel of choice if you want to save money.

Energy-efficient – If you’re looking for a fuel source that will provide you with the most heat for your money, butane is considerably preferable to propane. Butane typically produces 12% more energy per unit of gas burned than propane. Therefore, if you use a BBQ frequently, stock up on butane gas!

Butane gas is incredibly easy to use. To start the BBQ, attach the gas bottle, allow the gas to enter the appliance, and turn on the ignition.

What Advantages do Bbqs with Propane Gas have?

Using propane gas with your BBQ has several additional advantages.

These advantages consist of the following:

  • The ability to run without issues throughout the year is arguably the largest advantage of using propane gas. That is a result of its -42 C boiling point. This suggests that if you frequently barbecue, propane will enable you to continue cooking even during the worst winter!
  • Propane gas burns fast and efficiently, much like butane. The heat output of propane reaches its maximum immediately after ignition. If you want to use your gas BBQ quickly, practically, and easily, propane is a fantastic alternative.
  • Usefulness – Like butane, propane gas is a fuel that is simple to use. Connect the gas bottle to your BBQ, let the gas get to the equipment, and then switch on the ignition to start cooking using gas.
  • Taste: This is an odder advantage, but some contend that food cooked on BBQs powered by butane doesn’t taste as good as food powered by propane. We’ll let you decide on this, as everyone has different taste preferences.

What Kind of Gas Bottle Should I Use for My Barbecue?

You must choose the gas you should use for your BBQ and the gas bottle. For usage with your BBQ, numerous kinds of gas bottles are available.

Patio Gas Cans

Gas in the form of tiny “patio bottles” is easily available. These were developed particularly for use with outdoor appliances like BBQs. Patio gas bottles are normally filled with propane.

They also make it easier to attach the gas bottle to your grill because they are designed to interact with regulators, which will be covered in more detail later. Additionally, some patio gas brands have a gauge on the side of the bottle that shows how much gas is still inside.

Patio gas bottles are often smaller than ordinary gas bottles. Purchasable 5 kg patio gas bottles can be kept within or underneath your barbeque. If you need more gas, patio gas bottles up to 13kg are available.

Instead of the red or blue bottles stated above, some patio gas bottles might be green. Green patio gas bottles will feature clip-on regulators compared to comparable propane gas bottles’/cylinders’ usage of screw-on regulators.

Propane Gas Storage Containers

These larger gas bottles may have been seen in industrial estates. Instead of butane, propane is stored in these larger gas bottles, which range in size from little 3.9 kilogram cylinders to enormous 47-kilogram cylinders.

Large propane gas cylinders are frequently not recommended for use with BBQs. If you wanted to use one of these cylinders with your grill, you would need to add a screw-on high-pressure adjustable propane regulator.

How Much Gas is Needed for My BBQ?

Getting the right amount of gas for your BBQ may take time and effort. When making a meal for friends and family, you want to have the ingredients.

Depending on how many burners your BBQ has, you will need a particular amount of gas. A 5 kg patio gas bottle should work fine if your grill is standard and includes one to three burners.

If your BBQ is larger and has four or more burners, it is suggested that you buy at least a 13kg bottle. Having at least one bottle in addition to the one attached to the BBQ can make sense because larger gas BBQs can be extremely “hungry,” especially if you use them frequently.

What is a Barbecue Gas Regulator?

A gas regulator is a tiny gadget that uses a pipe to link your gas bottle and barbecue.

Gas regulators are typically not included with BBQs. This is because it would only be possible for BBQ manufacturers to include some types of regulators with their products due to the wide variety of various gas bottles available on the market.

Why would My Barbecue Need a Gas Regulator?

The purpose of gas regulators is to keep you safe. A regulator controls the gas flow from the bottle via the pipe to your barbecue. You could unintentionally let too much gas flow into your BBQ at once if you don’t have a regulator.

Given that they are designed to accommodate a substantially larger gas flow, high-pressure barbecues do not require a gas regulator. There is one restriction on this, though. You won’t need a regulator if you have a high-pressure grill. This will enable the BBQ to have a threaded connection that connects directly to the gas bottle.

If you’re unsure of the sort of regulator your gas bottle will require, we’ve compiled a useful table below that covers some of the most popular gas bottle models and the regulators that work with them.

What Stores Sell Gas for Barbecues?

You should be able to locate a provider if you need propane or butane gas for your BBQ. One of the most well-known brands, Calor, includes a helpful “finder function” that can assist you in finding your nearby gas supplier. You can use the finder tool for one of the biggest brands, Flogas. 

After reading this, you might wonder what your alternatives are if you’ve decided it’s time to improve your BBQ. You’ll find something at Direct Stoves whether you have limited room or need a multi-burner BBQ that can prepare food for huge gatherings of friends and family.

Conclusion

Barbecue gas, commonly referred to as patio gas, has several applications: patio and outdoor cooking. All of them share the need for a small, portable fuel source. A few typical household uses are gas BBQs, patio heaters, pizza ovens, smokers, spit roasters, outdoor fire pits, gas lights, mosquito traps, and trailers. Among them are odd equipment like bird-scaring canons, lawnmowers, and outboard engines. Tiny gas bottles are employed in numerous industrial applications, including floor polishers, blow torches, soldering, industrial burners, jewelry melting and molding, small kilns, flame weeders, and floor sanitizers for livestock enclosures.