Propane Use

Kat&Jack · Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 38 Location: Colorado

How do you figure out how much propane you will use, specifically to run the heater overnight when boondocking? I have NO idea how to guess how much it will take. We have a 19-foot hard sided TT, not a four season, and we are planning one boondocking overnight in the Grand Tetons mid-September. I expect the heater may have to run quite a bit that night. Any way to figure a rough estimate?

Ag2000CO · Joined: 20 Nov 2005 Posts: 187 Location: MD

Kind of how long is the string question. There are so many things that will affect your usage rate.

That said, last summer I was at just over 9,000 feet in the Rockies from mid-May through mid-July. Started with snow on the ground for the first 2 weeks. My max use for heat and cooking was a 20lb bottle in 5-7 days.

I had a 1960 aluminum trailer with most of the insulation gone. But I was alone so not as much in and out of the door. I used a cat heater so there was no heat going up the stack. On the other hand, I cooked all my meals inside.

So mileage may vary. Sounds like a good time for a trip to the mountains.
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Clay L · Joined: 03 Jun 2008 Posts: 112 Location: Domicile is SD

I think I would worry more about how long the battery will last rather than the propane. A 20 pound external tank will heat my 36' motorhome for a week in CO in October, but a couple of days will deplete the two house batteries somewhat.

We do turn the heat down to 55 at night.
We use a down comforter so we aren't cold.
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utmtman · Posted: Mon Jul 14, 2008 7:16 am Post subject:

On the coldest of nights, my motorhome will take three days to use up the 5 gallon tank. And that included using the stove, hot water heater, and the furnace running during the day as well. Now if your trailer has a 7 gallon, you will get probably 5 to 7 days. Hope that helps you.
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Kat&Jack · Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 38 Location: Colorado

Thanks. We are only boondocking one night; the rest of the nights will be "hooked-up" so I feel very comfortable now. I know it will be cold, but Yellowstone in mid-September should be so much less crowded that we hope it's worth the extra clothes!

Kat&Jack · Joined: 08 Mar 2008 Posts: 38 Location: Colorado

Wait a minute. This caught up with me last night (in the middle of the night). What do you mean "I think I would worry more about how long the battery will last rather than the propane"? Do we need to worry about the battery for one overnight using the lights some, the hot water heater a bit maybe, and the heater probably all night?

KWMyers · Joined: 24 Oct 2006 Posts: 138 Location: Missouri, USA

The 12 volt blower motor in the furnace uses a lot of battery. You WILL notice a significant change in the battery condition the morning after using the furnace all night. We, too, seldom use our furnace when boondocking in January/February in Quartzsite. We use plenty of blankets and a small Coleman catalytic heater to take the chill off in the morning. To keep the batteries charged (two 12 V batteries), we use a regular battery charger operated from a 400W inverter off of the tow vehicle battery.