life of a full propane tank?

[exjay1]

getting ready to take out our 165BH in a couple of weeks. fired up the water heater yesterday to make sure all is well before heading out. roughly how long will a full tank last running the water heater and the occasional stove usage (1 or 2 times a day) can i expect? right now i have 1 tank but the mount is set up to accept 2 (just need to get a dual regulator). is it really necessary to run the water heater at night, seems to warm up pretty quick once fired up, just hate waisting the propane when its not needed while everyone is sleeping. THX!!

[Crabman]

I would think a 30lb tank would last quite awhile just running the water heater and stove. If your water heater is electric you can switch to that if you have hookups. If boondocking you will also be running the frig on propane. And yes, you can turn off the water heater at night and back on in the morning. Not sure how much propane that will actually save though.

[3'senough]

When drycamping I can go over a week running, water heater, stove, grills and refrig. without running one out. I do not turn it off as you do not save all that much since it will run longer upon intial startup than just maintaining temp.

[mach8274]

We fill our tanks at the end of the camping season. I can get a season from both tanks. We use the electric for hot water. LP for the fridge when moving only. So basically we use the LP mainly for the stove and furnace on cold nights.

[dalenoel]

We use the propane for stove and fridge while driving. Only turn on the HW when really needing fast hot water.

I use electric heater when in parks so the single, of two, 30# bottles has lasted for the past two years and I may fill it sometime this year.

[Seann45]

Boondocking I get 2+ weeks on 1 30 lb propane tank... running furnace, water heater, stove and oven,,, mind you that is one person in the RV more people = less time

[clutch]

When running the water heater on gas I shut it off at night. The heater is close to the bedroom and it bothers us when it cycles off and on. There is always warm water in the tank in the morning.

[Seann45]

Originally Posted by clutch

When running the water heater on gas I shut it off at night. The heater is close to the bedroom and it bothers us when it cycles off and on. There is always warm water in the tank in the morning.

I turn mine on 15 min before I need it and then off again after I am done... for minor things like hand washing it stays warm all day...

[Tommyo]

10 gal. per week is a reasonable rule of thumb if you do some conserving and your cooking is not all propane.

[norty1]

I am still using the first tank from when I picked it up 9 months ago. Have spent over 2 months in it.

[SecretCoveDave]

Norty, I think raw meat may not be good for you?
Dave

[norty1]

Originally Posted by SecretCoveDave

Norty, I think raw meat may not be good for you?
Dave

LOL, We cook a lot outside on grills,electric fry pan and crock pot.. The gas is used primarily to run the fridge when traveling. I keep looking at the indicator expecting it to run out anytime but it is still green.

Also most baking is done in a toaster oven.

[Tommyo]

I bought the propane gas gauge at Big 5 for about $20 bucks......it is not bad but - not alot of warning when the supply depletes...

[clutch]

Our first tank of propane this winter lasted just over 3 months. We just use it for the stove and oven. We don't use it for heating the trailer or the water tank.

[Murphie]

Average consumption of propane. BTU's.
Water heater. * * * * * * * * *8800
Refrigerator. * * * * * * * * 640-1200
Furnace exp/sport. * *16000-35000
Eagle. * * * * * * * * * * * *20000-40000
Range w/oven. * * * * * * * 7100
rear burner. * * * * * * * * * *6500
front burner. * * * * * * * * * 9000
Outside Grill. * * * * * * * *10000
To calculate your propane supply, take the BTU ratings for your propane appliances and divide that into the BTU availability. Each gallon of propane produces about 91,500 BTU's of heat energy.

Hope this helps. It also mentioned that unless your hot water use was high the propane used for it is relatively low. It cautioned that your furnace could use quite a bit in a short order. Which I experienced. I am going to add a heat strip to my AC which I didn't think you could to a ducted system. Would use the furnace to warm the trailer and the heat strip to supplement it. Hope this helps

[Murphie]

I should have included that the calculations are based on BTU's/hour. You would only be using propane intermittently. So go figure....