How long will a 20 pound propane tank last

[JRRNeiklot]

...if used only to run a 1420 BTU/H refrigerator?  How many days can I expect to get out of a tank at say 70 degrees?  at 90?  My math says 430,520 btus in 4.7 gallons of propane divided by 1,420 =303 hours divided by 24 = 12.6 days.  But that all depends on a lot of variables, and is predicated on a 24 hour run continuous run time.  Anyone have any real world experience they can share?

Thanks.

 

[Gr8ful]

Be advise that if it's trade a tank at least here they only put 15#s in it.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Most normal sized RV fridges that I am familiar with don't run the burner 24/7...unless you are camped in 90+ degree heat.

If the ONLY thing that is running on that propane tank is the fridge, you could get as long as a month of use if you are in mild or cool weather, you only put food in that is pre-chilled or pre-frozen, and you only open the door a few times a day.

 

[B and C]

My fridge has a small flame like a pilot light that burns 24/7 and is 4.3 CF. I have a 12 gallon tank with 10 usable (expansion). I generally have to fill up about once a month (~7 gal.) and I cook twice a day and run the hot water heater about 3 times a week. I may even run the furnace for a few hours. If I run the furnace more, then the tank takes more. I haven't run out (yet fingers crossed).

 

[wayne49]

I'm usually getting 4.5 gallons of propane to refill a 20# (5 gal) tank. $15.75 @ 3.50/gallon Pahrump rate. $21.95-22.95 for exchange.

Cooking and the fridge are not big users. Unless you roast turkeys everyday.
A RV furnace in temps under 40 degrees is the big user of propane.

Exchange is reasonable to replace an out of date tank, or one with issues.

 

[highdesertranger]

the older refrigerators did run the flame 24/7. when I tested an older RV fridge running on propane I would get just over a week in 90° temps. for me that was the last straw and why I finally broke down and bought a 12v compressor fridge. highdesertranger

 

[tx2sturgis]

the older refrigerators did run the flame 24/7.  

On these older models, do you mean the burner was on 24/7? Or just the pilot light?

If it had a pilot flame, the thermostat in the fridge SHOULD have been controlling the burner on and off as needed.

Pilot flames (very small) and burner flames (larger) are usually two different things.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Looking around on the innerweb, I found some older vintage fridge models that apparently used a burner that was operated at either high or low setting, so I guess some of those old units ran the burner (with no pilot flame) at either high or low, all the time.

Learn something new everyday.

Newer models have an ignitor so they can control the fridge temps more accurately by firing up the burner when needed.

 

[B and C]

Mine is an older one that burns all the time. There is a small manifold with about 5-6 slits in it. The flame burns very low, only about a 1/4" blue flame, no pilot light. On the fridge itself there is a thermostat (of sorts). It is a valve that regulates the gas flow graduated from 1-6. I run mine at about a 2 1/2. I find that if I crank the valve higher, the freezer freezes colder and the fridge gets warm. It also has a 12V DC and a 120V AC heating element to use when driving or when plugged in. An old 3 way one and I love it other than the freezer is a bit small but the fridge itself is great at 4.3 CF overall.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Mine is an older one that burns all the time.  There is a small manifold with about 5-6 slits in it.  The flame burns very low, only about a 1/4" blue flame, no pilot light.  On the fridge itself there is a thermostat (of sorts).  It is a valve that regulates the gas flow graduated from 1-6. 

Ok, that thermostat does something, or its supposed to. I suspect that when you look at the small flame, then crank the fridge thermostat, you will see the flame get larger.

 

[B and C]

Correct. It is a manual gas thermostat (valve) that regulates the flame height. From just looking at the flame there is not much difference from low to high.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Ok, thanks for that, so, going back to the original question: 

...if used only to run a 1420 BTU/H refrigerator?  How many days can I expect to get out of a tank at say 70 degrees?  at 90?  My math says 430,520 btus in 4.7 gallons of propane divided by 1,420 =303 hours divided by 24 = 12.6 days.  But that all depends on a lot of variables, and is predicated on a 24 hour run continuous run time.  

I was assuming (maybe wrongly) that this was a new (or newer) unit. 

If it's older, then it probably does run continuously. If so, then the consumption figures might be correct here.

I'm thinking that my old 1987 Class A fridge had a self-igniting burner controlled by the thermostat. But it's long gone, so, no way to know for sure now.

 

[JRRNeiklot]

It's a newer fridge. In a 2016 travel trailer. Norcold n611.

 

[Firtree]

VW camper folks did some testing and for their tanks it was 2 weeks, well 15 days to dry with no furnace and very, very little stove. Now the tanks are 3.2 gal and like all tanks filled to 80%. You do the math. Their refigs are small yours maybe larger and need more propane to run.

 

[Cammalu]

We have a 12 gallon propane tank. We use the stove generally twice daily and run the heater about an hour each morning. The refrigerator sips propane. Even with all this use we only have to refill every three weeks.

Summers months when we didn’t use the heater we filled up about every two and a half months.

Most of the gas went to the stove top cooking.

 

[tx2sturgis]

Confirmed: Yes the new propane fridge in my new trailer does cycle the burner on and off as needed. 

The flame goes out when the fridge reaches the set temp.

 

[Weight]

My oldest tank has been recertified three times. I can't even read the manufactured date. But I guess it lasted 15 years and going. I exchanged it yesterday.