Propane lasts how long?

[Lar_s]

Siting here in N. Texas where the WX isn't cooperating with my idea of spring, the furnace on our new 5th Wheel has only been running for a few days. We were gone all day and the camper was cool when we got back. I checked the stove, and sure enough, no flame. I changed to the other tank and all is OK. The first tank showed mositure up just under half way. Shouldn't it run itself out?

Advice please. I've been using diesel burning hydro Hot for years and this is all new to me.

Thx

[JIMNLIN]

We lived in a 30' 5th wheel with a 13' slide for one winter and used a 30 lb bottle every 3 days when it was cold and the wind blowing. Biggest issue is the wind. It may be calm and 20 degrees no big deal but 30-40 degrees and 35-40 mph constant winds keeps the heater running most of the time.

And of course how well the unit is insulated/double pane windows/artic pak/etc can determine fuel usage.

Our unit had a R7 top/bottom and sides but I did install mobile home skirting and 1/8' lexan as storm windows on the inside. Both helped a bunch.

[0rion]

good luck and a couple heaters would probably be a good investment especially if you're on unmetered electric. During superbowl weekend I had people stay here at the house and a couple slept in the camper. I put our eden pure type heater in there (brand escapes me at the moment) and I let it run constantly and turned the heat off during the day. It kept the camper about 60 degrees during the day and the highs were in the upper teens low 20's. 2 of those in there would probably work perfect. If you're using water though you'll want your furnace on some to keep the underbelly warm so things don't start freezing up on you.

[Lar_s]

Thx Gang,
I'll pull it and see what's up. Guess I didn't realize it'd go through that fast. We'll have to depend more on electric as long as we're moving around and not paying for power like if we were staying for a month or more.

Thx again

Lar

[0rion]

my bet is you just ran the tank empty...pull it and shake it. The propane may outrun the frost line on the tank depending on the temps. There's several factors in how long that tank will last.....outdoor temps and t-stat setting being the biggest factors. Also if fridge or water heater are running and on propane will factor in too. A bump in the t-stat from say 60-70 is a considerable difference in how much propane you're going to use. I've also noticed a huge difference between camping with lows in the 30's versus lows in the 20's. That furnace will cycle a ton more.

[valhalla360]

SCVJeff wrote:
All I was basing that comment on was filling a tank and what an empty one takes on a cold day vs. warm

As long as there is still liquid propane in the tank, enough will evaporate into gaseous state to build up pressure. The head space will make no difference.

In Europe, you may run into some issues as they sometimes use a butane mixture and that can reduce pressure at low temps. They don't use those mixtures in the USA, so you have to get to extreme cold temps (beyond most winter camping situation) before propane has an issue.

[SCVJeff]

All I was basing that comment on was filling a tank and what an empty one takes on a cold day vs. warm

[valhalla360]

SCVJeff wrote:
There are folks that know better about the physics than me, but the colder the tank gets, the lower the pressure. with a 1/2 full tank in 20 degrees (or whatever) that might be all it takes to not get through the regulator

20degrees should not be an issue.

How long a tank lasts varys greatly depending on how cold it is:
- At -5F we were going thru a 30# tank per day.
- At 25-35F we get 10-14days out of a tank.

[BobsYourUncle]

Full timing at minus 30 I get about 3 days out of a 30 pounder.

When the weather is warm, around freezing to 10 below I go about 5-6 days on a bottle.

When its really nice and warm I get 10 days or more

[Sport45]

I'd think propane would have plenty of vapor pressure down to at least -10°F or so. I know it does at 0° anyway.

[SCVJeff]

There are folks that know better about the physics than me, but the colder the tank gets, the lower the pressure. with a 1/2 full tank in 20 degrees (or whatever) that might be all it takes to not get through the regulator

[mdamerell]

I get about 3 days on a bottle so pull it out and lift it or put it on a bathroom scale. It's probably empty.

[Lar_s]

thx try tomorrow

[lawrosa]

Sound like the internal float shut the tank off... Just need to shut off tank... bleed line and open tank up again... Thats AFAIK anyway... thats what I did when it happened to me...