Hi, trying to plan my first trip energy usage. Can anyone tell me my likely use over 24 hours for fridge on 240v Hookup at .40eur per kwh and how many kg of propane use over 24 hours please... just can't work it out yet myself... thx...
Cost of gas or elec for motorhome 3 way fridge pls...
- Thread starter SteveandSueJ
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Nanniemate
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I have the approach of fill the gas bottle and when first runs out change to second one. costs vary depending on what you paid at the time for the gas and of course how much you use . colder the fridge the more gas
it is easier to work it out after than before fill your tanks before leaving or on route and then refill on way home and that's the cost
it is easier to work it out after than before fill your tanks before leaving or on route and then refill on way home and that's the cost
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The manual for my fridge gives its power consumption for gas and elec. If you don't have the manual find and download it free from the the web.
Lenny HB
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Been a couple of threads on this in the past I seem to remember gas was about ⅓ of the price of electric.
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Going to vary hugely according to ambient temperatures and how often you open the fridge door etc.
Theoretically it will be quite a bit cheaper to run on gas.
Theoretically it will be quite a bit cheaper to run on gas.
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We estimate approx 0.5 litres a day for the fridge. 
Gas is always cheaper than lecce, that's why so many people use it when over wintering in Spain.
We estimate approx 0.5 litres a day for the fridge.
We’ve just filled up and it worked out at 0.85 litres per day (over 18 days in Spain for fridge, heating and hob).
Ian
OP
OP
So it seems about 1kg of gas per 2 days . 1.69 litres per kg... fridge, heating and hob... I have enough gas for 24 days (2x 6kg tanks not refillable) on a 4 week trip so will need some electric. thank you...We’ve just filled up and it worked out at 0.85 litres per day (over 18 days in Spain for fridge, heating and hob).
Ian
When we had a tall fridge freezer in our Bolero, we often had to use gas as it was very fussy about low mains voltage. It used huge amounts of gas.
Geoff
Geoff
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Yes we have managed on 1 litre a day for fridge ,hob and some hot water but not heating. If you don't have refillables buy one of the single burner camping stoves which run on the cannisters and use that for boiling your kettle or cooking instead of the hob.you can get the cannisters for £1 each at places like home bargains.We’ve just filled up and it worked out at 0.85 litres per day (over 18 days in Spain for fridge, heating and hob).
Ian
Lenny HB
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We use about 2lt a day providing its not too cold that's in Spain would be a lot more in the UK.
Fridge uses a big chunk of that, since I fitted an internal fan fridge uses about 10% more gas, a small price for cold beer.
Fridge uses a big chunk of that, since I fitted an internal fan fridge uses about 10% more gas, a small price for cold beer.
ManTheVan
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Our fridge hardly seems to use any gas at all. Negligible.
Our 2x6kg bottles used to last 30 days in Benidorm. That's with the under counter fridge on gas and some cooking. No heating.
I thought that the specific gravity of propane was near enough 0.5 kg per litre?
The problem we found with non refillable cylinders was that on a trip like yours we either would have to buy an extra cyl to make sure it was full when we left or swap one just before we went and accept the wasted gas . Hope you have a good trip.
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OP
OP
Thank you all for your responses on this... for our first adventure I will do the trip with 2 x 6kg (no room for more) and top up with EHU as needed and decide next upgrade on return.... thx
When you upgrade I'd get one refillable. We can only take one gas bottle ( our heating is diesel) and the locker is designed I think for a French 11 kg bottle so on calor would only take a single 6 kg. We managed to fit in an 11 kg gasit just and it's one of the best things I've bought as there's no wastage you can just top up whenever you like and with some adapters anywhere in Europe. With one refillable you would have one of your 6kg bottles as a spare and as soon as the refillable gets low have plenty of time to refill it. If the spare 6kg starts to get low you could use the refillable as the spare run out the 6kg bottle and swap it out without any worries of being left short. I suspect that the 6 kg would quite likely last a couple of years and you wouldn't have the hassle of lifting out the bottles and fiddling with the hoses.
Of course you can spend forever on a motorhome!
Lenny HB
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Sorry don't agree may work for you with diesel heating but with gas heating 6kg is naff all, a14kg bottle only lasts us 15 days in spring/autumn in Spain where its warm. I wouldn't want any less than our 2 x 14 kg bottles although LPG is freely avalible in Europe its surprising how often you have to go out of your way to get some & it always happens when you are very low on gas.
OP
OP
Thank you wino... that sounds a sensible compromise. Back to the research...
OP
OP
Thanks Lenny... wow.... no room for more than 2 x 6kg bottles.... Still thinking....
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Lenny HB
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You will survive will that amount but if using the heating a lot it will mean regular topping up we tend to use a fair bit of gas as we hardly ever use site or EHU.Thanks Lenny... wow.... no room for more than 2 x 6kg bottles.... Still thinking....
Another alternative is an underslung tank but they are expensive you probably won't get a lot of change out of £1k unless you fit it yourself.
MisterB
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i think LHB's suggestion to consider an underslung is well worth considering but if finances dont allow then the suggestion from TW is a good call on the basis of your available space to fit a cylinder being limited, so go for as big a capacity a refillable as you can !
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It is approximately 2 litres per Kg. And 1 litre of propane gives about 7kWh or energy. But how are you going to cook or heat up water for washing or hot drinks, without using gas? At the price Calor sell gas in 6kg bottles I would expect it would be just as cheap to use electricity, depending upon how much per Kw you are paying.
We have just come back from Spain. On the Mar Menor we were able to survive on just solar energy and gas. EHU was not plugged into the motorhome at all, although it was plugged into to the site supply so that nobody could use it at my expense. We used gas for heating (gets a bit chilly at night), heating water, cooking and the fridge. We have 250W of solar and 2 refillable 11kg gas bottles.
LPG for refillable bottles is easy to find in France and Spain. The cost varied, but and it was always less that £1 per litre, so much cheaper per kWh than site electricity which is charged at 40c to 60c per kWh. Also the cost of bottled gas is cheaper in Spain. If you are staying for a long period on a site (we rarely do) in Spain most people buy a second hand gas bottle and either use it to fill their refillables via a high pressure hose or attach it to their external BBQ point via a bottle top regulator and hose.
OP
OP
For me right now, 1st trip with MH and really have no idea how much gas and elec I will use. Stayed at Mar Menor last year in sep for 2 weeks with caravan, loved it there. Swapped to a MH. This trip is a camc hosted at Alannia for 3 weeks and we have elec at .40 a kw. Just trying to get as prepared as I can while we learn. Refillable lpg 6kg bottle like gaslow seems a good idea as we are space limited... Great advice so far from everyone and much appreciated....
My van is designed to take two 6kg calor cylinders, and I can’t get bigger in. BUT in refillables I can, and did, fit in two 11kg cylinders. We did 1 11kg cylinder in our last trip which was Xmas, and new year, 2 weeks, all heating, cooking, and fridge running on gas. We refilled our system on the first day in France and filled again on the last day. It’s just so easy to fill up over there.Thanks Lenny... wow.... no room for more than 2 x 6kg bottles.... Still thinking....
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OP
OP
What refillable are they? If 11kg will fit in a 6kg space then that's an option for me... did u have problems refilling it as a removable or is it plumbed in with external fill point?
Lenny HB
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Most of the refillables you can unbolt the collar making them shorter, thay are all the same dia,meter but the height might vary by a few millimeters, dimensions are on the supplier or manufacturers site.
If you need to save a bit of weight Alugas is a good option.
OP
OP
Excellent... thx Lenny. If mounted inside without external filler, will I have trouble getting a fill??
Mine are Gasit 11kg with filler inside the locker door. Never yet been refused a fill, but there are just so many stations with GPL over there I would just go to the next one, knowing I’ve got about another 2 weeks supply in the second cylinder. It also works out a lot cheaper than calor.
Riverbankannie
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SteveandSueJ , you have to understand that ice flows in Lenny HB ‘s veins and if the temperature is under 30°c outside, it is cold!
The rest of us get by on less gas for heating
The rest of us get by on less gas for heating
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