How much propane will I use?
Hi everyone! Forgive me for posting a lot lately, but I'm totally hooked after picking up my first TT and taking it on two trips already (in under a month! Technically it was for "work" though) ;) ...
Forum Discussion
Propane is 21,600 BTU per pound. All of your LPG appliances have BTU ratings, which reflect fuel burn rates rather than output of heating device.
Thus 35,000 BTU/hr furnace will use a little more than a pound and half per hour it runs. How many hours it runs will depend on how cold it is outside, how your RV leaks heat, and how cold outside. In 30F to 45F weather, targeting 68F on the thermostat, I go through about 30 pounds of LPG a week.
12,000 BTU/hr will use 2/3 a pound per hour. How long it runs will depend on how cold the water coming in. BTU is the amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water 1 degree F. If water is coming in at 60F and you are heating to 160 F, you need 4800 BTUs to heat 48 pounds (6 gallons) of water. Since the water heaters are not 100% efficient (check out temperature of exhaust) you might need to burn 6000-8000 BTU of propane to get 4800 BTU of heat. So figure 1/3 of a pound for a half-hour run.
Ranges? Typically about 6000 BTU/hr per burner for RV LPG ranges, 9000-12,000 for a high output burner (you might have one). But you don't usually cook with burners at full output, unless bringing a big pot to a boil.
Refrigerators? I don't have any ratings, but on my absorption refrigerator the flame is like a candle and the electrical heater is 300-400 watts, which converts to something like 1000-1300 BTU/hr. That does not necessarily run continuously, depends on temperature settings, how often the fridge is opened, how often warm stuff is put in, and outside temperatures (heat load).
Thus 35,000 BTU/hr furnace will use a little more than a pound and half per hour it runs. How many hours it runs will depend on how cold it is outside, how your RV leaks heat, and how cold outside. In 30F to 45F weather, targeting 68F on the thermostat, I go through about 30 pounds of LPG a week.
12,000 BTU/hr will use 2/3 a pound per hour. How long it runs will depend on how cold the water coming in. BTU is the amount of heat needed to raise one pound of water 1 degree F. If water is coming in at 60F and you are heating to 160 F, you need 4800 BTUs to heat 48 pounds (6 gallons) of water. Since the water heaters are not 100% efficient (check out temperature of exhaust) you might need to burn 6000-8000 BTU of propane to get 4800 BTU of heat. So figure 1/3 of a pound for a half-hour run.
Ranges? Typically about 6000 BTU/hr per burner for RV LPG ranges, 9000-12,000 for a high output burner (you might have one). But you don't usually cook with burners at full output, unless bringing a big pot to a boil.
Refrigerators? I don't have any ratings, but on my absorption refrigerator the flame is like a candle and the electrical heater is 300-400 watts, which converts to something like 1000-1300 BTU/hr. That does not necessarily run continuously, depends on temperature settings, how often the fridge is opened, how often warm stuff is put in, and outside temperatures (heat load).
