How much propane

[jonitza]

Going camping this weekend in N Carolina with day temps in the mid 50s and night temps in the mid 30s. If i keep the heat set around 65-67 how much propane would I use. I will be at a site with full hookups. This is a new trailer we purchased in the summer so this is our first cold night camping and want to make sure the heater is working properly. WE have a Whitehawk 28dsbh. Thanks

[Crabman]

Can`t pin down how much you will use but it will not be that much, your twin 30lb bottles will MORE than hold you. A propane saving tip is to use a small ceramic electric heater (about 20 bucks) since you have full hookups. Your furnace will not run nearly as much and you will save propane and use the CG`s electric. I`ve done this many times and my furnace does not run all that much.

[popjim52]

Good information....

[DieselX]

We are in eastern Nc and a 30lb. bottle has been lasting 4 weeks. turn the heat down to 58 at night then 68 in the morning, and use electric heaters to supplement till the sun comes out to warm you up!!

[tlhdoc]

I agree with the others to use electric heat when ever possible. I camp all year long, in Pennsylvania, and have never had to use my furnace when I had electric. Have fun camping.

[RedHorse1]

Another vote for an electric heater. We've been down to around 30-ish in rainy windy conditions and the furnace never came on.
If your TT is new be sure to run the furnace BEFORE going camping. Mine set the smoke alarm off the first time I ran it - fortunately in the driveway.

[mikefos]

Originally Posted by RedHorse1

If your TT is new be sure to run the furnace BEFORE going camping. Mine set the smoke alarm off the first time I ran it - fortunately in the driveway.

Can I do this w/ a 20amp connection?

[Macrosill]

I have only used the heat in an RV once. I had to replace the valve on the chassis mounted propane tank in my old motorhome. The gas place would not touch the tank unless it was empty. IIRC it was a 30lb tank. It was March or April I think. I had the fridge going on gas and the heat up to 80. It took about 10 days the empty to 3/4 full tank.

[rbrumfield]

If I use strictly the furnace with temps into the low 30s to high 20s at night and the day temps around 50* my unit will burn through a 30# tank about every three days. This is with the thermastat set at 65* at night and 68* through the day. Like others I use the electric heaters to supplement the furnance. Where I am currently charges extra for the electric so it is a toss up which is the cheapest but I use the electric anyway because it is so much easier than lugging propane tanks. YMMV.

[norty1]

Originally Posted by mikefos

Can I do this w/ a 20amp connection?

Sure, even without ac for a while.

[clutch]

Originally Posted by rbrumfield

If I use strictly the furnace with temps into the low 30s to high 20s at night and the day temps around 50* my unit will burn through a 30# tank about every three days. This is with the thermastat set at 65* at night and 68* through the day. Like others I use the electric heaters to supplement the furnance. Where I am currently charges extra for the electric so it is a toss up which is the cheapest but I use the electric anyway because it is so much easier than lugging propane tanks. YMMV.

We do the same thing. The breaking point for electric vs propane is around 14 cents per kw. Any higher and propane is cheaper.

[FPM III]

Originally Posted by mikefos

Can I do this w/ a 20amp connection?

Yes, as long as you practice some common sense, energy management. If you're running your electric heater, don't run another high amperage appliance like a toaster, electric coffeemaker, hair dryer, microwave oven, etc. If I want to one of these, I turn off the electric heater while I use the desired appliance. You should be OK running your refrigerator on electric with the electric heater on (I do it all the time with no problems). However, if it is a problem, switch your refrigerator over to gas. Same goes for your hot water heater (HWH) if you normally run it on electric (NOTE: there are some HWH models that run on gas only).

Unfortunately, there can be some trade-offs here and you could still end up using some propane if you have to run your refrigerator and/or HWH on gas instead of electric.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by mikefos

Can I do this w/ a 20amp connection?

As Norty says "yes". I can also run the A/C off a 20A circuit. The furnace draw is mostly the blower which I expect to be relatively small.
I've not dry-camped but believe the furnace fan is 12V.

[mikefos]

Originally Posted by FPM III

Yes, as long as you practice some common sense, energy management. If you're running your electric heater, don't run another high amperage appliance like a toaster, electric coffeemaker, hair dryer, microwave oven, etc. If I want to one of these, I turn off the electric heater while I use the desired appliance. You should be OK running your refrigerator on electric with the electric heater on (I do it all the time with no problems). However, if it is a problem, switch your refrigerator over to gas. Same goes for your hot water heater (HWH) if you normally run it on electric (NOTE: there are some HWH models that run on gas only).

Unfortunately, there can be some trade-offs here and you could still end up using some propane if you have to run your refrigerator and/or HWH on gas instead of electric.

Thanks. Was just thinking about burning off the new heater smell at the storage lot as I have a 20amp connection. Appreciate the additional info, though.

Mike

[Chakara]

Interesting that most of the responses assumed that you had electric heat available. If not, be careful as consumption will be MUCH higher. Yes, you can run an electric heater with a 20A circuit - just don't run the microwave or 2 heaters at the same time.

-Chak

[tlhdoc]

You can run one electric heater on a 20 amp connection. You can't use any other high draw items at the same time...like the microwave.

[Turn2Racing]

I just went to Punkin Chunkin in Delaware, ran heater with propane for 2 days set at 68 degrees. I may have used 1/3 of the 30 gallon tank. My heat was on the entire time, my friend ended up sick and couldn't get out of bed.

[Crabman]

Originally Posted by Chakara

Interesting that most of the responses assumed that you had electric heat available. If not, be careful as consumption will be MUCH higher. Yes, you can run an electric heater with a 20A circuit - just don't run the microwave or 2 heaters at the same time.

-Chak

The reason we are assuming the OP has electric available is because in the first post the OP says "I will be at a site with full hookups."

[29BHS ECO]

You can run other appliances as long as they are not on the same circuit. You can check the circuitry by plugging in a lamp or two, turn on micro wave and turn off the breakers until you find the one that controls which outlet. Mark a pce of paper and tape in your elec panel. Larry

[Jagiven]

You can run your furnace on 110V or 12V. The power requirement is fairly low, just the igniter and blower, however it can run your battery down in one night if it is on a lot. As for supplemental electric heat, a 1500W heater uses 12.5 Amps. In our Hybrid (canvas ends) the electric heater works fine down to the low 20’s. We just turn on the furnace for a few minutes in the morning to boost the temperature.

If we are using something that has high power consumption such as an electric griddle, I just turn the electric heater off until I am done. No big deal, you do not even notice the heat is off. With our HTT I found I can pull an extension cord into the trailer under the slide thought the slide rail opening. Then I just plug in to the extension cord and plug the other end in to the CG electrical post.

Personally, I do not know how long a tank will last, as we have never use the furnace a lot.