Propane Question

NewRW Owner · 01-23-2018, 05:50 PM

We've only been using our propane since Friday last week. Thats only 4 days. Our heater stopped working on propane and it looks like one tank has run out. We've been on the road during the day until yesterday and only been running the heater at night until yesterday. It's been in the 30s and 40s at night where we've been. We only used the burners on the kitchen stove a couple of times. We've got the water heater on electric. Our refrigerator is electric. Long story long but is it normal to run out that fast? We've been RVers for 45 years and haven't ever run out of propane that fast .. but our RW 38GK is a lot larger than our other RVs. The largest we've had before our RW was a 30 ft bumper pull with a couple of slides. Would appreciate any info from those of you who're experienced with these big RVs.

mhs4771 · 01-23-2018, 06:12 PM

Is this the first use of Propane? Are you sure the tank was full? New Propane tanks need to be purged of air the first time they're filled, if not purged properly you won't get a full tank of fuel.
Our unit was left at a Camp Ground in Thompson, Manitoba for three days while we up to Churchill. Outside temps we in the mid-teens and with our furnace set at 60 - 65 we only used approx half a tank (ours are 40 Lb tanks).

travelin' texans · 01-23-2018, 06:18 PM

Sounds about normal for the 30lb bottles. The furnace is a huge propane hog! When we were in colder weather & using the furnace 2 - 30lb bottles would last almost a week. If you run the fireplace & a ceramic heater or 2 the propane will last a day or 2 longer. Just be sure when in extreme cold to run the furnace as it also heats the basement & underbelly.

NewRW Owner · 01-23-2018, 06:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mhs4771

Is this the first use of Propane? Are you sure the tank was full? New Propane tanks need to be purged of air the first time they're filled, if not purged properly you won't get a full tank of fuel.
Our unit was left at a Camp Ground in Thompson, Manitoba for three days while we up to Churchill. Outside temps we in the mid-teens and with our furnace set at 60 - 65 we only used approx half a tank (ours are 40 Lb tanks).

Thanks for your response. We filled both tanks before we left home. At night when we were up, we kept the temperature at 70. When we went to bed we set it at 60.

NewRW Owner · 01-23-2018, 07:35 PM

We have run the fireplace when we're up. Maybe we need to get 40 lb bottles. What we were afraid of, is that the heater might have quite working. The electric heater worked. We just filled up the bottle that we thought might be empty and it was.

RWJSIM2003 · 01-23-2018, 09:35 PM

If the temp is in the 30's and 40's at night the day time should be above 40. If so have you been using the Heat pump assuming you are plugged in. We did that many times and we could go 10-14 days on two 30lb tanks. We also used two ceramic heaters one in kitchen area and one in bedroom and most of the time the trailer stayed above 65 day and night. This is great assuming you are plugged in.

travelin' texans · 01-23-2018, 11:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NewRW Owner

We have run the fireplace when we're up. Maybe we need to get 40 lb bottles. What we were afraid of, is that the heater might have quite working. The electric heater worked. We just filled up the bottle that we thought might be empty and it was.

I'm not as young as I once was & the 30lbrs are all I want to lift in. If your parked for the winter in one spot for a while, contact your local propane dealer & rent a 100lb bottle with the Extend a Stay kit, for us that lasted over a month.

JerryL · 01-23-2018, 11:38 PM

I lived in mr 36rl the last winter I had it. I used a 100lb tank as my main tank. That, coupled with the fireplace, would do me a month, most months. during the coldest month, mid January to mid February, the tank lasted me 3 1/2 weeks. the night temperatures went into the teens at night, and the low to mid 30's during the day. I think I also ran a ceramic heater in the BR at night.

NewRW Owner · 01-24-2018, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RWJSIM2003

If the temp is in the 30's and 40's at night the day time should be above 40. If so have you been using the Heat pump assuming you are plugged in. We did that many times and we could go 10-14 days on two 30lb tanks. We also used two ceramic heaters one in kitchen area and one in bedroom and most of the time the trailer stayed above 65 day and night. This is great assuming you are plugged in.

We should have been using our heat pump during the day and will from now on. I've been so worried about freezing and having another leak that we went overboard in using propane heat. We've already had 3 underbellys full of water since buying our RW this last April and don't want another. Also a couple of years ago before owning our RW, we had ice collect on our RVs 2 slides. We had an awful time getting them in when we needed to leave the RV park where we were at. Steve had to pour pots of hot water on them and then had to bang on them to break up the ice so that the slides would come in. Don't know if our RW would hold up if we needed to do that.

NewRW Owner · 01-24-2018, 02:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by travelin' texans

I'm not as young as I once was & the 30lbrs are all I want to lift in. If your parked for the winter in one spot for a while, contact your local propane dealer & rent a 100lb bottle with the Extend a Stay kit, for us that lasted over a month.

We're only staying where we are for 7 days. The next stays are 4 days, 5 days, 1 day and then 9 days. Never thought about the weight of the 40 lb bottles. BTW, there's another RW in the RV Park in Salome, AZ where we are now. Saw another in Quartzite getting a Satellite antenna installed and passed another on our way here on hwy 95. Didn't see that many on our trip to and from OKC in Oct.

RWJSIM2003 · 01-24-2018, 03:28 AM

I put two remote thermometers in the underbelly and kept a eye on the underbelly temp that way. We got down to the low 20's a few times but it was never below freezing in the underbelly. We were parked in one location all winter and did not pay for elec ran heat pumps during day and ceramic heaters at night. We made two 30lbs last for 3 months. Another option is to place a ceramic heater in your storage bay and open the access doors to let in heat to pipes. You can get one of those 32 degree plugs that turn on automatically and off when temp rise. There are many options you just have to decide what works best for you.

GA1817 · 01-26-2018, 02:55 PM

The supplement heat in the basement and inside the coach works wonders in limiting propane use. In the basement I open the water filter access door and have the heater on a stand to blow into the opening. This keeps the underbelly quite toasty! I have the 40 lb propane bottles as well and rarely need to fill them. Anyone full timing in these monsters should have the 40 lb bottles. In Georgia we have had some of the coldest weather in years with multiple consecutive nights in the teens and the highs in the day being barely above freezing. I disconnect the water line feeding the camper on the coldest nights otherwise leave a faucet dripping on those nights in the upper 20's or higher. I have never had any lines freeze on me using these precautions. The supplement heaters inside the coach actually prevent the furnace from cutting in much during the night but I do set the furnace thermostat to the upper 50's.

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