Propane Usage

RickL

Well-known member
Ok I probably know the answer but I thought I would ask. I upgraded the propane tanks in our new unit, Oshkosh, to 40 lb tanks. Both tanks were freshly filled on Thursday the 21st, which was a high of 69 and a low of 44. We left to go for 5 days thinking all would be fine. I turned the thermostat down to 60 degrees and while we were gone the temps ranged from highs in the upper 30’s and the lows in the mid 20’s.

When we got back to the trailer and turned up the heat to 70 which the trailer achieved only to find out an hour after getting back we were out of propane. So my question is this, did we really burn through that propane in 5 days (80 lbs) at a 60degree setting or ???

My thoughts range from yes the trailer is that inefficient, or because the tanks were brand new they didn’t get them fully filled, to I have a gas leak ( I didn’t check for leaks at the connections with a spray, but I did give it the smell test after I turned on the tank valve).

As as we are presently cleaning out our old residence I have parked the trailer at a neighbors house and am plugged into a 20 amp service so I am limited to other options for heat until next week.

Any thoughts or real world experiences as to what I should expect the burn rate to be would be appreciated.
 
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Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
I would say you easily used that much in 5 days.

Furnace use is about 1.5 pounds per hour, it does not matter what temperature it is set on it matters how long it runs. Without someone in the trailer to turn it off (say at night) or to use the fireplace to offset some of the heating needs, then the furnace runs whenever it fell below 60...which wouldn't be hard with the temps you said were happening that week.

5 days x 24 hrs = 120 hours

Lets just say the furnace ran 12 hours a day....that would means it was "on" for 60 hours

60 hrs x 1.5 lbs per hour is 90 lbs....over your 80 lbs max. So...you probably ran it for around 52 hours, which left you very little remaining...that you quickly used on your arrival.

If you have 20 amp service, then use the fireplace or a portable heater (or 2) to keep the inside warm.

Have you winterized? Those are some extreme lows, so with your residential refrigerator, you REALLY need to winterize that....if it is not too late already.
 

NWILSON

Kentucky Chapter Leaders - retired
If you were working off the original "fill" from the dealer there's a good chance they were less than full. Propane costs money and..well...you know!
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Burning through two 40# tanks in 5 days with thermostat at 60 (F) is a lot. When we were heating from our 40# tanks in much colder weather, with thermostat generally around 70, and using the fireplace for a few hours in the morning and evening, I think we went through two 40# tanks a week. But it's been a while, so I might be remembering inaccurately.

Windows are a major area of heat transfer. The more window surface area, the more propane you'll need. Our dual pane framed windows slow the transfer down a bit.

If you filled the tanks at a propane company, they were likely full. If filled at an RV dealership as part of the upgrade, who knows how much you started with.
 

RickL

Well-known member
Well it’s hard to argue against the math that Oregon Camper presented. (The good news is the trailer was delivered winterized and as I knew we would not be with it for approximately 7 days ( we cut our trip to Denver short due to impeding weather and the absolute need to be back to finish cleaning out the house and closing) I didn’t introduce any water to our systems).

As I had bought the 40 lb tanks from TSC and had Ferrell Gas purge and fill them I “assumed” the fill was correct. I was worried that the original 30 lb tanks wouldn’t make it through our planned trip so that is why I opted to change to the 40 lb tanks. The original 30 lb tanks lasted 8 days, albeit the ambient temps were higher. So I figured I had bought some additional time.

I have been away from trailers for 32 years so I figured with new materials things would have improved. My original 5er was a NuWa, (35 ft no slides but it did have the 5/6 ft sliding glass door in the rear) and I used that in northern Minnesota for snowmobiling during the winter ( in addition to the summer). I owned that one from 1979 to 1985. At that time, ok maybe my memory has diminished a small amount, but I could go 4-5 days on both tanks (30 lbs each) in below zero conditions. My folks would turn on the heat about mid day of our arrival day to warm the trailer up and we would generally get there about 6 pm. If it was over the Christmas time or New Years we would make it a 4-5 day stay, otherwise it would be from a Friday to a Sunday.

All that being stated I had figured a “no worse” scenario for this one, especially being in a relatively warmer situation. I was thinking I could have made it 10 days with 80 lbs. I am going to fill up both 40’s (along with the 30’s as a backup) and monitor it closely. Our original plan was to hang in Tulsa for the next few months after our closing on the 2nd of Jan to finish up loose ends, but now I am thinking it may be wise to head to warmer temps and come back as the temp moderates some towards March.

I had budgeted for about $160-$180 per month propane cost these next two months, but at this burn rate I’ll be closer to $400+ per month. Looks like the wife and the dog will need to cut back on some food and other necessities to stay within budget. (Good thing the wife doesn’t read the forum)
 

jerryjay11

Well-known member
We camped for 4 days in PA with same temperatures and went through 40 lbs easily. Campers are not that well insulated and that's why I decided to stay with the 30 lbs tanks with two spares. If I run out I can swap out tanks at local hardware store or anywhere they are carried. Even if I had two 40 lb tanks that our last TT had I think I'd still carry spare 30 lb tanks as a back up.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
We have found the thermostat is very sensitive, it will cycle as soon as it drops one degree. We've found anytime the outside temp is below about 40, the furnace comes on a lot more often to maintain the temp.

If you plan to be stationary, propane companies can deliver a 100 gal tank to you and set you up for refills as needed (far less often, and possibly cheaper.)


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For20hunter

Pacific Region Directors-Retired
That seems awfully high! We full-time in our Landmark Newport and we augment some of our heating with our fireplace, however we get about 5-7 days out of 1 propane bottle. We keep the interior or our trailer at 69 degrees 24/7 and our temps have been a high of 40 degrees and lows in the upper 20's. Can you smell propane in either of your propane tank storage bays? Our regulator was leaking from the factory so it got replaced early on and since then our propane usage has dropped immensely.

Rod
 

jbeletti

Well-known member
We have found the thermostat is very sensitive, it will cycle as soon as it drops one degree...

Not sure what t-stat you have, but my digital single zone t-stat has an adjustable "Furnace Differential" that can be switched to react at a 2 degree difference (it's default).

Here's the instructions:

To set the temperature differential, the system must be Off. Press the Down () button and simultaneously press and hold the / Mode button for three seconds. Press the Up () button to toggle between “d1” and “d2”, “d1” for 1ºF (-17 °C) differential and “d2” for 2ºF (-16.6 °C) differential.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Not sure what t-stat you have, but my digital single zone t-stat has an adjustable "Furnace Differential" that can be switched to react at a 2 degree difference (it's default).

Here's the instructions:

To set the temperature differential, the system must be Off. Press the Down () button and simultaneously press and hold the / Mode button for three seconds. Press the Up () button to toggle between “d1” and “d2”, “d1” for 1ºF (-17 °C) differential and “d2” for 2ºF (-16.6 °C) differential.

db2f0505a2705e364420f617479b5bcb.jpg


This thermostat did not show me the d1/d2 when I followed the above instructions.



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jbeletti

Well-known member
Erika, for the CCC2 t-stat, try this:
“FURN” / “AQUA” - Furnace or Aqua Mode (Factory setting is “FURN”)
To change the setting from “FURN” to “AQUA” or visa versa, simultaneously press
the up and down buttons. The LED will display the selected option.
In the FURN/AQUA mode the system will cycle the RV’s furnace/aqua ON and OFF
based on the room air temperature and the temperature set-point on the CCC 2
thermostat. The system can be configured to operate using an ON/OFF differential
of either 1 degree F. or 2 degree F. This feature is programmed during the system
initialization. See “System Configuration & Initialization” on page 2. To set the
1 degree differential, simultaneously press PROGRAM button and up button
(“dIF1” will appear in the display while the buttons are pressed). To set the 2 degree
differential, simultaneously press the PROGRAM button and the down button
(dIF2” will appear in the display while the buttons are pressed).
 

Oregon_Camper

Well-known member
That seems awfully high! We full-time in our Landmark Newport and we augment some of our heating with our fireplace, however we get about 5-7 days out of 1 propane bottle. We keep the interior or our trailer at 69 degrees 24/7 and our temps have been a high of 40 degrees and lows in the upper 20's. Can you smell propane in either of your propane tank storage bays? Our regulator was leaking from the factory so it got replaced early on and since then our propane usage has dropped immensely.

Rod

Hard to argue with Rod's real world numbers vs my estimation based purely on math.

The only thing that varies is Rod is using his fireplace. I am amazed at how well the fireplace heats our trailer.

I'd say trust the folks that are full timing...they know a LOT more than I do. :cool:
 

Kathi-27

Well-known member
like traveltiger said. we have 125 gal tank from gas co. they put us on route and top off once a month. when they fill it its around 15-25%. have t-stat set at 70 day time and 72 at nite. use fire.place when home and have small ceramic heater in bathroom.
 

TravelTiger

Founding Texas-West Chapter Leaders-Retired
Erika, for the CCC2 t-stat, try this:
“FURN” / “AQUA” - Furnace or Aqua Mode (Factory setting is “FURN”)
To change the setting from “FURN” to “AQUA” or visa versa, simultaneously press
the up and down buttons. The LED will display the selected option.
In the FURN/AQUA mode the system will cycle the RV’s furnace/aqua ON and OFF
based on the room air temperature and the temperature set-point on the CCC 2
thermostat. The system can be configured to operate using an ON/OFF differential
of either 1 degree F. or 2 degree F. This feature is programmed during the system
initialization. See “System Configuration & Initialization” on page 2. To set the
1 degree differential, simultaneously press PROGRAM button and up button
(“dIF1” will appear in the display while the buttons are pressed). To set the 2 degree
differential, simultaneously press the PROGRAM button and the down button
(dIF2” will appear in the display while the buttons are pressed).

Yes I found that but hitting those buttons doesn't do anything. It must be in the "system configuration and initialization" phase, and I think you'd have to do a hard reset to get it into that state. I didn't have time to experiment. If the default is 2 degrees, then maybe it's doing that. But it apparently doesn't take much to warm the air by the thermostat enough for it to cut off not long after it gets going.

I usually need to bump the thermostat a few degrees more for it to run long enough to warm the whole rig to the desired temp.


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clark261

Member
Place reflective insulation on your RV’s window. It will allow you to trap more warm air inside your RV. If you have an additional budget, you can opt to replace your single-pane windows with a double-pane.
 
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