Gas Cylinder Sizes: How Long Each One Actually Lasts
The question every Kenyan household asks at the gas vendor is whether to take 6 kg or 13 kg. The honest answer depends on one number: how many hours a day you actually cook. A single burner on full flame consumes roughly 200–250 g of gas an hour — so a 6 kg cylinder is about 24–30 burner-hours, and a 13 kg is about 52–65.
What each cylinder gives you
| Cylinder | Burner-hours (full flame) | Typical household | Refill roughly every |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 kg | 24–30 | 1–2 people, light cooking | 5–8 weeks |
| 13 kg | 52–65 | Family of 4–5 | 7–10 weeks |
| 22 kg | 88–110 | Large family, small kibanda | 8–12 weeks |
| 50 kg | 200–250 | Restaurant, institution | Depends entirely on service volume |
Most burners are not on full flame most of the time — a simmer uses far less than a rolling boil. Treat the burner-hours figure as a ceiling and your real life as somewhat better than it.
Working out your own consumption
Add up your daily cooking, counting each burner separately. Two burners going for thirty minutes is one burner-hour, not half of one.
- Tea and breakfast: 0.3 burner-hours
- Lunch, simple: 0.5
- Dinner with two pots: 1.0–1.5
- Beans or githeri from dry, open pot: 2.0–3.0 on its own
- Same beans in a pressure cooker: 0.5
A typical family cooking dinner properly and boiling water for tea lands around 1.5–2 burner-hours a day. At 2 hours a day, a 13 kg cylinder runs roughly 26–32 days.
Notice the beans line. Cooking beans in an open pot can use more gas in one session than the rest of the day's cooking combined. A pressure cooker is the single biggest gas saving available to a Kenyan household — it typically cuts those dishes by three quarters.
6 kg or 13 kg?
Cost per kilogram is almost always better on the larger cylinder, so the decision is really about handling and cash flow:
- Take 6 kg if you live alone or as a couple, you carry the cylinder up stairs yourself, you cook lightly, or you would rather pay smaller amounts more often.
- Take 13 kg if you are a family, you cook daily, you have somewhere to keep it, and you can manage the weight — a full 13 kg cylinder weighs over 25 kg with the steel.
- Keep both if you can: the 13 kg as your main and a 6 kg as backup. Running out mid-cooking is the problem everyone is actually trying to solve, and a small backup solves it permanently.
Knowing when it is about to run out
There is no gauge on a domestic cylinder, but there are reliable signs:
- Weigh it. The tare weight is stamped on the cylinder. Total weight minus tare is the gas remaining. This is the only exact method.
- The warm-water test. Pour warm water down the side and feel it: the section still holding liquid gas stays cool, the empty part above turns warm. The line between them is your level.
- Flame colour and height. A flame that will not reach full height, or turns lazy and yellow-tipped, often means the cylinder is nearly done.
- Frost on the base during heavy use suggests a low cylinder working hard.
Order the refill when you estimate a week left, not when the flame dies during dinner.
Safety, briefly and seriously
- Store upright, always. On its side, liquid gas can reach the regulator.
- Ventilated space, never a sealed cupboard. LPG is heavier than air and pools at floor level if it leaks.
- Check for leaks with soapy water on the connection, never a flame. Bubbles mean a leak.
- Replace the hose when it hardens, cracks or perishes. Hoses are consumables, not permanent fittings.
- Turn off at the cylinder, not just at the burner, when you finish cooking and whenever you travel.
- Buy from a recognised dealer and check the seal is intact. Refilled cylinders of unknown origin are the main source of accidents.
- Never store a cylinder below floor level — a basement or sunken kitchen traps leaked gas.
Getting more out of every cylinder
- Use a lid. An uncovered pot loses heat continuously; a lid can cut cooking time meaningfully on anything simmered.
- Match the pot to the burner. A small pot on a large burner wastes flame around the sides. A large flat-based pot on a small burner heats unevenly and slowly.
- Turn it down once it boils. A rolling boil and a gentle simmer cook at the same temperature — one just burns far more gas.
- Soak beans overnight. It cuts cooking time substantially before the pressure cooker even comes into it.
- Boil water in an electric kettle if you have power — it is faster and more efficient than a pot on gas for water alone.
- Keep burners clean. A clogged burner burns yellow and inefficiently.
- Flat pot bases only. A warped base leaves a gap, and the gap is wasted gas on every single meal.
Frequently asked questions
How long does a 13 kg gas cylinder last?
Roughly 52–65 burner-hours. For a family cooking about two burner-hours a day, that is around 26–32 days.
How long does a 6 kg cylinder last?
About 24–30 burner-hours — typically five to eight weeks for one or two people cooking lightly.
Is 6 kg or 13 kg better value?
Cost per kilogram is usually better on 13 kg. Choose 6 kg for easier handling, smaller outlay and light cooking.
How do I check how much gas is left?
Weigh it and subtract the tare weight stamped on the cylinder. Alternatively pour warm water down the side — the cool section still holds gas.
What uses the most gas in a Kenyan kitchen?
Beans and githeri cooked from dry in an open pot. A pressure cooker cuts that by roughly three quarters.
How do I check for a gas leak?
Brush soapy water onto the connection and look for bubbles. Never use a flame.
Can I store a cylinder in a cupboard?
Only if it is genuinely ventilated. LPG is heavier than air and pools at floor level, so sealed cupboards and below-ground spaces are dangerous.
Cook efficiently
See pressure cookers — the biggest single gas saving for beans and tough cuts — plus cookware with flat bases and proper lids and appliances including electric kettles. Not sure what pot suits your burner? Ask us on WhatsApp.