Without gas, not much works in a motor home. In summer the refrigerator runs all day and night and the barbecue is fired up regularly; in winter the heater runs at full throttle. How long your gas supplies last can vary considerably depending on the time of year and holiday destination. Read how to calculate the gas consumption in your RV in the Truma guide.
Calculating gas requirements in five steps
To calculate your personal gas requirements, for example, on a summer’s day, proceed as follows:
- Write down what gas-operated appliances you use on one day (e.g. boiler, cooker, refrigerator).
- Add how long the appliances are used per day (e.g. boiler: 30 minutes, cooker: 60 minutes)
- If you know the gas consumption of an appliance per hour (you’ll find this in the operating instructions), calculate how much gas is consumed on one day in relation to the operating time (e.g. boiler consumption: 120 g/h if operated for 30 minutes per day: 120 : 60 x 30 = 60 g)
- Add together the gas consumption of all appliances and this gives you the average daily consumption in summer.
- If you now want to know how long a 6-kg gas cylinder will last, continue calculating. With consumption of 400 g gas per day, divide the total weight of the gas by the daily consumption: 6000 : 400 = 15. In other words, your 6 kg gas cylinder will last for about two weeks.
To calculate gas consumption exactly for autumn or winter, repeat the calculation for the gas consumption and include the running time of the heater. Remember that the heater consumes more or less gas depending on the setting.
Water heating systems are installed mainly in top-of-the-range caravans. Initially, caravan heaters such as this heat a closed circulating water system. This then provides heat to the room via a radiator. The principle is similar to central heating in buildings.
Depending on the model, air and water heating systems run on gas, electricity or both.
Gas requirements dependent on external circumstances
Whether you need a lot of gas or can manage with less depends on the weather and your holiday destination but also on other factors, such as:
- The size and insulation of the motor home
- The number or persons travelling,
- The energy efficiency of the appliances that run on gas,
- The daily usage time of gas-operated appliances,
- Your personal temperature preference.
Gas consumption of some appliances in the motor home
In winter, a motor home heater set at full output consumes most gas. Here are a few guiding values for the gas consumption of important appliances in the motor home:
- Heater (approx. 150 – 500 g/h)
- Boiler (approx. 120 g/h)
- Stove/cooker (approx. 50 – 160 g/h)
- Oven (approx. 80 – 120 g/h)
- BBQ (approx. 300 – 400 g/h)
- Refrigerator (approx. 14 – 20 g/h)
Checking your gas supplies
To know how much gas you have actually consumed, you can weigh your gas cylinders. The weight of an empty cylinder is engraved as tare weight. With an empty 6 kg cylinder, this varies between 7 and 10 kilograms. In other words, a full 6 kg cylinder weighs approximately 13 to 16 kilograms. If you deduct the weight shown on the scale from the weight of the full cylinder, you see your gas consumption and know how much gas is left in the cylinder.
If you don’t have a scale handy or don’t want to lift heavy gas cylinders, you can use a filling level indicator.
How the Truma LevelCheck works
Using ultrasound, the LevelCheck from Truma shows whether there is gas within the measuring range.
Simply hold it at a 90-degree angle to a steel or aluminium gas cylinder.
How the Truma LevelControl works
Attach the Truma LevelControl to the bottom of your gas cylinder. It also uses ultrasound to measure the gas level and also shows you how long the gas will last.
The data is sent to the Truma iNet Box. This then sends the data to a smartphone or tablet by Bluetooth or SMS. In the Truma App, you can see the result conveniently as a percentage or in kilograms.
Tips: How to save gas
To make your gas cylinders last as long as possible, try to reduce gas consumption in the motor home. These tips may help you:
- Never allow your motor home to cool completely. Set the heater to a low setting when you leave the vehicle. If you do this, the heater doesn’t have to run at full throttle to heat the space when you return.
- Ventilate regularly, also in winter. Open windows completely for a few minutes and then close them again. Periodic ventilation prevents the surfaces from cooling completely.
- A lot of heating energy is lost at thermal bridges. With insulating mats for the cabin, for example, you prevent heat loss and save gas.
- In summer, don’t leave the fridge door open unnecessarily when you’re putting something in or taking something out.
