Propane

Gdetrailer wrote:
I WILL point out that I have NO, ZERO, NADA, NOTHING "fear" of Propane or NG. In fact, in my Sticks and bricks I have a NG Furnace, NG water heater, NG stove, for further insult, I have a NG furnace in my 3 1/2 stall garage. The only single appliance I have that is not NG is the dryer.

It isn't "fear" that causes me to not use propane appliances much in my TT, it is the mere fact that using PROPANE FOR ANYTHING IS EXPENSIVE!! You pay twice as much as NG and get LESS BTUs, even paying for electric is cheaper than Propane.

On top of that is the mere fact with a propane fridge, you USE MUCH MORE ENERGY, takes 275W-325W worth of electric or propane. My home fridge conversion sips at a mere 90W of electricity and it only does that for about 20 minutes per hr..

We don't bother to take showers in our RV, why?

Campground showers tend to have more space, easier to get in and out of and don't have to ration the water (try telling a "teen" to cut back on the 20 minute showers at full force)..

So, our water heater spends most of it's life idling with just a pilot light and the burner only really runs when we draw hot water for cleaning dishes..

Cooking inside, well, lets put it this way, when camping in the deep south in early June with scorching 99-105 temps during the day, using a propane stove inside is just not happening.. and at those temps no need for the furnace..

Yep, that is why I have used a mere 30 lbs of propane in 11 yrs..

My post wasn't necessarily directed at you, but since we're here...

Propane has more than twice the BTU of NG per cubic foot but at this point in time it's ridiculously expensive. When I first bought my house at the very end (December 30) of 2015 it was fueled with propane. By February I had burned through around 400 gallons - the previous owner (a couple) said they were paying $500/month for propane. I'm a family of 5 and knew that wasn't going to fly. I had NG brought to the house which cost around $4k (it's a 500-foot run, I did the appliance conversions myself). It's already paid for itself. I use the 1,000 gallon tank for grilling now and as a backup fuel source for my generator (NG is primary).

I don't know where you get a 90W fridge. The fridge in my house has a 1400-watt startup and over 700W while running. It's a run-of-the-mill GE double-door. Nothing elaborate. The RV fridge is 300-watts. On a per-cubic-foot basis the gas absorbtion fridges are much less efficient than, say, the Samsung residential-type fridges that run at 100-200 watts but the trade-off is in the flexibility of using propane. Costs aside, the energy used in generating the 300-watts electricity is horribly inefficient compared to using propane.

And, again, it depends on how you camp. I need the propane for my fridge. I'm not going to run my generator 24x7 nor install a huge battery bank and solar array in my ancient rig. I also need heat a couple of times a year. Hot water? Heck yeah I need that. My hot water heater does not have a standing pilot and doesn't run much. Last, cooking with gas is easier, better and more efficient than any electric-based means. Yeah charcoal is best but I ain't got time for that. I have an extend-a-stay hooked up to my on-board propane tank for outdoor cooking.