Propane usage
Hi there :) I do 100% full time RVing. I live in the North and the overnight temps can get to -30ish. I have plug in electric heaters and a propane forced air furnace. The propane lasts upto a week....
Forum Discussion
Hi,
If it is -10F outside, then you need to keep the water heater on all the time to keep it at least over 40F all the time (so unless you plan on getting up every hour at night, just leave it on.) You can shut it off during the time you can monitor the water heater temp, at at least run it every hour or so for 5 minutes. however the burner is only 8,800 Btu's and can run 11 hours burning only 1 gallon of propane. Most of the time the burner is not on all the time, so it is off more than on, so 11 hours might take 2 days to use 1 gallon, perhaps 4 - 10 days in the summer when cold air is not robbing most of the heat out of the water heater.
You can leave the water heater off all the time it is warmer than 30F outside, but colder than that temp will cause the water to quickly freeze inside the tank, and damage the $400 tank. No savings there. There is a huge flue pipe going through the center of the water heater tank that will quickly let 25F air through the tank and freeze it faster than even a glass of water or dog dish left outside.
The furnace can use 40,000 Btu's per hour, there is 95,000 Btu's in one gallon of propane. So you can run the furnace for 2.2 hours per gallon. The stove burner is about 9,000 - 12,000 Btu's on high heat setting while a RV oven is around 18,000 - 22,000 Btu's. Home ovens have about 30,000 Btu oven burners.
My guess is most of your propane use is through the furnace. If you plan on staying in one place for a long time, then consider a 100# tank that is refilled at your site.
What I did while living in my motorhome in Portland OR in the winter of 2008 was run 3 electric heaters. I have a 30 amp 120 volt service, and ran 2 heaters on low heat setting. The third heater I would run on a #12 gauge extension cord and could run it on high (1,500) or low 800 watt setting. I also used a electric mattress warmer, and my lowest outside temps where only 26F, so not nearly as cold as you have.
I used bubble wrap insulation (Reflex) in my windshield, and most of the outside windows. This helps slow the heat loss. You can get this at Home Depot / Lowes. Look for it in 24" and 48" wide rolls. I had bought a 48" X 75' roll from a HVAC contractor supply house. You can buy 24" wide X 25' or so at Home Depot, and use that to place between the ground and RV sidewalls. This will keep air from blowing under the RV, and thus will stay warmer.
Camping World also sells a lightweight pillow that goes into a 14" square roof vent, and helps insulate it from the cold coming in.
Fred Golden.
If it is -10F outside, then you need to keep the water heater on all the time to keep it at least over 40F all the time (so unless you plan on getting up every hour at night, just leave it on.) You can shut it off during the time you can monitor the water heater temp, at at least run it every hour or so for 5 minutes. however the burner is only 8,800 Btu's and can run 11 hours burning only 1 gallon of propane. Most of the time the burner is not on all the time, so it is off more than on, so 11 hours might take 2 days to use 1 gallon, perhaps 4 - 10 days in the summer when cold air is not robbing most of the heat out of the water heater.
You can leave the water heater off all the time it is warmer than 30F outside, but colder than that temp will cause the water to quickly freeze inside the tank, and damage the $400 tank. No savings there. There is a huge flue pipe going through the center of the water heater tank that will quickly let 25F air through the tank and freeze it faster than even a glass of water or dog dish left outside.
The furnace can use 40,000 Btu's per hour, there is 95,000 Btu's in one gallon of propane. So you can run the furnace for 2.2 hours per gallon. The stove burner is about 9,000 - 12,000 Btu's on high heat setting while a RV oven is around 18,000 - 22,000 Btu's. Home ovens have about 30,000 Btu oven burners.
My guess is most of your propane use is through the furnace. If you plan on staying in one place for a long time, then consider a 100# tank that is refilled at your site.
What I did while living in my motorhome in Portland OR in the winter of 2008 was run 3 electric heaters. I have a 30 amp 120 volt service, and ran 2 heaters on low heat setting. The third heater I would run on a #12 gauge extension cord and could run it on high (1,500) or low 800 watt setting. I also used a electric mattress warmer, and my lowest outside temps where only 26F, so not nearly as cold as you have.
I used bubble wrap insulation (Reflex) in my windshield, and most of the outside windows. This helps slow the heat loss. You can get this at Home Depot / Lowes. Look for it in 24" and 48" wide rolls. I had bought a 48" X 75' roll from a HVAC contractor supply house. You can buy 24" wide X 25' or so at Home Depot, and use that to place between the ground and RV sidewalls. This will keep air from blowing under the RV, and thus will stay warmer.
Camping World also sells a lightweight pillow that goes into a 14" square roof vent, and helps insulate it from the cold coming in.
Fred Golden.
