Author Topic: propane appliances  (Read 1005 times)

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Offline zacharoo

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propane appliances
« on: May 09, 2012, 02:27:41 PM »
I am thinking on buying a houseboat. I was wondering if any one has used a propane refrigerator or freezer. How economical are they.
 
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Offline tacklebury

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Re: propane appliances
« Reply #1 on: May 09, 2012, 04:08:36 PM »
They are used often in RV's, especially the larger campers.  They aren't super cheap, but work well from what little I know.  I believe a good friend of our family's had his about 25 years before he had to replace it.  Didn't seem to use a ton of propane.  Not recommending this site, but was first I saw with pricing visible.  Looks like $1300+ for one.
 
http://www.bensdiscountsupply.com/all-propane-refrigerators.aspx
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Offline Ranch13

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Re: propane appliances
« Reply #2 on: May 09, 2012, 04:46:16 PM »
They aren't cheap to buy but they do work well as long as they are kept fairly level while in operation.
Might be able to get one out of a used camper , put it in the boat, and scrap the camper....
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Online Lloyd Smale

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Re: propane appliances
« Reply #3 on: May 09, 2012, 11:55:16 PM »
We had an old one at camp that must have been made back in the 40s or 50s. there ultra reliable if you keep the burner area clean. Something that needs to be done at least yearly to keep them safe. About two years ago we bought a brand new one. It was about twice the cost of a comparable electric one but this one even keeps the ice cream hard! Works as good as any electric one. I dont know about fuel useage as about everything at camp is propane including the generator so we do go through alot of propane.
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Offline Bugflipper

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Re: propane appliances
« Reply #4 on: May 11, 2012, 07:22:55 AM »
A new style 3.4 cu ft one will use 20 lb in a month. Probably .5-.7 lb a day. A lot of the propane ones are 12v and 110v as well. May want to look into solar if you will have room for a panel. A lot of folks daisy chain 2 6 volt golf cart batteries to 12v for their battery bank in an RV or boat.
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Offline lrrice

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Re: propane appliances
« Reply #5 on: May 28, 2012, 06:08:13 AM »
I grew up without electricity so we had propane lights stoves and fridges.  The fridges are very economical and last forever (well at least the old ones, ours were Servels probably made in the 40's and they still work today.)  You just have to keep the burner clean and its not a bad idea to vent them outside to limit propane scum on everythying just be careful because you can mess up the draft causing them to burn wrong.  Also they need to remain fairly level when in operation.  As for RV fridges, the new ones are 12v 120v and propane.  Basically they have a 12v heating element, 120v element and a burner.  They are computer controlled and finicky and some will switch automatically, draining your batteries when you least expect it.  Having said all that, a couple of solar cells, inverter, batteries and an apartment sized fridge will probably be cheaper (unless you find a cheap used fridge) and you would have power for your lights etc.  For long term use, they sell (for a large amount of money) super efficient electric fridges that are specifically designed for solar systems.

Offline Dixie Dude

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Re: propane appliances
« Reply #6 on: August 15, 2012, 11:00:05 AM »
Propane is most economical when you buy it for a 250 gallon or 500 gallon tank.  The little 5 gallon (25#) bottles are more expensive to refill.