Propane Usage

Pheasantww · 05-02-2023, 07:49 AM

We have Keystone Residence 2016 model 406FB. 40”, 3 slide-outs set up in a park.
This is a propane usage question.
My wife has been using the camper all weekend. Temperatures have been in the 30’s and 50’s. Keeping the inside around 68 degrees.
She has been using the propane heater for warmth and has gone thru 30#’s of propane in 4 days. Seems excessive. What are your thoughts and suggestions?

bobbecky · 05-02-2023, 08:47 AM

That could be about right. We've been in temps lower than that and were using a 30 lb cylinder every two days, and this was in late 2013 when propane was pushing $5 a gallon.

dutchmensport · 05-02-2023, 08:57 AM

Yes, sounds about right. You are heating a very large space, especially with slide outs. It's not uncommon for us to go through a 30 pound tank in 4 days when temps get below freezing and if temps get down to the 20's you can expect an empty tank every 2 days.

This is the reason so many folks supplement their propane heat with electric heat, like ceramic heaters and electric fire places.

I don't know how your camper is designed, but with mine, about 50% of the heat from the furnace blows under the floor into the underbelly to keep pipes from freezing. It actually has open ducts under the floor.

If yours is the same way, then a good portion of the heat is blowing under the floor. This is also THE main reason why you never want to shut down the furnace in the winter and use electric in the living space only. To keep those pipes from freezing, they need that extra heat running under the floor.

Yours sounds perfectly normal. Welcome to one of those "myths" about living in an RV. It's ain't cheap if you have to heat them.

Pheasantww · 05-02-2023, 10:13 AM

Thanks BobBecky and Dutchmansport. Appreciate the fast replys

**flybouy** · 05-02-2023, 12:28 PM

If you have it set in a permanent site then I'd recommend contacting a propane company and having a 100 lb cylinder delivered and set up an account for auto fill if the campground allows that.

NH_Bulldog · 05-02-2023, 02:06 PM

The propane furnace is VERY inefficient for regular use. Stand outside when it’s running and you would swear you were heating the outdoors too. A typical RV furnace runs at 55-60% efficiency compared to most standard home heating systems running at 87-95% efficiency.

Unless it is consistently below freezing, I would suggest running a small electric space heater to keep the chill off.

Badbart56 · 05-02-2023, 03:58 PM

During the winter months when we rented a lot, the electricity was included so we used a couple of space heaters. Yes, the furnace will eat through some LP gas!

**sourdough** · 05-02-2023, 04:41 PM

The usage is not out of line. A residence unit set up in a park? As was mentioned, if it's permanent the better solution is to get a bigger tank and work with a local LP provider if that is an option. If not routine, frequent trips to your LP store is in your future unless you use more electrical heat. A small electrical heater make huge difference inside a space the size of an RV.

bobbecky · 05-02-2023, 04:51 PM

We were on the mountain years ago with an upcoming hip replacement for me. I contacted the local propane dealer and they set up a 100 gallon tank next to the rig, even made up a new hose to feed directly to the regulator. Sure was nice not having to lug the 30 lb cylinders around while healing up from surgery.

spicercars · 05-03-2023, 03:30 AM

Welcome from northern MN. Yes, to all the above comments.

Pheasantww · 05-04-2023, 01:01 PM

Thanks all for your feedback...Great community...

Alpine Custom Upgrade · 05-04-2023, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pheasantww

We have Keystone Residence 2016 model 406FB. 40”, 3 slide-outs set up in a park.
This is a propane usage question.
My wife has been using the camper all weekend. Temperatures have been in the 30’s and 50’s. Keeping the inside around 68 degrees.
She has been using the propane heater for warmth and has gone thru 30#’s of propane in 4 days. Seems excessive. What are your thoughts and suggestions?

IF you camp with 50 amp electric available, you might want to consider getting a fully electric central heat unit made and installed. Cheap Heat Company makes an add-on unit that uses electricity instead of propane. I designed a 5,400 watt electric central unit for my 3650RL and have weekend camped through 3 years of winters in the 20's and 30's and have never used or even tried our propane heater. We are on our second bottle of propane of the two that came with it when we purchased our rig in Dec of 2020. It sure solved our propane usage problem. Keystone should offer this option. Just an idea that I had. Mine is silent, no clicking, no flame whoosh, no fan sound, NO sound period.

Wyldfire · 05-04-2023, 05:50 PM

It's just math. About 21 hours burn time per tank.

https://www.rvandplaya.com/how-long-...last-in-an-rv/

Neo1130 · 05-05-2023, 06:51 AM

We currently live in our travel trailer for the time being. A family of 4 that goes to work and school for most of the day and lives in it during the weekend, takes showers daily, NO cooking inside the trailer and keeping the heater on at 63 degrees at night and 60 during the day while we are gone, we are going through a 30 lb bottle every week and a half to two weeks. So 2 bottles almost last us a month. This is the same as our past models so it does seem that your going through it pretty quick. Maybe turn the heat down a degree or two and put on more clothes.

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