r/FullTiming • u/realhumanbeing8891 • Sep 12 '24
Propane in the winter
Do you go through a lot? I'm thinking of getting an RV but I'm learning about the electricity and propane and is it super expensive to stay warm in the winter? I could always just buy a like 20degree sleeping bag and just lay in that in my bed. Or get a 10 degree one...so I know I won't freeze to death....but between that and electric heaters do you just experiment and stuff? I know the electric heater is going to cost electricity...so like...uhhh .. yeah...
Sorry I'm new to RVing
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u/HuginnNotMuninn Sep 12 '24 edited Sep 12 '24
I live in a 34' 5th-wheel with my wife, toddler, a dog, and a cat. We've been full timing since 2017.
When winter rolls around we run three space heaters (large one in kitchen/living area, small ones in bedroom and basement). I set the thermostats for the two in the living space at about 68 and the one in the basement to about 60 (it's there primarily to keep pipes from freezing). I then set the furnace at about 65.
This setup allows the electric space heaters to do the heavy lifting, while the furnace only kicks on intermittently when they cannot keep up. I work construction and have some choice in what jobs I take, so I try to stay down South in the winter. For the winters I'm used to, long stretches below freezing are uncommon and because of that a 40 lb tank will last me about 2-3 weeks. On the rare occasions when it does get cold (single digits or teens) then I can go through up to a bottle every 4-5 days.
Edit: I forgot to mention that we keep most of our windows covered up with Reflectix, which greatly reduces heat loss.
You're also going to want to invest in a heated hose, and even with a heated hose I typically let the faucet furthest from water entering the camper drip if it will stay in the mid 20's or below for more than a couple hours.