Propane & furnace

[Dodaman]

Hello All,

I'm sure this has been covered before, but the search function didnt seem to be working when I tried to find it.

With a single 5gal tank of propane, how long should one get before its empty just running the furnace on relatively cold nights, I.e. High 30's-low 40's. I have a pop up. 2015, flagstaff classic 625D. I ask because we were driveway camping with my two little ones, and we ran out the first night. It was winterized in Oct of last year, and the propane tank was filled right before then. It has just sat until 2 days ago when I dewinterized, and we slept in it. I checked the tank,throughout the winter with my gas detector, no leaks. And I have a lockout on the nozzle. Can propane evaporate or something over a 6 month period?

Also with regards to the furnace, the location of it is low to the floor next to fridge. But is directly across from the hot water heater switch. The distance is less than 3'. That switch gets really hot. Is there any disadvantage to this? Should I move the switch over about 3', where it is no where near as hot?

Thanks for the help.

Mark

[raspivey]

I had a popup not all that long ago and really enjoyed it. It was just like anything else and had it's advantages and disadvantages. I can tell you that they suck as far as insulation goes. Furnaces (on all trailers ) are also not the most efficient...nearly half the heat ends up going out the exhaust. I didn't take mine out in as cold as you're talking about very often, but I could go about nine months on a 20lb bottle. It seems like you're using a lot, but I could see you running empty if you tried to keep it warm in those temps. My advice is to use a small electric space heater if you have 110V available and back the thermostat off on the furnace to around 55 or so and just dress warm and carry extra blankets. It just goes with the territory.

[Dodaman]

Thanks for reply. I got busy with life in general and didn't check this until today. Appreciate it.

[Ontherock]

X2.

Our first trailer was a used Starcraft pop-up and we loved it! Being light in weight made it very easy to tow and you could pick up the tongue and push it into place if your back-up skills weren't great! Also X2 on the insulation factor on cold nights - think about a canvas tent and heat retention (ask me about trying to stay warm with snow on the canvas!!!)

Our next trailer was a hybrid and since we did a lot of camping with the kids with 120 vac hook-ups, we purchased a heated mattress pad and OMG did that work great!!! If you're not familiar with them, imagine an electric blanket but instead of placing it over you, you lie down on it. Best thing ever for pop ups and hybrids and I would go so far as to say it is essential if you camp in cool weather. Heck our kids loved it in warm weather too. You should also google "pop up gizmos." They are meant to help stay cool on hot days and warmer on cold days.

Last thing, if your furnace thermostat is an analogue type like mine was, replace it with a digital one. The analogue style usually has a 5 degree F swing between cutting out and cutting back in again which lets the trailer cool too much in between. The digital one regulates to a degree or so. Basically, the furnace will cut in more but will run less when it does. Just remove the one there now (take a picture of the wiring connections first) and bring it to your local hardware store. For under $30 you will get a non-programmable stat that will serve you better.

Hope this helps.

[dstacy969]

Originally Posted by Dodaman

Hello All,



I'm sure this has been covered before, but the search function didnt seem to be working when I tried to find it.



With a single 5gal tank of propane, how long should one get before its empty just running the furnace on relatively cold nights, I.e. High 30's-low 40's. I have a pop up. 2015, flagstaff classic 625D. I ask because we were driveway camping with my two little ones, and we ran out the first night. It was winterized in Oct of last year, and the propane tank was filled right before then. It has just sat until 2 days ago when I dewinterized, and we slept in it. I checked the tank,throughout the winter with my gas detector, no leaks. And I have a lockout on the nozzle. Can propane evaporate or something over a 6 month period?



Also with regards to the furnace, the location of it is low to the floor next to fridge. But is directly across from the hot water heater switch. The distance is less than 3'. That switch gets really hot. Is there any disadvantage to this? Should I move the switch over about 3', where it is no where near as hot?



Thanks for the help.



Mark

We used to have a Starcraft pop-up, and the only time we ever used the furnace was on a night when the temps dipped down in the upper 30s. I don't believe we we had it set all that high and the tank was nearly full when we started, but we woke up to a cold trailer and an empty propane tank. We never used it again, always used an electric space heater after that. We just bought a small travel trailer this year, and still use a space heater. May try to use the furnace very sparingly, though, since the insulation should be a little better.