Propane Heat

[Dean]

I have a question. In a 32' RV, on an average, how much propane does the heater use on a weekly basis? Our electric is included in lot payment. We purchased two small heaters but they do not even keep up. I am going to get a larger propane tank. Just trying to figure out how much propane the heater will work. We also have an on board propane tank. Is there any way to take some bottles to our propane company and fill the onboard tank?

Thanks for your help!

[Ron Buckner]

There are 97,000 btu's in one gallon of propane. Your furnace is probably rated to burn at 30-40,000 btu's per hour. (Check the model #). Now, your furnace is thermostatically controlled so it will probably only really run about 20 minutes of every hour. So, 1/3 of 40,000 (high side)is 13,333 btu's per hour (not counting the water heater or stove). 13,300/97,000 = 72+- working hours per gallon. The questions remaining? How many gallons are you storing? Now, concerning your electric heaters, typically all 1500 watt electic heaters will only produce a maximum of 6000 btu's, some not even that much if there's a fan involved (moving air creates a chill factor). Two electric heaters = 12,000 btu's (probably only 1/2 of the heat your coach requires)

[Ron Buckner]

I've used catalytic heaters for forty years. Therm x's, The Cat, Waves and Mr Heat, all work well for what they're designed to do. All catalytic heaters have one negative flaw that must be taken into account before using them. The byproduct of a catalytic reaction is Carbon Dioxide, (that's water vapor for you and me). In a high humidity area (SW United states 90% of the time) you HAVE to keep the air moving and the coach well ventilated. The safety of these heaters can be  seriously compromised if you dont. The operating temperatures of these heaters is typically 450 degrees, but if the oxygen levels inside the coach should drop even 10% that temperature will be raised substantially to well over 650 degrees (spontainious combustion) and that  wet water vapor becomes carbon monoxide.