Another Question?

[Wagonmaster]

The dw has finished her chemo, now we have six weeks of radition left. Then we have to sell the stone house and we will be full timers... We are looking about January hopefully.. We have been asking questions about full timing and getting some really helpful information from you nice people.. thank you.. I was wondering how long does your propane last when you are full time? Seems to me that would be one of the biggest pains filling the tanks. Thanks again to all happy rving. Jack & Janet

[vickir]

Jack ... first let me say I hope all is going well with Janet's treatments. I know what a difficult time both of you are going through and my prayers are with you both.

Now, as far as your question goes ... that's pretty much impossible to give you a definitive answer. It really depends on where you are ... in November and December, we are in Independence, Missouri and we get a 100lb tank to use while we're there. We also use electric space heaters to supplement the furnace. We also use our stove and oven a lot, so that's a factor as well. On the other hand, Glenn and Lorraine are in Florida and I think he says it takes something like 3 months for them to go through the standard tank.

Fortunately, when we're using the 100lb tanks, a truck comes to our park to leave a full tank and take the empty one. I know Steve hates having to take our standard tanks to have them filled so we bought a little collapsable dolly for him to use to transport the tanks.

I'm sure other folks will be along to share their experiences.

Good luck to you both ... and God speed.

[Garin1]

Usage is really dependant on local temps. When I was in Maine for the winter I used a 100lb tank that was refilled on site and added to the monthly rent. InLouisiana I have had the Montana parked in New Iberia for about six months and the local welding supply house rents 50lb tanks fo $25.00 a month with a standard monthly stop to check the fuel.

[Parrothead]

Jack
When we were using our unit full time we bought an extra tank so we could always have one on stand by. The park we were at had a dolly for everyone to use. We just left our tank at the fill station and they would add the cost to our monthly statement. Like Vicki and Steve, we use a space heater also. The fireplace heater takes a morning chill out if it isn't too cold. How much propane you use sure depends on the weather as Vicki said. In Northern California we used a tank a week during the winter and almost nothing in the spring and summer.
I'm happy to hear Janet has finished her chemo and hope the radiation treatments go well. I have had her in my prayers since you first posted of her cancer.
Happy trails..................

[Bob & Lee]

This is our second winter in Colorado, last year we moved here on 2 Jan to a KOA with no wind brakes and it was cold and was using 2-35lb 15 Gal $30. a week at 3-4 Deg then rented a 100lb 25 Gal $44. lasted 7-10 days.we then moved to a private park and now have a 100 Gal tank on site filled by the truck every 2 wks at $1.30 a gal if it is below 40% he fills it and we are using less,about 30 Gal per month. Now I had to figure this Lbs v Gal..So you just gotto figure the price Gal/Lb

[bob n pam]

I agree with the above posts. It all depends on where you are and how much you are using your furnace, stove, oven, fridge and hot water heater. That doesn't add much to the discussion, but there you go.

[Glenn and Lorraine]

quote:Originally posted by vickir

We also use electric space heaters to supplement the furnace. We also use our stove and oven a lot, so that's a factor as well. On the other hand, Glenn and Lorraine are in Florida and I think he says it takes something like 3 months for them to go through the standard tank.

Vicki is correct about our propane usage. Like Vicki we also use electric space heaters when ever necessary BUT we like cooler temps than most folks and keep the rig heated to about 68 degrees. We eat out a lot and therefore use the stove very little and have never used the oven for anything more than storage. In nearly 2 years of fulltiming I don't think we have used more than 5 or 6 30# tanks.

[jrgwdenner]

When we were parked at Denali, in fairly cool weather, we still had propane after eleven days. We had one full tank and I don't know how full the second tank was. We did use a space heater for part of the time. And we were surprised at how long the propane lasted in the cool nights.

[Dave e Victoria]

A big factor in Propane usage is how much hot water you use. We are part timers but found we were using a 30# tank about once per month in moderate weather. When we got the Cambridge, our propane use dropped to near nothing. Turns out the Cambridge comes equipped with a water heater that can use gas, electric, or both. We use park electric for the water heater when ever possible. (I think accountants call this externalities). Only problem is if usng water heater, Air conditioning and a bunch of other electrics there is the possibility of blowing the breaker on the park connect. If it happens, we turn on the gas for that stay.

Bottom line, if water heating turns out to be an issue causing too much LP use, an alternative is to retrofit the heater with a dual energy unt.
Dave

[Parrothead]

Dave e Victoria
Not to confuse newcomers, the newer Montanas also come with a water heater that can use propane, electric or both. I'm not sure how far back it goes but our old Tahoe did it also.
Happy trails..........................

[rvghostdriver]

Montana has had both electric and propane heating of the water heater since at least 2001. In early years it was an option.

[Montana_1574]

JACK, WE'VE BEEN FULL TIMING IN FLORIDA FO 1 1/2 YRS. OUR AVERAGE PROPANE USE IN THE SUMMER IS 2 MONTHS FOR A STANDARD TANK. WINTER MONTHS ABOUT 3 WEEKS. IT ALL DEPENDS ON USING THE FURNANCE. WE USE THE PROPANE FOR COOKING, WATER HEATER, AND BBQ GRILL. AS A FORMER HEAT & AIR CONTRACTOR I CAN ONLY TELL YOU THAT YOUR UTILITY USE WILL DEPEND ON YOUR LIFE STYLE. FILLING THE TANKS IS NOT THAT BAD. JUST ANOTHER CHORE FOR A FULL TIMER.

[sreigle]

Our 2001 Montana 2880RL had the dual element water heater as does our 2003. I'm not sure how far back that was available on the Montanas.

As others have said, lifestyle plays a role in our propane usage. We use propane for the oven, bbq grill, and water heater. Because of our electrical setup we do not use the electric side of our water heater any more. Our w/h is 'on' at all times except when on the road. On the road, our fridge is on propane. Otherwise it's on electric.

We had a tank go empty a week ago after 7 weeks of use. We used the furnace a few times (we're at 6600 feet in Idaho right now and northern Montana prior to that). The shortest time between refills was 3 days when temps were in the teens that whole time. When weekending/vacationing a tank would last us a year. When we are in our winter home near Kansas City we connect to a 100lb propane bottle provided by the park. We pay for the propane. We will use 2 of those during our two month stay from early Nov to early Jan.

[jrgwdenner]

For those of you who supplement your heating during the night with an electric heater, what settings do you use? What temp do you put your furnace thermostat on? Our heater has an LED readout, so what temp do you recommend for that during the night?

[sreigle]

Judy, we set the furnace anywhere from 55 to 60, depending on my mood. Actually, it's more complicated than that for me.
If the temperature is forecast for mid to upper 20's I'll set the furnace at 60 and run the electric heater in the living room on high. It's 1500w. I figure we won't have a hard freeze anyhow.

If the temp is to be low-twenties I set the furnace on 55 and turn the electric heater off to make sure the furnace runs enough to heat the belly.

If the temp is to be teens, I set the furnace on 55 and run the electric heater on low. I figure the heater will help reduce furnace usage but the furnace will still run enough to keep us from freezing.

When subfreezing we run the bedroom electric heater on low regardless of the above settings and close the door to the downstairs to help keep that heat in the bedroom. Our 50amp electric system is really 30amps for the coach (and 20 for the second ac prep) so if both heaters are on high with furnace running and other things going then we may pop a breaker. Late 2003 and later models have the better 50amp system so could maybe get by with running both on high.

Part of the above descriptions are pure guesses on what's enough to keep from freezing the water lines but has worked pretty well overall. When we did freeze the lines it wouldn't have mattered how much we ran furnace and heaters since we froze from the outside in. We now have the low point drains heat taped to keep that from happening again.