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Topic ClosedHow long will a full propane tank last?
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: How long will a full propane tank last?
    Posted: 23 Jul 2018 at 8:05am
The vehicle and wiring plays a great part on whether enough power is supplied to both charge the battery and run the refrigerator. Some will, some won't.
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Olddawgsrule View Drop Down
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Posts: 1014 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jul 2018 at 8:02am
46 days on the road in my 182g towed by my Tacoma.

The Tacoma will not only run the frig on Battery, but will also recharge the battery while traveling. The length of the drive will determine how much charge is added to the battery.

My propane tank was 3/4 full as I left for the run. I ran AC power 1/4 the time, propane when camped (boon-docking), battery when traveling. The tank lasted a month.

Heater was on only twice to take the chill off, BBQ, hot water & stovetop each day/evening.

Your tank will go for quite a while. I was very pleased to see how long it lasted.
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Hayduke View Drop Down
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Posts: 68 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 08 Jul 2018 at 6:36pm
Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr

Originally posted by Hayduke


Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr

My Tacoma has the towing package with the heavy duty alternator, but i don't know offhand how much it outputs.
I guess it's a moot point if the propane option is colder and doesn't use much gas to run the fridge.


Your Tacoma with towing package has a nice upgraded alternator, but the wire gauge to the 7-pin connector is not adequate to run the fridge.  I'd stick with propane while traveling, unless you upgrade the wiring.



Is the factory Tacoma wiring sufficient to charge the trailer battery while on the road or should the wiring still be upgraded?

I wouldn't count on the wiring to charge a drained battery to full in a day of towing.  I think of mine more as a battery maintainer than a charger.
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OldNeumanntapr View Drop Down
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Posts: 204 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 28 Jun 2018 at 11:56am
Originally posted by Hayduke


Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr

My Tacoma has the towing package with the heavy duty alternator, but i don't know offhand how much it outputs.
I guess it's a moot point if the propane option is colder and doesn't use much gas to run the fridge.


Your Tacoma with towing package has a nice upgraded alternator, but the wire gauge to the 7-pin connector is not adequate to run the fridge.  I'd stick with propane while traveling, unless you upgrade the wiring.



Is the factory Tacoma wiring sufficient to charge the trailer battery while on the road or should the wiring still be upgraded?
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Posts: 204 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jun 2018 at 12:00pm
Thanks all for the advice. Looks like LPG is the way to go.
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Posts: 68 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 25 Jun 2018 at 11:37am
Originally posted by OldNeumanntapr

My Tacoma has the towing package with the heavy duty alternator, but i don't know offhand how much it outputs.

I guess it's a moot point if the propane option is colder and doesn't use much gas to run the fridge.

Your Tacoma with towing package has a nice upgraded alternator, but the wire gauge to the 7-pin connector is not adequate to run the fridge.  I'd stick with propane while traveling, unless you upgrade the wiring.
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Tars Tarkas View Drop Down
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Posts: 1446 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 24 Jun 2018 at 8:53am
You might be fine using the battery while driving.  Worst case your food won't be cold or you might need a jump start once.  After that, you'll use propane!  But, really, if your truck is set up for it, you could be good.  Keep in mind, if you stop for an hour or two either your truck battery could be drained or the power will be cut off to the trailer so your ice cream might melt.

To your original question, I spent a very cold few days in the Smoky Mountains one winter and went through a 20lb bottle of propane in about 2.5 days.  I have a dual tank system now, that switches automatically to the full tank one one gets empty, and, kind of belt-and-suspenders, I have Mopeka.com tank monitors on my tanks, so I can accurately check what's in the tanks on my phone.  Haven't run out since.  Normally, in sane people camping seasons, a 20# bottle of propane will last months.

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OldNeumanntapr View Drop Down
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Posts: 204 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2018 at 11:37pm
My Tacoma has the towing package with the heavy duty alternator, but i don't know offhand how much it outputs.

I guess it's a moot point if the propane option is colder and doesn't use much gas to run the fridge.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Posts: 6288 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2018 at 1:17pm
It depends on the TV's ability to supply power. Some can and some can't provide adequate power to both charge the batteries and run the refrigerator concurrently. My Nissan Frontier has a 110 AH alternator. I'm not sure what gauge wire is used to supply 12V power. I am not going to risk it. If I had a 130 AH or larger alternator and knew that 10 gauge wire was used to supply power, it would be different.
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OldNeumanntapr View Drop Down
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Posts: 204 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: 23 Jun 2018 at 11:32am
What about using the battery for the fridge while driving, like going up I5 for eight hours? Wouldn't the truck's alternator be constantly charging both batteries?
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