Ran out of propane in TEN DAYS!?

Depending on outside temperature and size of tanks, you could easily run out two tanks in only 2 or 3 days. RVs are typically poorly insulated and furnaces are thirsty.

How big is your RV, how cold did it get, how warm did you keep the inside, and how big are the tanks? And is your RV a 4 season model or a “standard” one?

I know of no RVs that have 100 lb propane tanks, but I often see such tanks hooked to RVs being used by full timers in cold areas. If you are trying to keep a 30 foot standard RV at 75 or 80 degrees on 2-20 lb tanks in freezing weather, both tanks will indeed run dry in just a couple days.

Unless they were'nt full from the beginning, you used it up and in three days of use, that would be resonable.
Are you in a a camp ground that has a service come around and fill tanks on a regular basis? You could get a back up tank too.
Otherwise either use electric hear or better yet, roll on down the road to someplace warm!

yeah. 2-3 days on one tank running the furnace several hours each day. Suggest you get an electric space heater to put in the rv

The furnaces are heavy users. Consider where you are staying, is electric provided, or is it an individually billed item? If electric is going to be expensive look into adding a propane line to a "Lil Buddy" type heater. they are very slow users of propane compared to the furnace. If you are in a permanent location there are other steps you can take as well to improve your insulation.

You don't say what you are living in so we don't know how big it is. Gas does not get used just because the valve is open. Did you think living in a rv would be cheaper than living in a house?

Hi everyone! Thanks so much for taking time to try and help me figure this out :) We have a new travel trailer that is almost 38 feet long. I know our fireplace is electric, but I think the main heat is gas. It is supposed to be a 4 Seasons camper. It got down into the mid-thirties last night, I had it set to 68, but my hubby said I was shivering in my sleep so he got up and turned the heat up to 72 for me. I think our tanks are 20lbs? They look like the ones you trade out for a grass grill (maybe a LITTLE bigger?). I think I may be looking into getting a space heater ;P

If you RVed before full-timing, you know how the twin tank regulator works and how the red/green thing acts.

( You can leave it pointing at the first tank, now empty, and it shows red. Meanwhile you are sucking from the second tank. By the time you swap the lever over to get the first tank filled, so now you have green, the second tank can be half empty. Yes, some RV dealers are not very careful about what they do to you.)

You could have already been on the second tank with the lever pointing at it (wrong procedure!) but the first tank was empty and not filled, so all you had was one tank partly full.

Hard to know without being there at the time. IMO get both tanks refilled and start over one more time to know what is really going on.

Check the red/green every morning as a routine, and see how long the one tank gets you before you need to refill it while already on the second one. Once you know that for sure, you can act accordingly.

If you are seasonal in one spot, I have seen rigs doing that with a giant propane tank alongside, and they have a truck come by every so often to refill the tank--just like a stick house with propane.

EDIT--Goodness, you can't full time on a pair of 20s!! A pair of 30s would at least be better. (Might have a height issue with a taller tank up front if the front of the trailer slopes forward down there.)

Was this a brand new RV?
If so, maybe the tanks were not "purged."......if not, then they were probably not completely full to start with.

Oh yes it can happen. during elk season it is worse to run out in the middle of the night. have gone out many a night a changed out tanks and run to the nearest town for more. I got so I would bring several tanks with me and save myself running to town every two days, but we would water up our water jugs too.

Another item nobody mentioned is hot water, most units can heat it electrically or with gas. Long gas heated showers can use quite a bit too. If possible switch to electric only and you can stretch the gas a little more. Also roof vents and skylights are heat loss areas. Use some bubble wrap or light pillows to insulate those.
There are a lot of little things that can help, you'll find what works for you in time, enjoy the journey.