Propane usage January 07, 2021, 05:41:57 pm Over the years, I have seen questions about how much propane our rigs use. When using the furnace, the general answer has been, "a lot". I wanted to quantify it.First, I am boondocking in southern NM. Nights have been in the 20's and days have been from mid-40's to mid-60's, with lots of sun most days. I run my water heater for 45 minutes in the morning. I have not used my oven this winter, but I use two stove burners in the morning for breakfast and coffee. My only source of heat is my furnace. My thermostat is set at its lowest setting and cycles the temperature between 55 and 60. I am comfy under my comforter with those numbers. I do close the blinds in the back of my MB at night to reduce window heat loss. My rig is a 2008, so it has the foam block insulation and thermopane windows. Several years ago, I replaced my single layer Fantastic Fan covers with their Thermo double layer covers. I am VERY well insulated from the cab area.From November 9 to December 19, I averaged 0.58 gallons of propane per night. From December 19 to January 4, I averaged 0.63 gallons per night. Of course, with different rigs, different locales and different thermostat settings, the consumption rates would change, but that is what I am getting here.Ken F in NM 2 Likes
Re: Propane usage Reply #1 – January 07, 2021, 06:29:28 pm Southern Arizona for me, so a bit lower in elevation than Ken.I don't run my furnace at night. It's a power hog and uses more propane than I'm willing to commit.I have a Wave 3 and let it run from about midnight until 8 or 9 in the morning. It keeps the inside warm enough.Then in the morning I fire up the furnace for about 30 minutes to get it nice an toasty inside.While the furnace is on, I put put my socks in front of the outlet and warm them up before putting them on. Then my pants get a little blast of heat as well. Nice touch in the cold morning.If it's really cold, I might cycle the furnace during the day, but usually just add clothing and rely on the Wave 3 to keep it tolerable. The Wave 3 is very efficient, especially compared to the furnace.
Re: Propane usage Reply #2 – January 07, 2021, 07:03:57 pm So you can go almost three weeks until the tank would be completely empty. I have never put more than 9 gallons in. That's my low tank comfort level. So that would be enough for 2 weeks.We burn through 9 gallons in 3 weeks, with light furnace use and the Wave 3. But, in warmer climes. 40 is cold enough for us. 1 Likes
Re: Propane usage Reply #3 – January 07, 2021, 07:15:32 pm Jota, Don,Do you have any issues with moisture buildup (condensation on windows or walls) when using the Wave heaters?Thanks,Bill
Re: Propane usage Reply #4 – January 07, 2021, 07:28:09 pm No, In the dry desert it hasn't been an issue.
Re: Propane usage Reply #5 – January 07, 2021, 07:59:58 pm Quote from: bhoads - January 07, 2021, 07:15:32 pmDo you have any issues with moisture buildup (condensation on windows or walls) when using the Wave heaters?In cold, moist climates, the Wave will produce condensation, the partial cure is to open the roof vents a bit more, to let the warm moisture escape. If shore power is available, or the generator is being used, run an eletric heater(s) to drive out the moisture. The furnace can also be used to dry out the interior.Larry 1 Likes
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Topic: Propane usage (Read 269 times)
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