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Are you, like many others wondering how long you can run a motorhome, RV, or caravan fridge on propane, look no further; here in this article, you will get detailed information and a lot of different examples to find out exactly how long you can run your fridge on propane.
20lb/9kg
Propane Tank
Will run a 60 – 368 L or
2 – 13 cubic feet
Motorhome, RV, or caravan fridge for
25lb/11kg Propane Tank
Will run a 60 – 368 L or
2 – 13 cubic feet
Motorhome, RV, or caravan fridge for
30lb/13kg Propane Tank
Will run a 60 – 368 L or
2 – 13 cubic feet
Motorhome, RV, or caravan fridge for
How long you can run a motorhome, RV, or caravan refrigerator on propane will primarily depend on how big a propane tank you have, how big your fridge is, or how much it consumes. After looking at the technical data from all Dometic RV fridges, a 20 lb-pound propane tank will last 9 to 34 days.
But this span is too broad, so don’t worry. In the table below, I will specify how long different-sized propane tanks last when running different-sized fridges.
How Long a 20 lb, 25 lb, or 30 lb Propane Tank Last Running an RV Fridge!
In the table below, you can quickly see how long your motorhome, RV, or caravan propane refrigerator will run on a 20 pound (9 KG), 25 pounds (11,3 KG), or 30 pounds (13,6 KG) propane tank depending on its size. I have used technical data from all of Dometic’s current RV absorption refrigerators.
| Fridge Size | 20 lb (9 KG) Propane tank last | 25 lb (11,3 KG) Propane tank last | 30 lb (13,6 KG) Propane tank last |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 – 115 Liters 2 – 4,1 Cubic feet | 34 days | 42 days | 51 days |
| 133L – 180 L *4,7 – 6,3 Cubic feet | 24 days | 25 days | 36 days |
| 226L 8 Cubic feet *1500 BTU/h | 12 days | 15 days | 18 days |
| 368L 13 Cubic feet *2081 BTU/h | 9 days | 11 days | 13 days |
* 1 pound of liquid propane is equivalent to 21,591 BTUs.
*1500 BTU x 24 = 36000 BTU / 24h, 36000/21591 = 1,667 lb of liquid propane / 24h.
*2081 BTU x 24 = 49944 BTU /24h, 49944/21591 = 2,313 lb of liquid propane /24h.
For the European market, you only have to think about the two first categories where the 60 – 115 liter or 2 – 4,1 Cu Ft fridges are the smaller options that can fit underneath a bench or your cooktop, and the 133 – 180 Liter or 4,7 – 6,3 Cu Ft fridges are the bigger fridges that are too tall to fit underneath a bench. Usually, they are thinner than a standard fridge and have one door.
The same goes for the fridges in the USA, except over there you have more extensive options as well, where the 8 Cu Ft fridges still use a door from one side but are much broader, almost like a residential fridge compared to the 13 Cu ft fridge which is massive and usually have two doors that open to different directions, on top of this both those categories typically have a freezer compartment on top with doors.
To figure out the numbers in the table above, I have gone through almost all of Dometic’s instruction manuals, looking at their technical data for both the European and United states market to be able to present the information here to you, and I started by figuring out how much propane the different sized fridges uses each day, week and month in kilograms and pounds as well as liters and gallons which we will go into soon, but first;
Since some people have fixed propane tanks that hold a much more significant amount of propane lets, start by looking at how many days their propane tank last while running the fridge.
How Long a 40 lb, 100 lb, or 420 lb Propane Tank Last Running an RV Fridge!
| Fridge Size | 40 lb (18.1 KG) Propane tank last | 100 lb (45.3 KG) Propane tank last | 420 lb (190.5 KG) Propane tank last |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 – 115 Liters 2 – 4,1 Cubic feet | 67 days | 169 days | 708 days |
| 133L – 180 L *4,7 – 6,3 Cubic feet | 48 days | 119 days | 502 days |
| 226L 8 Cubic feet *1500 BTU/h | 24 days | 60 days | 251 days |
| 368L 13 Cubic feet *2081 BTU/h | 18 days | 43 days | 182 days |
* 1 pound of liquid propane is equivalent to 21,591 BTUs.
*1500 BTU x 24 = 36000 BTU / 24h, 36000/21591 = 1,667 lb of liquid propane / 24h.
*2081 BTU x 24 = 49944 BTU /24h, 49944/21591 = 2,313 lb of liquid propane /24h.
As you can tell, you have the possibility to run your absorption fridge of propane for a very long time in most cases!
When you have access to electricity and propane, such as at a campsite or if you are parked in the driveway or a similar situation, you might be wondering what is the best way to power your motorhome, RV, or caravan fridge. Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered in this other article where I discuss whether you should power the fridge on electricity or propane.
Alright! Now we have covered how long the various-sized propane tanks will last you while running propane fridges of different sizes. Now let’s look at the same-sized fridges but instead how much propane they consume each day, week and month, first in weight (lb and kg) and then in volume (gallons and liters).
How Many Kg / Lb of Propane do RV Fridges Use Daily, Weekly, and Monthly?
In the table below we go through how much propane different sized motorhome, RV, and caravan fridges use each day, week, and month.
| Fridge Size | Propane consumption kg & lb/ day | Propane consumption kg & lb / week | Propane consumption kg & lb / month* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 – 115 Liters 2 – 4,1 Cubic feet | 0,27 kg 0,593 lb | 1,89 kg 4,15 lb | 8,1 kg 17,79 lb |
| 133L – 180 L 4,7 – 6,3 Cubic feet | 0,38 kg 0,837 lb | 2,66 kg 5,85 lb | 11,4 kg 25,11 lb |
| 226 L 8 Cubic feet *1500 BTU/h | 0,756 kg 1,667 lb | 5,29 kg 11,66 lb | 22,67 kg 50 lb |
| 368 L 13 Cubic feet *2081 BTU/h | 1,05 kg 2,313 lb | 7,34 kg 16,19 lb | 31,47 kg 69,39 lb |
* Some Dometic 6 cubic feet fridges fall into the 8 Cubic feet category, like the Dometic Americana Plus DM 2682, with a consumption of 1500 BTU/h, so if you have a 6 Cu Ft fridge consult your manual to ensure you are looking at the right category. The 4,7-6,3 Cu Ft category use 13,4oz propane / 24h.
* 1 pound of liquid propane is equivalent to 21,591 BTUs.
*1500 BTU x 24 = 36000 BTU / 24h, 36000/21591 = 1,667 lb of liquid propane / 24h.
*2081 BTU x 24 = 49944 BTU /24h, 49944/21591 = 2,313 lb of liquid propane /24h.
The most annoying part when calculating these things is that they often use different measurements that we might not be used to; for example, the bigger-sized fridges that are mainly sold in the USA put the propane/gas consumption to run the fridges in a measurement called BTU.
To calculate how much propane is used per BTU is just a mess since when we fill up the propane, we don’t go, oh I want 431 820 BTUs worth of propane no, we say it according to weight as in pounds, kilograms or volumes like liters or gallons.
Anyway, if you want to calculate how much propane a fridge uses but only have access to the amount of BTUs it consumes, you can do as I did and start by knowing that 1 pound of propane is equivalent to 21 591 BTU’s.
1 pound of propane is equivalent to 21 591 BTU’s.
When they display the power consumption in BTU, they usually do it hourly, so if you want to convert the amount of BTU to pounds of propane, divide it by 21591, and you get the hourly consumption in pounds of propane instead of BTU.
Some don’t calculate their propane usage in pounds or kilograms, but instead in gallons or liters, so you won’t need to do the conversion yourself; I have made the table below with gallons and liters instead.
How Many Gallons or Liters of Propane do RV Fridges Use Daily, Weekly, and Monthly?
Here is a table showing your daily, weekly, and monthly RV, motorhome, or caravan fridge propane consumption in liters and gallons, depending on how big a fridge you have.
| Fridge Size | Propane consumption L & Gal / day | Propane consumption L & Gal / week | Propane consumption L & Gal / month* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 – 115 Liters 2 – 4,1 Cubic feet | 0.54 Liter 0.14 gallons | 3.8 Liter 1 gallon | 16.4 Liter 4.3 gallons |
| 133L – 180 L 4,7 – 6,3 Cubic feet | 0.77 Liter 0.2 gallons | 5.4 Liter 1.4 gallons | 23.1 Liter 6.1 gallons |
| 226 L 8 Cubic feet *1500 BTU/h | 1.5 Liter 0.4 gallons | 10.7 Liter 2.8 gallons | 46 Liter 12.1 gallons |
| 368 L 13 Cubic feet *2081 BTU/h | 2.1 Liter 0.56 gallons | 14.9 Liter 3.9 gallons | 63.8 Liter 16.9 gallons |
* Some Dometic 6 cubic feet fridges fall into the 8 Cubic feet category, like the Dometic Americana Plus DM 2682, with a consumption of 1500 BTU/h, so if you have a 6 Cu Ft fridge consult your manual to ensure you are looking at the right category. The 4,7-6,3 Cu Ft category use 13,4oz propane / 24h.
We all know that you can run your fridge on propane at this stage for quite some time, but many are also wondering if an absorption RV fridge also needs electricity to run on propane, which it does. To learn more about that and how much electricity is needed for your propane fridge to be able to run on propane, check out my other article.
To convert propane weight to volume, one kilogram equals 1,96 Liters of propane, so this conversion is straightforward. You can double the number of kilos to get the amount of propane in liters at least within the margins of error for most people since it won’t differ too much.
1 Kg is 1.96 Liters of propane, 1 lb is 0.236 gallons of propane.
When it comes to pounds and gallons of propane, it isn’t as easy to convert. Still, one pound of propane equals 0.236 gallons of propane, or the other way around, 1 gallon of propane equals 4,11 pounds of propane, so if you take the weight of propane in pounds and divide it by four, you roughly get the proper conversion to gallons.
How many gallons (liter) does a 20 lb (9 kg) propane tank hold?
A 20-pound propane tank holds 4.7 gallons of propane; since one pound equals 0.236 gallons of propane, 0.236 x 20 = 4.72.
Or, using the metric system, a 9 kg propane tank holds 17.6 liters of propane since one kg of propane equals 1.96 liters of propane.1.96 x 9 = 17.64.
How many gallons (liter) does a 25 lb (11.3 kg) propane tank hold?
A 25-pound propane tank holds 5.9 gallons of propane; since one pound equals 0.236 gallons of propane, 0.236 x 25 = 5.6.
Or using the metric system, an 11.3 kg propane tank holds 22.1 liters of propane since one kg of propane equals 1.96 liters of propane, 1.96 x 11.3 = 22.1
How many gallons (liter) does a 30 lb (13.6 kg) propane tank hold?
A 30-pound propane tank holds 7.1 gallons of propane; since one pound equals 0.236 gallons of propane, 0.236 x 30 = 7.08.
Or using the metric system, a 13.6 kg propane tank holds 26.6 liters of propane since one kg of propane equals 1.96 liters of propane,1.96 x 13.6 = 26.6
How many gallons (liter) does a 40 lb (18.1 kg) propane tank hold?
A 40-pound propane tank holds 9.4 gallons of propane; since one pound equals 0.236 gallons of propane, 0.236 x 40 = 9.44
Or, using the metric system, an 18.1 kg propane tank holds 35.5 liters of propane since one kg of propane equals 1.96 liters of propane, 1.96 x 18.1 = 35.47.
How many gallons (liter) does a 100 lb (45.3 kg) propane tank hold?
A 100-pound propane tank holds 23.6 gallons of propane; since one pound of propane equals 0.236 gallons of propane, 0.236 x 100 = 23.6
Or using the metric system where a 45.3 kg propane tank holds 88.8 liters of propane since one kg of propane equals 1.96 liters of propane, 1.96 x 45.3 = 88,78.
How many gallons (liter) does a 420 lb (190.5 kg) propane tank hold?
A 420-pound propane tank holds 99.1 gallons of propane; since one pound of propane equals 0.236 gallons of propane, 0.236 x 420 = 99.1
Or using the metric system where a 190.5 kg propane tank holds 373.4 liters of propane since one kg of propane equals 1.96 liters of propane, 1.96 x 190.5 = 373,38.