How Long Does Propane Last?

[sheltie]

I know there are a number of variables, but I'm trying to plan how long my propane might last on my upcoming trip.  I have a 23 gallon tank (I think) and I expect the weather to be in the high 20s and low 30s at night on my week long trip.  Temps during the day will be in the 40s and 50s.  I'll be at my destination for at least a week and then another week or more for the trip home.  If the temps get into the 60s during the day, I won't use the furnace at all while driving, but probably will while stopped.  The temperature will be set at about 72.  I can use my electric part of the furnace down to about 37, below that the propane kicks in. 

Is there any way I can plan for how much propane I might use or haven't I supplied enough info to figure it out? 

 

[donn]

Simply look up how many btu's per gallon of propane.  Divide that number by the size of your furnace and you will have your answer.

 

[DearMissMermaid]

I have never been able to figure out my propane usage, too many variables with propane cooking, propane hot water, and propane furnace.  Just the same, I log it in my book, so I can see what I used each year or each month or a monthly average and all this is still pretty useless.

Finally I bought a hybrid electric system so my hot water could run on electric. I bought a ceramic heater so I could use that instead of propane. On super c-c-c-cold nights or days, I use the propane furnace to bring the RV up to comfy temp, then use the ceramic heater to maintain it.  If it's not super cold, then the electric ceramic heater works fine.

Get a mattress warmer, and you can save on heat at night.

I pretty much top up my propane every chance I get. I have found out that U-Haul fills RV propane tanks and they generally have good locations,  longer hours and are open on weekends too, so I often search for them (see link).  Of course many campground will fill your tanks as will RV dealers and propane companies, but they tend to keep shorter business hours.

So I would top up your propane after your week's stay and keep it more or less topped up before setting up camp somewhere. Just my 2 cents worth...

http://www.uhaul.com/Propane/

 

[Wigpro]

I only use my propane for cooking - gas stove and my gas BBQ grill - plumbed a quick disconnect in on the awning side for easy hookup and a ball valve to close it off.

I installed an electric "Hot Rod" for my water heater and never use the propane heater as it is so noisy and hard to light and keep lit that it is virtually unusable. My next project is to remove it entirely and hopefully use that space below the fridge to either put in a bigger fridge or install my small freezer there. For heat I bought an electric oil filled radiator - it is slow to heat up but once it gets warm it heats my entire trailer with no problem I have been in weather these past couple weeks down to 12 degrees below zero with no comfort problem. Plus it is silent, which is very nice, but of course it only works when on shore power or with my generator running but it works for me.

I do switch my fridge over to propane when driving but I suspect that uses very little.

As for propane usage - since I use very little my tank lasted nearly a year. I was so worried as to when I would run out, I bought one of those magnetic guages that sticks on the tank and it seems to work well.

30 gallons should last you quite awhile, I would suspect it would last your entire trip...but getting it filled is not that big a deal.

Good Luck and enjoy your trip.

Jim

 

[JiminDenver]

I can tell you that we use a pound a day boondocking with everything on propane. Fridge, water heater, stove/oven and furnace at night set to 65 when it's in the 20s and 30s outside.
Converting that over to your needs in your rig while using propane sometimes but not others is just not really possible. Still a 23 gal tank is more than four of the 20 pound tanks I have so I'm thinking it will last for the duration of your trip.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

It's not quite as simple as btus/furnace rating - that only tells you how many hours the furnace will run. Estimating the furnace runtime is the difficult part and that varies widely, starting with the thermostat setting, the outside temperature, and the size of the rv.

Pure propane has 91,600 btus/gallon and a propane/butane blend is a bit higher. There is no fixed formula for the blend of the gases used in LPG, so the actual number varies but 91,000/gal  should be ok for an estimate.

If you can use more sweaters and blankets, the LPG lasts a lot longer. Likewise if you can use an electric space heater some or all of the time.

 

[Lou Schneider]

The furnace is by far the largest propane user - if it's rated at 15,000 BTUs it will run about 6 hours on one gallon of propane (91000 btus / 15000 btus = 6.06)

If your furnace is rated at 30,000 BTUs it will use twice as much fuel as the one above, so it will use a gallon of propane every 3 hours of operating time.

Your other propane appliances use much less fuel so their usage is pretty much lost in the noise, maybe totaling 1/4 gallon a day or less.

So how long your tank will last is pretty much determined by how often, and for how long, your furnace runs.

 

[carson]

One absolute answer would be....The propane will LAST until it is gone.  ;D

 

[Wigpro]

One absolute answer would be....The propane will LAST until it is gone.  ;D

I was originally going to post until the tank is empty, but felt like being nice, propane is very hard to calculate the only thing I can be confident about is when grilling the tank will run out in the middle of cooking a good steak!!