How Much Propane Does A Generator Use Per Day

Gas generator vs. Propane generator - Which is better?

(Image credit: The Home Depot)

Portable generators are incredibly useful tools that let you lot power electrical devices almost anywhere - whether it's in the garden shed or out in the heart of nowhere. Many campers utilize some of the best portable generators to bring a few home comforts with them into the nifty outdoors - imagine sitting with your friends watching a moving-picture show at a woodland campsite under the night heaven. At the aforementioned time, contractors and builders use them to power tools at construction sites that haven't been hooked upwards to the mains power yet.

And of course, portable power generators tin be used as part of an emergency supply kit to proceed your devices going and the lights on during an emergency - no emergency bunker would exist complete without one, or the best emergency nutrient storage companies.

No matter what you lot're using them for, if y'all're looking to buy a portable generator then you're going to exist met with a pick - gas or propane? Both fuel types take their pros and cons, so permit's get through them.

Gas generators

Gas generators are the most common type of portable generator because they're fueled with gasoline, which is extremely common and hands obtainable. You tin just pop down to your local gas station and fill up a container with gas and y'all're good to go. This convenience is the major upside to gas generators, merely they come with more than than their fair share of downsides besides.

For 1 thing, gasoline is expensive. Not but that, merely during an emergency the price of gasoline is likely to skyrocket fifty-fifty further if there are shortages. This ways that gas generators aren't the most economic solution. You should also consider that gas stations crave electricity to function, so chances are good that if y'all don't have power, they don't take power, so you lot won't be able to get more than gas if there is widespread power loss.

Best portable generators — (Image credit: Honda)

You could stockpile gasoline while it's relatively cheap at present, only that comes with its own issues as it'south highly toxic, combustible, and has a relatively short shelf life.

Speaking of toxicity, we really want to double downwards on this: gasoline is super bad for yous and the environment. It gives off toxic fumes that you absolutely don't desire to exist breathing, it's easy to spill and highly flammable. Accidents involving gasoline aren't pretty and all it takes is an errant spark to set the whole shebang up in flames.

Then generally we'd recommend confronting using a gas generator as an emergency power source. They're better suited to being used on edifice sites or in large gardens and yards where connecting to the mains isn't an pick.

Propane Generators

Propane has traditionally been the king of the grill, fueling nigh of the best gas grills and providing everyone with well-cooked steaks and burgers, but it'due south condign increasingly popular as a generator fuel too. And it'south like shooting fish in a barrel to see why. There's a lot to similar about propane generators when compared to their gas-guzzling cousins.

It comes in cylinders that make information technology virtually incommunicable to spill... and if information technology is spilled, propane immediately evaporates and so y'all don't need to worry about cleanup. It'due south clean burning too, at to the lowest degree when compared with gasoline. On top of this, propane generators are typically much quieter than gas generators, which brand quite a noise.

Westinghouse WGen9500DF 12,500/9,500-Watt Dual Fuel Portable Propane Generator — (Prototype credit: Domicile Depot)

For an emergency preparedness kit, propane is valuable because you can still acquire it when there's a major power outage. You lot don't need electricity to fill a tank of propane, and it also has a long shelf life. You can only shop gas for about 12 months, but you can store propane indefinitely - it will literally outlast the container holding it. So the only long-term business is maintaining the tank. This allows y'all to stock up on information technology without worrying that information technology'south going to degrade and exist useless when you need it.

It'south not all sunshine and roses though, propane does have its downsides. Propane generators are significantly more than complicated than gas generators, which means it'south much harder to repair ane when they exercise pause downward. Propane also doesn't function well in extreme cold conditions, so if it gets below 20° Fahrenheit where you live, you should probably consider a gas, or dual fuel generator.

Why non both?

The all-time portable generators (opens in new tab) allow y'all to utilize both fuels, giving you the accessibility of gasoline for everyday uses with the availability of propane during a crisis. Generally we lean on the side of propane generators for about situations, just if you're living somewhere cold or can't get easy access to propane, then a gas generator might be your best bet.

Ian Stokes is the Tech Editor here at Elevation 10 Reviews. He has extensive feel in tech and games journalism, with work published on IGN, Kotaku UK, Waypoint, GamesRadar, Trusted Reviews, and many more. You lot'll notice him covering everything from smartphones and dwelling computers to 3D printers and headphones. He's also our resident cocktail skillful.