OT: Vented vs Ventless propane heaters

[William]

Sure would be nice to have some heat out in the shop during the Winter. Wall mounted ventless propane heaters are cheap. But the ventless part makes me uneasy. Anyone here use either variety?




William

[AgilisMerlin]

I run Rinnai vented in my house

No wiggle room whether the non vented work well or not.

Was told long ago to never find out.

[Birddog]

I've used several including the blue flame style and the brick style. I prefer the blue flame version with built-in stat. The oxygen depletion sensor is the safety valve. I've never had a problem in 15years. They do produce a lot of water vapor as a by product of the 98% combustion so if you have windows they will get covered with condensation.

[Chance]

They do produce a lot of water vapor as a by product of the 98% combustion so if you have windows they will get covered with condensation.
What happens to the other 2 percent?

Unburned propane? Carbon monoxide? Even just two percent doesn't sound great unless harmless. :confused:

[Birddog]

What happens to the other 2 percent? Unburned propane? Carbon monoxide? Even just two percent doesn't sound great unless harmless.

I mis-stated the numbers as I was just going by memory. Most of the models are now 99.9% efficient. The .1% is no worse than having the farts. Buy a carbon monoxide detector for good measure and peace of mind. I'd bet that William's shop isn't all that airtight anyway if it's like most shops. My experience gives me no worries. They even make models that are safe for bedrooms.

[AngryScientist]

i have something very similar to this for my garage when i need to tinker around in the winter, works just fine. very portable, put the heat where you need it, no need to heat a huge space if you're working within a few cubic'

http://www.heat.net/store/img-large/150-000-btu-universal-bullet-heater-lp-propane-shop-torpedo-salamander-garage_320826632248.jpg

[johnnymossville]

Good thread, this is something I'm very interested in as well. I want to train and work out in the garage, and would like at least a little heat.

[Chance]

I mis-stated the numbers as I was just going by memory. Most of the models are now 99.9% efficient. The .1% is no worse than having the farts. Buy a carbon monoxide detector for good measure and peace of mind. I'd bet that William's shop isn't all that airtight anyway if it's like most shops. My experience gives me no worries. They even make models that are safe for bedrooms.
Good, that sounds much safer.

FWIW, a friend has a ventless propane burner for the garage that installs directly on a 20-pound propane BBQ type bottle. It's held in place by bottle. Worked great and was easy to move around. Don't recall the brand but think he bought it at Home Depot or Lowes (not sure). Only concern was whether it could get damaged if bottle fell over accidentally.

[William]

The other reason I ask is that when we bought this house it came with two 100 pound propane tanks outside behind the kitchen. We have a propane stove but we barely ever make a dent in the amount of gas in those tanks. We do have an oil furnace here and I was thinking we might tap into those tanks for supplemental heating. Plus it would be nice to have heat just in case we lose power in a Winter storm .... though so far this Winter has been fairly mild.

Anyway, vented or not isn't that big a concern for the shop, but inside the house? I've read about moisture that vent-less heaters can give off, but we run cast iron hot water radiators in the house that ( they throw off wonderful long lasting heat) we have to put pans of water on top of them for moisture otherwise the air gets too dry. In that sense it's probably a non-issue. They claim 99.9% emission free but I don't know how comfortable I am with that anyway.





William

[Louis]

I have a ventless Rinnai in my "sun room." You want vented. Even if it costs more, it's worth it. It's just money. Your health and breathing decent air are priceless.

[Louis]

For my living room I got a Jotul Sebago gas stove. Looks like this. The best part is that it can be controlled using a remotely located thermostat (wireless). I run it overnight to help out the electric heat. It will also help if / when I loose power.

http://www.geneseefireplace.com/_derived/gas_stoves.htm_txt_Jotul_Sebagoweb.gif

[gearguywb]

If you have specific questions about propane stuff...usage, appliances, tanks, etc., give me a shout. It's what I do.

Vent free heaters are a great source of heat for something like a garage or a space where some amount of heat is needed, but not keeping it 70 degrees. They do produce a large amount of moisture when in use. Typically it will show as condensation on the inside of windows.

The larger construction type heaters should only be used in a large area or in an area with plenty of ventilation.