theboondork's RV blog

I'm working on a plan to fill the Arctic Fox's 10 gallon propane tanks with helium so they will be lighter when I install a full tank.

9/20/2020

Clicking the pics will warm up your fingers on a frosty Fall evening.

Fall is coming to Denver.

The weather here in Denver's been great lately, the mid-80s for a high, 50s at night, 20 or 30% humidity and sunny . Couldn't ask for more.

One of my 10-gallon propane tanks in the Arctic Fox ran out the other day, so as an experiment, I hooked up a regular 5-gallon propane tank to see how long it will last. This is an excellent time to check because it's pretty chilly in the morning, so I'm using a little heat from my radiant heater to warm up the living room in the morning; so this will give me a rough idea of how long I can expect a 5-gallon tank to last during the winter.

The problem is I have two 5 gallon tanks that I use in the little Bronco slide-in camper. One of those tanks is in the little Bronco at the moment, and the other is the experimental tank hooked up to the Arctic Fox. But one of those tanks I had refilled at a propane dealer, so it actually contains almost 5 gallons. The other tank I had exchanged at Walmart, and those exchange tanks only have about 3 1/2 gallons in them, and I'm not sure which one is hooked up to the Arctic Fox, so my scientific experiment is not looking very reliable right from the start.

If I had been thinking, I would've weighed the tank before I hooked it up to the Arctic Fox, which would've solved that little problem. I've never been accused of putting too much thought into the things I do, so this is about par for the course.

The reason I'm doing this is because of something I've mentioned before that these 10-gallon propane tanks are getting rather heavy when their full, and toting them around and installing them in the Arctic Fox is getting more difficult the older I get... I don't know what I was thinking when I assumed it would get easier.

Meanwhile, the 5-gallon tanks are not a problem. The compartment where my 5-gallon propane tank lives in the little Bronco is about chest high, and I lift it up there and install it with no problem. The 10-gallon tanks are still doable, but it's becoming more and more of a strain. So the question becomes, do I keep using the 10-gallon tanks in the Arctic Fox until the day comes when I can no longer lift it into its cubby, and I lay on the ground crying like a little girl because I can't hook up my propane. Or do I change to a lighter system before I start crying? I don't know the answer to that, but I've got a while longer to figure it out. Meanwhile, I'll just continue to complain about how heavy the 10 gallon tanks are.

theboondork

Lilly pads.

Searching for frogs.

Blue flowers.

I don't know what these berries are, no surprise there, but the leaves look like Holly leaves.

A quick snack before continuing the never-ending search for frogs.

My granddaughter.

My grandson.

8 Comments

OFM

9/20/2020 04:40:23 pm

My solution when I changed tank sizes is that if it works out I need to, I will carry 3 20# tanks. So far I got about 10 months on my first 20# tank before running out.

Tom

9/20/2020 05:16:07 pm

Yeah I know what you mean, when I was staying in Tucson at the Pima County Fairgrounds and it got too hot to boondock while I was self isolating along about May, and I had to live with full hookups for a couple of months I don't think I used any propane. I used my electric heater, I cooked on my hotplate, or my toaster oven. Everything was running on AC. So when I'm hooked up I can't think of any reason I need propane.

But when I'm boondocking I go through a 10 gallon tank approximately once a month and most of that is due to having to run my radiant heater, and that of course varies with the weather. But I don't try to conserve propane, I heat the place so I'm comfortable, because even in the worst of weather the propane is costing me less than a dollar a day to live comfortably. So to me the cost of the propane is insignificant, it's the inconvenience of dealing with the heavy tanks that bothers me.

I'm looking into the possibility of using 5 gallon tanks. I would have to refill them more often but the process would be a whole lot easier. I also looked into the aluminum 7 gallon tanks figuring that would be the best of both worlds but apparently I must've accidentally typed gold instead of aluminum propane tanks into Google because I got an unbelievable price.

Carrying three 5 gallon tanks is a good idea. I've got room for a third tank, and that way I could wait till two tanks are empty before I go for a refill, so that's a great suggestion.

Tom

Judith

9/20/2020 09:04:09 pm

Ah. I see the expert child portrait photographer has been at work again, along with the botanical guesser. (For pete's sake, those are lotus pads. Sheesh.) You and the OFM do know your propane specs though. (I don't. For my WeberQ grill, I recently, due to old age, switched to a very small tank, it is very cute. Does 3 pounds of gas sound right? for the propane? It's a little over a foot tall...not like those babies that weighed about a million pounds which I could barely tote empty.) Well, good luck with your experiments.

9/21/2020 08:19:09 am

Thank you again for the kind but largely undeserved compliments about my photography. Those portraits only look good because of the subjects I'm blessed with.

Lotus pads, I knew that, Lotus pads are what frogs sit on in cartoons, I was just testing you.

As a boondocker it pays to know something about propane, my life revolves around sunshine and propane. Since sunshine is free, and readily available in the places I go, and because of the invention of lithium iron batteries, electricity is something I seldom think about anymore.

But propane is something I spend time thinking about. Where to get it? How much does it cost? How long does it last? How comfortable I'm going to be is directly related to my supply of propane. So in the world of successful long-term, peaceful, boondocking, propane is extremely important.[I had to mention peaceful because some folks use generators]

Yeah 3 gallons sounds about right for one of the small tanks. They make two small tanks, one that looks kinda like a 5 gallon tank only smaller, and the other looks kinda flat like a biscuit.

Tom

9/22/2020 07:56:36 pm

I've seen plenty of photos taken by grandparents of grandchildren who were beautiful;, but the photos were meh. Just trust me on this. I may be vague about propane, but I do have a firm foundation of photo viewing, and your photographs are the best. Meanwhile, I always thought the frogs were sitting on lily pads. And I am very pleased with my little non-biscuit shaped tank. Just right.

Thomas

9/21/2020 07:07:43 pm

When it comes to LP tanks, why not just put 5 gallons in your 10 gallon tanks. Makes them almost half as heavy and you won't have to spend the cash to buy new, smaller tanks.

I have aluminum 10 gallon tanks, but I only fill them with 8 gallons of LP gas. They are a little easier to handle than if they were completely filled.

9/21/2020 08:29:17 pm

That is indeed a good idea and if I had to buy two new 5 gallon tanks that would've been the first thing I considered, but I already have two 5 gallon tanks that can be used if I need them.

Doing a little figuring my 10 gallon tanks half full weight approximately 53 pounds. That's a 33 pound tare weight on the cylinder and approximately 20 pounds of propane.

My 5 gallon tanks full weight is about 37 pounds with a tare weight of about 17 pounds and 20 pounds for the propane.

What I'm dealing with now is a full 10 gallon tank that weighs about 73 pounds. And it's starting to kick my butt. It seems like it wasn't that long ago when I could throw 80 pound bags of cement into the back of my truck without a problem.

It appears that due to global warming the heat has expanded propane and it now weighs 10 pounds per gallon which is the only thing that could explain why I'm having trouble carrying 73 pounds.

So 73 pounds is too much, 37 pounds is easy. it sounds like somewhere in the middle would be perfectly acceptable. And that just so happens to be about where you're at with your aluminum tanks carrying eight gallons in them. Looks like you had it right all along.

Tom

9/22/2020 09:34:48 pm

Thank you very much Judith, I have no choice but to accept your firm foundation of photo viewing. A frog is where you find it, and little boys have an innate ability to find frogs no matter where they are.

I'm glad you have a real propane tank and not one of those swap an empty for a full one kinda tanks. That's a very expensive way to buy propane. Taking it to a place that refills your tank is much cheaper.

Tom

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I'm working on a plan to fill the Arctic Fox's 10 gallon propane tanks with helium so they will be lighter when I install a full tank.

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