How long does gas last?

jrk36 · Veteran Member

How long does gas last?

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

A few days. The fridge is a big user.
When one bottle is empty, you have used half. :)
Cheers,
Peter

Possum3 · Guru

There are magnetic scales that communicate to your mobile phone - expensive not totally reliable.

Daytime temperature will affect how long you have to heat water for shower, what setting fridge needs to be on.
How far do you travel will effect the amount of time fridge needs to run on gas.
How many tea/coffee are you going to boil water for and are you going to cook in the oven every day or on an open fire?

When you have set up a routine you'll know how long you may expect for a bottle to last - in the meantime as soon as a bottle has depleted gas get it refilled soonest - totally running out of gas dictates that you need to almost immediately plug in to 240v or run generator until you have gas.

Whenarewethere · Guru

Twice as long as half a piece of string!

I can't help with gas but it is the same analogy with battery data. It doesn't take long before one stops looking at the data as you get a pretty good idea how quickly you are use up resources.

Meredith · Senior Member

We have 9kg bottles and using gas for our 180 litre fridge, cooking, hot water which is only turned on when we want a shower, we get about 12 days from a bottle.

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

We only use gas for cooking. We use a tad over 1kg per month. Diesel for hot water and heating, solar for everything else.
Cheers,
Peter

Mike Harding · Guru

I have the following on gas:

184L fridge/freezer - runs 24/7

Three burner cooktop - used daily (I do a fair bit of cooking)

Water heater - used once a week, I generally heat shower water over the campfire

A standard 9kg gas cylinder lasts me two weeks.

Radar · Guru

jrk36 wrote:
I know this is a totally dumb question, like how long is a piece of string, but I'm a newbie
I've recently bought a Fiat Ducato Jayco Conquest, which has two 3.7kg gas cylinders installed. If I'm free camping and hence using gas for (large) fridge, stove and water heating how long is the gas likely to last?
I've seen those strips that one sticks on the cylinder and pour hot water on to check gas level, but is there anything less agricultural that works?
Thanks folks, JK
_____________________
Hi,
We are tourers in our caravan, generally about 6 to 8 weeks out and about with a mixture of camping option.
We work on about 14 days of remote camping out of a bottle of gas running our big frig, cooking, showering.
We do keep a log book in the caravan of where we stayed each night, We mark down when we change gas bottles and little things of interest to refer back to. Like things that will need attention when we get home. Like a new water hose that I still have not replaced, a must do.
Hope that helps.

DMaxer · Guru

When off grid I run the 180 litre fridge 24/7 on gas. I turn on the gas for about 30 mins daily before a shower to heat the water. I don't cook inside the van but either eat cold food or cook on a butane stove under the awning,

A 9kg gas bottle usually lasts about 12 days for me in winter and about 14 days in summer as less hot water for shower.

Dougwe · Chief one feather

As a full time GN and when off the grid using gas for a 180lt fridge/freezer, hot water heating for 30mins every day (I'm cleaner than Dmax :) ) I do use the stove every morning to make toast and oven inside the teepee at times. I get 13 days out of a hand filled 9kg bottle of gas and if using fitted room gas heater for about 2 hours a day during the colder weather I get 12 maybe 11 days.

Keep Safe out there.

the rocket · Guru

jrk36 wrote:
I know this is a totally dumb question, like how long is a piece of string, but I'm a newbie
I've recently bought a Fiat Ducato Jayco Conquest, which has two 3.7kg gas cylinders installed. If I'm free camping and hence using gas for (large) fridge, stove and water heating how long is the gas likely to last?
I've seen those strips that one sticks on the cylinder and pour hot water on to check gas level, but is there anything less agricultural that works?
Thanks folks, JK

-- Edited by jrk36 on Saturday 4th of July 2020 10:59:21 PM
We get about 12 days from a 9kg bottle small fridge though

-- Edited by the rocket on Sunday 5th of July 2020 09:14:22 AM

PeterInSa · Guru

This may help, have not used one though:

www.boc.com.au/shop/en/au/bbq-gas-monitor-mt-tracker-gasm1001354

Peter_n_Margaret · Guru

Fibreglass gas bottles have long been used in Europe and there are some approved for use in Australia.
More expensive, but light weight and you can see the contents level.
www.caravancampingsales.com.au/editorial/details/lightweight-gas-bottle-arrives-56038/
Cheers,
Peter

Nevd · Senior Member

I use these - under $20 from Bunnings. Give a reasonably accurate gauge of how bottles are going.

https://www.bunnings.com.au/garth-gas-safety-gauge_p0082320

RichardK · Senior Member

We use gas for hot water about 20 mins/day and cooking (includes stove and Weber Baby Q), have 2 x 4.5 Kg gas bottles last about 6 weeks each.

Seems to me that the gas fridges use a lot of gas.

Cheers

Richard

Whenarewethere · Guru

Rheem data.

Daily usage of hot water litres / Daily gas in Kg / Daily MJ

0 / 0.4 / 22

50 / 0.7 / 35

100 / 1.0 / 47

150 / 1.2 / 60

200 / 1.5 / 73

250 / 1.7 / 86

300 / 2.0 / 98

So about 0.4 kg per day simply to store hot water. So group your hot water usage & turn on for showers then off.

jrk36 · Veteran Member

Thank you folks

laurieoz · Senior Member

When I first got my motor home
1. Purchased a scale used to weight suitcases
2 weighted each 4 kg bottle for tare
3. Filled bottle and weight each time
4. Kept a record for a month or so of weight of bottle being used and number of hours gas fridge is on each day and worked out gas consumption

With this fridge there is no way to tell if you run out of gas (old fridge you could hear it trying to relight even at night)
Installed a normally closed thermostat on the stack after the burner with an alarm for when the fridge goes off and goes cool
Laurie

Tony Bev · Guru

As we are all different, and use the gas for different amounts of time

Here is what I have found, about gas, in my own situation

I had a normal small Jayco Conquest 3 way manual switching fridge, a three burner gas top (not an oven), and a 14 litre Truma hot water boiler

I only travel in the warmer months, or go direct to the warmer climates, in the winter

Usually The 3 way fridge is on gas, while camping, and 12 volt while travelling, and short term shopping

Approximately, (each road trip is different), ¼ travelling, and ¾ camping

I only use the hot water gas, for about 30 minutes each day, for two showers, I use the kettle for hot water dishes, etc

When travelling long distance, I find that (on some very hot days), the heat reflected from the road will warm the water tank, enough for a shower, if I use the cold water tap only

The 3.7 Kg bottle of gas lasted me approximately 10 days

Hope that this info is useful to you

Aussie1 · Guru

We use gas for HWS, Cooking, fridge and Webber. Everything else ie. Air Con, Brides hair dryer etc. it's our well tested and wonderful Generator for us. Oh, and some solar to keep batteries up for lights, TV and waeco etc.

Usually our 9 kg bottle lasts around 12 days per bottle. We have 2 bottles. As for measuring, I have always used the hot water method. Works for me.

Enjoy your Conquest.

oldbloke · Guru

DMaxer wrote:
When off grid I run the 180 litre fridge 24/7 on gas. I turn on the gas for about 30 mins daily before a shower to heat the water. I don't cook inside the van but either eat cold food or cook on a butane stove under the awning,
A 9kg gas bottle usually lasts about 12 days for me in winter and about 14 days in summer as less hot water for shower.

About the same here. Now have a gas heater so expecting about 9 or 10 now.

I just use a luggage scale to check how full gas bottles are.

Warren-Pat_01 · Guru

Magnetic strips are not required & are often inaccurate.
Just pour boiling water over the cylinder (if it's not in the boot like mine) & feel the cylinder. Where it turns from hot to cold, that's the level.

terrola · Veteran Member

you can buy a truma gas cylinder tester not cheap around $100 they are great just place it on cylinder if it turns green thats the level

Aus-Kiwi · Guru

Gas has lasted 6+ years so far in my bottle . Seems to last a long time . If you dont use it !