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profdant139's avatar
profdant139
Explorer II
Oct 14, 2013

Avg propane use per day when boondocking: 1/4 gal?

I got to wondering -- how much propane do we use, really? Obviously, the answer depends on the weather. But this would be a handy thing to know -- for example, if I have one empty tank and one full one, and a week to go before heading home, do I have to fill up or not? It is not always easy to find propane, and nobody wants to take time away from having fun to fill the tank. (I suppose I could purchase a reliable gauge, but I have never found one -- they vary wildly with altitude and temperature.)

So I have figured out a "real world" rule of thumb, based on our most recent trip. When we left in mid-September, my two five gallon tanks were full (weighing 35 lb. each). After 17 days of use (fridge, cooking, water heater, and furnace), I had used a total of 18.5 lb., or about 4.4 gallons (each gallon weighs 4.2 lb.). So that comes out to about a quarter of a gallon per day, in cool (but not freezing) weather. This is in an extremely small trailer, with two people. But we did not try to conserve propane -- we ran the heater at shower time for a few minutes almost every night, and we cooked both breakfast and dinner on the stove in the trailer, every day.

This seems like a low number -- but if it is right, that means that with just one 5 gallon tank, we are good for almost three weeks. Your mileage may vary!
Boondocking
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  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Oct 16, 2013
    Thanks for the info on how much propane might be used in a day. Never really thought it about much here. I have the two 20 lbs tanks and when one goes dry I switch to the full one and then go looking for a place to fill up the empty one.

    In all of our off road camping have never run out of propane. We also don't use the propane furnace all that much as well and it is really set real low at 40 degrees for a backup source of heat if needed actually. Electric heat and electric blankets at electric sites - Camp Fires and Electric Blanket off the batteries at the off grid camp sites is what we use then get under the covers at night haha...

    There is only the two of us so I guess having kids along would make for a totally different setup as far as heat would be concerned.

    Roy Ken
  • nina_70's avatar
    nina_70
    Explorer
    Oct 16, 2013
    We fill our 40lb tank 2-3 times per year, usually just 2. We're fulltimers and cook a lot. In summer the usage is minimal, but we also usually have hookups during that period. In winter we boondock a lot and the furnace sucks it down in cold weather. Outside of the furnace use is minimal.
  • 69_Avion's avatar
    69_Avion
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2013
    I carry 100# of propane on my trailer and I didn't hardly make a dent in it over 2 weeks this summer. Running the furnace in the winter time uses up the fuel faster than anything else I run.
  • monkey44's avatar
    monkey44
    Nomad II
    Oct 15, 2013
    We get a month out of our two tanks easily -

    The worst use is heat - which also kills the battery. We only use the heater when required to heat the camper before sleeping, and we dress warmly for bed, turn it on in the AM briefly to take off the chill.

    We turn on the WH until hot, then shut off and use water as needed. As an ex-submarine sailor, fresh-water making was my job - so know how to take a "Navy Shower" - a very important skill in TC camping ... :):)
  • Ramblin__Ralph's avatar
    Ramblin__Ralph
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2013
    My use also seems to be about 1/4 gal per day. I rarely cook a meal on the stove. Usually just soup and morning tea. Run the water heater once every other day for a shower. Never use the oven. Turn on the furnace after getting out of bed.

    BTW, I don't think a 5 gal tank can be filled to 5 gal, only to 4, to allow for possible high temperature expansion. If so, plan on more like 2+ weeks. :)
  • nevadanick's avatar
    nevadanick
    Explorer
    Oct 15, 2013
    Thats about right for us also except in winter of which we actually use out TT more often, then its about a gal or so a day. I never turn the hwh off.
  • JiminDenver's avatar
    JiminDenver
    Explorer II
    Oct 15, 2013
    Ours varies greatly depending on the weather and jumped considerably when I stopped worrying about the power. We have had 10 day trips that required less furnace and we used a half a 20lb tank. We had a week this year that was cool and rainy during the day and cold at night, we went thru a full tank.

    Out side of the furnace everything else is pretty constant. We run the HWH everyday before showers, frig on gas, cook inside and run the oven a few times a trip.
  • Artum_Snowbird's avatar
    Artum_Snowbird
    Explorer
    Oct 14, 2013
    That's about what we use in our truck camper too. We had a few nights of near freezing weather, furnace set for about 62, all meals cooked inside like you.

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