running refer on propane in a closed garage.
We like to pre chill our refrigerator a day or two before putting items into the freezer and fridge and was concerned if running the refrigerator on propane in a closed garage is a safety concern?
Forum Discussion
A few things to point out. When an propane powered appliance is working correctly the primary byproducts are carbon dioxide and water. The same is true for a natural gas appliance. When combustion is incomplete (i.e. a faulty appliance) the byproduct is carbon monoxide and water. If the fridge is in good working order and the garage was completely sealed, the space would fill up with CO2.
It is possible that CO2 could kill you, but it would have to replace almost all of the oxygen available in the air. The air we breathe is around 21% oxygen. For CO2 to become deadly, it would have to replace enough oxygen to lower it to a level of about 8%. That's going to be tough for a small refrigerator that's cycling on and off. In a typical attached garage there's plenty of places for fresh oxygen intrusion through the garage door alone. The bottom plate, jamb, and the space between sections all leak air constantly. Take a smoke pencil around the door and it's not hard to see. Carbon monoxide works differently. Low concentrations are enough to prevent your body from accepting oxygen.
Also, building codes vary for location to location, but it's my understanding that at a minimum most building codes outline requirements for a separation of the attached garage and the habitable space via a contiguous firebreak. You normally see this in the form of a drywalled garage and fire rated doors. Since the firebreaks can have no gaps, it has the benefit of keeping gasses contained in the garage. I've seen some building codes in Canada that go as far as actually requiring the prevention of gas/fume intrusion into the living space via vapor barriers.
As long as the fridge is in good working order, I don't see this being very dangerous.
It is possible that CO2 could kill you, but it would have to replace almost all of the oxygen available in the air. The air we breathe is around 21% oxygen. For CO2 to become deadly, it would have to replace enough oxygen to lower it to a level of about 8%. That's going to be tough for a small refrigerator that's cycling on and off. In a typical attached garage there's plenty of places for fresh oxygen intrusion through the garage door alone. The bottom plate, jamb, and the space between sections all leak air constantly. Take a smoke pencil around the door and it's not hard to see. Carbon monoxide works differently. Low concentrations are enough to prevent your body from accepting oxygen.
Also, building codes vary for location to location, but it's my understanding that at a minimum most building codes outline requirements for a separation of the attached garage and the habitable space via a contiguous firebreak. You normally see this in the form of a drywalled garage and fire rated doors. Since the firebreaks can have no gaps, it has the benefit of keeping gasses contained in the garage. I've seen some building codes in Canada that go as far as actually requiring the prevention of gas/fume intrusion into the living space via vapor barriers.
As long as the fridge is in good working order, I don't see this being very dangerous.
