mlts22 wrote:
westend wrote:
I've taught myself to crack open a vent at night if a propane appliance is used. Your OEM furnace is vented to the exterior but one can't be too careful.
To be on the safe side, I always use at least two CO detectors (preferably three), one having a readout of how much CO is in the air. That way, if some crazy thing happens, the CO alarms would go off before there was enough in the air to be dangerous.
If I were using a Mr. Buddy heater, I definitely would be cracking open a vent (likely two so a little bit of air goes in and gets exhausted out to ensure plenty of fresh air) because the heater uses up oxygen in the rig and the fact that burning propane makes a lot of water vapor. However, with those factors in mind, as well as making sure it won't catch anything on fire, the Mr. Buddy heaters can do a great job at heating up a RV without needing electricity or making major inroads on propane.
I have a CO detector, too. Also, a smoke alarm. What I don't need is a Perfect Storm of events where the inside air puts me to sleep forever.
I haven't used one of those portable heaters inside my TT and wouldn't use one that was unvented. Before I start breathing the exhaust gas from an unvented heater, I'll get a Hotel room.
FWIW, I use a 20K BTU propane fired Sportsman brand heater that is vented with a 3" Class B stack. I supply combustion air to the burner and also flue air to the vent stack with piped air from the outside. This allows me to keep positive air pressure in the interior. The Sportsman is a better solution for me as it uses no electricity and is almost silent. This heater is in it's third RV and has been "field tested" down to -25 f.
