Expected Propane Usage?

[rich]

Hi Guys,

I just got my furnace working with a little help from Marty, Jeff and Don at ATC. It smells a bit rough when it gets going (is that normal?) but since I haven't used it I'm wondering how quickly I'll go through the bottle of propane using the furnace. Assuming cooking dinner and breakfast and coffee in the morning and light to moderate furnace use for a few hours every evening to take the edge off the camper how quickly in your experience will we go through the bottle? Any info you have will help me plan our fill ups for this next trip.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Rich

P.S. the furnace is not all that is new I have done both new lift panels myself, had the guys at ATC fix a crunched roof and put on a new roof and all new siding, re-foamed and re-upholstered the whole camper and put in a new faucet and CO/smoke alarm. I have pics and will post them when I get a free moment from working on the camper but it definitely doesn't look like an 89' fleet anymore.

 

[agate]

Rich--

I have a 09 hawk ans it has the two small 10lb tanks. On our first night we ran the heater most of the night (it got down to 15-16), breakfast, coffee, dinner. Then woke up switched the refridge (lg. one) onto gas and drove to DV from N. of Bishop. WE still had enough gas for the night heater and coffee the next day! I was surprised how efficient it was...just one experience though.

-mike

 

[RobNE]

I might be an outlier, since I don't get out as much as i'd like or as much as most of the board... but i've been using the same bottle all year (since June): I run the fridge off DC while driving, but run off gas from the moment I stop for the day, plus cooking and the heater. I've done one 7day trip down the east coastline, plus a handful of weekend trips (North woods of ME, etc). Probably more than two weeks of continuous use.

I am positively amazed at how little fuel the fridge uses...
R

I'm wondering how quickly I'll go through the bottle of propane using the furnace. Assuming cooking dinner and breakfast and coffee in the morning and light to moderate furnace use for a few hours every evening to take the edge off the camper how quickly in your experience will we go through the bottle? Any info you have will help me plan our fill ups for this next trip.

Thanks and Happy Holidays!

Rich

 

[Overlander]

I do not own a camper yet , but I do alot of edge of season camping (cold) in the tent trailer. I have never really understood the need for 2- 20# bottles on some of these trailers / RV's

I would think a full 20#er would last with your described usage at least 12 days. That being said I always bring a extra 10 #er for my small catalytic heater that I run all night when very cold ( it doesn't make any noise )...

ken

 

[craig333]

Probably just burning off all the gunk left over from manufacturing. Shouldn't last too long though. A full tank will usually last me all season. Amazing the mileage you get.

 

[Ted]

About two full weeks is typical for us as well. So if all we are doing is a couple of weekend trips a month, I'll go about five trips and then take it in to get it topped off. More often in winter with heavy heater use, less often in summer with no heater use. Only have run out once and that was on a 10 day trip in middle of winter.

Keeping the battery charged for the heater has been more of a concern. If it runs down, the heater won't work and the gas detector beeps every 60 seconds. That sucks at 2:00 in the morning. I now run duel batteries and have a toggle switch for the detector.

 

[agate]

nice move on the toggle switch!

-mike

 

[rich]

I only have the one little 5 gallon tank but it sounds like it should last me most if not all of our trip which is good to know. Thanks for the info guys.

 

[travelingdan]

I have a 5-gallon tank which usually lasts about three weeks during the summer. (I run my frig all of the time on propane). I just got back from a trip to the southwest where I kept the thermostat set to about 60 degrees at night and the tank lasted about a week.

 

[rich]

I have a 5-gallon tank which usually lasts about three weeks during the summer. (I run my frig all of the time on propane). I just got back from a trip to the southwest where I kept the thermostat set to about 60 degrees at night and the tank lasted about a week.



I did two weeks (13 days) on he one propane tank and was fine but I couldn't leave the heater thermostat set overnight without draining my camper battery. See my other thread here: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2807/

Are you running a two battery or larger system Dan?

 

[travelingdan]

I did two weeks (13 days) on he one propane tank and was fine but I couldn't leave the heater thermostat set overnight without draining my camper battery. See my other thread here: http://www.wanderthewest.com/forum/index.php?/topic/2807/

Are you running a two battery or larger system Dan?


I have a one-battery system but I installed an 85-watt solar panel on my camper after my first trip. I have an inverter wired directly to the battery. I use the inverter mostly to keep my laptop charged because I like to watch movies at night and I have an internet-based business that I need my laptop to access as well. I also use the inverter to keep a photo hard drive charged onto which I upload photos. (I take a lot of photos during my chips and I don't want to have to buy lots of memory chips.)