40 gallon propane tank on 27 freelander

As a rough but easy to remember rule of thumb, an RV fridge uses somewhere in the vicinity of a pound of propane a day. Its actual usage depends on the fridge size, the efficiency and quality of its installation, how frequently you open the door or put warm stuff inside, the ambient temperature, and probably a few other variables.

Using other propane appliances tends to have a greater effect than the fridge, the furnace more so than the water heater or cooktop (and a propane generator far more than any of the rest).

larryherrington wrote:
I filled my propane tank and used it pretty heavy for 2 nights. I had the gas on the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. I am down to 1/3 to 1/4 tank. Is this normal? I have looked for leaks, but cannot find any.

As others have pointed out you have a 40# tank not 40 gal. The question is, was it full when you started? I use to use a 40# tank on a extend a stay and could normally get 6-7 days out of it using the furnace and hot water heater and refrigerator. (the furnace is a real energy hog). If I wasn't using the furnace I could easily go 2+ weeks.
What I would do is go fill the tank and that way you will have a more accurate record of what you used.
Let us know what you find out.
Bill

We have two 30 lb. tanks on our fiver. Running just the frig (12 cu. ft. four-door) for a week will barely pull down one tank. In very cold weather (like single-digit lows and highs in the low 20s with high winds), the furnace will use a 30 lb./7 gal. tank in 1-1/2 - 2 days. If your usage is just the frig as stated, something's not right.

Rob

pnichols wrote:
The title of your post may have an error in it. The propane tank in your 27 foot Class C is most likely a 40 POUND tank ... thus around 10 gallons, or 12 gallons of raw tank liquid capacity.

You got it. The sales brochure states 40 POUNDS not gallons for 9.7 gallons at full.

larryherrington wrote:
I filled my propane tank and used it pretty heavy for 2 nights. I had the gas on the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days. I am down to 1/3 to 1/4 tank. Is this normal? I have looked for leaks, but cannot find any.

The title of your post may have an error in it. The propane tank in your 27 foot Class C is most likely a 40 POUND tank ... thus around 10 gallons, or 12 gallons of raw tank liquid capacity.

It sounds like you maybe used the furnace a lot for 2 nights, and 4 to 5 days for the refrigerator sounds like you were drycamping for a total of 4 to 5 days?

(By the way, there is no need to keep a propane hot water heater turned on all the time. Just turn it on each time you need it only if it has been off for quite a while since the last use. The water will stay warm enough for most uses for a few hours after each time you have left it on for 15-20 minutes to come to full temperature. There is no need to leave it turned on continuously - thus using propane needlessly just to keep it as hot as possible hour after hour between uses.)

What is telling you that you're down that much? Many propane level indicators are not very accurate. Right after having it filled "full", any gage/indicator you might be looking at should only show 75% to 80% of actual raw tank capacity. So ... if it is truly down to 1/3 after 4 to 5 days ... you have actually used only 2/3 of 75% to 80% of the tanks actual raw tank gallon capacity.

For instance, it you have 10 gallon propane tank, it will hold only 7.5 to 8 actual gallons of propane after being filled - but the indicator gage showing "around 1/3" after 4 to 5 days of camping will mean that there's around 1/3 of 10 gallons of liquid (propane) left in it - which is around 3.33 gallons of propane left in it. Since you started out with only 7.5 to 8 actual gallons of propane in it, you have actually used only a little more than half of the beginning amount of propane that was in it when filled.

If you don't have a leak ... then I wonder if you didn't maybe leave the hot water heater on continuously and maybe use the propane furnace a bit more then you realized?

Just as an aside, to me RV propane tank capacity is very important. From reading these forums, it sounds as if very few folks pay attention to propane capacity of any RV that they may be about to purchase ... and then later wish that the tank was larger.

If you are using the tank fill level indicator to determine the amount left they are notoriously inaccurate. Look at the meter, then take it to a propane refill station and fill it. See how much you get in. That is the true indication of how much you used.

What kind of RV do you have? Are you using your on-board furnace burning propane? What is the outside temperature where you are at? Are you running gas to heat your water heater? How well insulated is your camper?

Were you using the furnace as well?

If not, that does not seem 'normal' for just the refrigerator..but it would be normal if you were using the hot water and furnace in addition to the fridge over those 2 days.