Propane Heater In A Tent/Bivvy...

[bassjnkie]

Aside from knocking the heater over and burning everything down... Anyhow, I have this heater and was thinking of using it in a tent overnight, my worry would be not waking up due to carbon monoxide.. Is my worry a valid or can I go ahead with the heater in the tent without worries???

 

[aplumma]

Carbon monoxide is called the silent killer. The airtightness of the tent, the amount of the carbon monoxide put out of a poorly burning unit and your bodies tolerance are all variables that will make any answer you receive just a guess on their part that will be you paying the price.

[DRIFTER_016]

Get a good sleeping bag, pad and tent and you won't need a heater.

The only heater I would use in a tent is one of the Buddy heaters as they have 1/ a tip over system that shuts them off if knocked over and 2/ a system that shuts them off if there is not enough O2 in the space.

 

I have camped on the ice outside of Yellowknife in January with no heater, you should be able to camp down South without a heater too.

[bassfighter]

During the recent power outage, a family died from carbon monoxide poisoning when they sticked their Bar-be que grill inside the garage, then close the garage door completely . I am sure they are not that stupid, they might not have assumed the fire to stop burning for whatever reason, causing the gas fumes to have travelled everywhere without them even noticing while sleeping. They never woke up.

 

Another famous female reporter in US was trying to ignite her Bar-b-que , not knowing how much gas was already release in the BBQ grill enclosure, when she ignited it, the cover burst open and fire just engulfed her face and body in seconds. She suffered from major burn.

 

Any gas product should always have adequate ventilation. Sorry to somewhat scare you, but better to be over protective than to be sorry.

[bare foot wader]

I use my mr buddy heater in the tent quite a bit, but for no more than 15-20 mins at a time, mostly in the morning to warm up and get dressed...I wouldn't trust it for sleeping, you could pack a detector and battery....but with good base layers and sleeping bag, air pad, etc I don't think it's needed to sleep comfortably

[mukluk]

Put my buddy heater on the front seat of my truck to thaw the heavy ice from the windows. Heater was on low; heater cut off after a short duration. Had to leave the door cracked slightly for it to work properly.

Was a good test for the CO control.

[Burtess]

Talk in this thread about oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO)......

 

Buddy heaters have a low oxygen (O2) shut off, so if they will not consume all the oxygen in an enclosed space. Buddy heaters also have an instant shut off if the unit is tilted (good to have in a tent!).

 

Any tent that I have ever camped in has been mostly made of mesh with a nylon fly to keep the weather off, but plenty of ventilation. That said if your tent is like this, there is little to no chance of getting carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Realize also that any heater using propane for fuel (or any organic fuel) will produce LOTS of water while burning and created moisture problems in your tent.

 

I would be more worried about melting my sleeping bag or soaking everything rather than the carbon monoxide (CO) risk in a ventilated tent.

 

Burt

[davey buoy]

My clam has two pull away vents at the top,and being a tent type,I'm sure there's more than enough air getting in and out elsewhere.But don't take my word for it .Maybe leave a zipper a bit open as well? wouldn't hurt?.

[woodenboater]

If you're camping in the winter, then the tent may/should have a fly that hugs the ground to keep warmth in. The corollary would be that it will also keep any co from dispersing, even if it does leave the tent through the fabric. It'll just get trapped by the waterproof fly and thus possibly render the tent a cocoon.

 

I wouldn't run any propane or gas fired burner while I was sleeping unless there were enough openings. I think Coleman or some company used to or may still, print optimal air requirements in their user manuals. ie-heater A needs a low opening (intake) of 10 sq" and a high (vent) of 10", to use random numbers. My memory may be off as well so ymmv

[aplumma]

Carbon monoxide is heavier than air settling to the floor where you are laying down and sleeping. Place the heater in the middle of a 5 ft tent makes it 2 1/2ft off the floor. Plenty of air to keep the O2 from cutting out as you die in your sleep. It isn't a game you can die from this. I can't tell you how many people die from a cracked heat exchanger on their furnace because it is odorless,tasteless, and initially non-irritating making it very difficult for people to detect.

 

 

Art

[SirCranksalot]

Carbon monoxide is heavier than air settling to the floor where you are laying down and sleeping.

 

Art

 

 

According to my sources the density of CO is very close to that of air. Slightly lighter, I believe. Either way, though, it's dangerous.

[bare foot wader]

Talk in this thread about oxygen (O2), carbon dioxide (CO2), and carbon monoxide (CO)......

 

Buddy heaters have a low oxygen (O2) shut off, so if they will not consume all the oxygen in an enclosed space. Buddy heaters also have an instant shut off if the unit is tilted (good to have in a tent!).

 

Any tent that I have ever camped in has been mostly made of mesh with a nylon fly to keep the weather off, but plenty of ventilation. That said if your tent is like this, there is little to no chance of getting carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. Realize also that any heater using propane for fuel (or any organic fuel) will produce LOTS of water while burning and created moisture problems in your tent.

 

I would be more worried about melting my sleeping bag or soaking everything rather than the carbon monoxide (CO) risk in a ventilated tent.

 

Burt

 

I don't think the OP has a mr buddy, at least not in that pic he posted, so he wouldn't have those features and even still, wouldn't gamble on running it while I sleep

 

I always keep the heater in the vestibule, not actually inside the tent, with the zipper cracked up about half way on both sides, it only runs when I'm waking up and getting dressed

[woodenboater]

to the OP, is winter camping a once in a blue moon thing or something you want to get into more ?

[bassjnkie]

OK, WOW, glad I asked... Will not put a heater in the tent overnight... Thanks for all the suggestions, I will stick to my sleeping bag.. Thanks again..

[aplumma]

 

 

According to my sources the density of CO is very close to that of air. Slightly lighter, I believe. Either way, though, it's dangerous.

My bad you are correct sir.

 

 

 

Art

[chris.brock]

I use my mr buddy heater in the tent quite a bit, but for no more than 15-20 mins at a time, mostly in the morning to warm up and get dressed...I wouldn't trust it for sleeping, you could pack a detector and battery....but with good base layers and sleeping bag, air pad, etc I don't think it's needed to sleep comfortably

same as I sometimes do, cut the chill before bed and in the morning, that's it

 

I went to a fishing camp a few years ago, there was a picture of the dock boy on the front desk

"Where's John?" I asked

"he's gone, him and a buddy were overnighting in a fish hut, both died, CO"

Edited January 6, 2014 by chris.brock

[Whopper]

I struggled with this very same issue awhile back. I have the bigger Mr Buddy and used it to warm the tent before going to sleep and again after waking up the following morning.

Good info given here

[Burtess]

I did not realize they made tents that were that "air tight" so to say. I guess for winter camping you want to keep all the heat in as possible. My comments were from all the tents that I have owned over the years..... camping in late October you would have to wear a toque to keep the head warm as wind was actively blowing through the tent all night.

 

Burt

[gaspumper]

If that's the heater you are using it would have to be above 32 degrees outside before you felt any heat out of it.

[DRIFTER_016]

I did not realize they made tents that were that "air tight" so to say. I guess for winter camping you want to keep all the heat in as possible. My comments were from all the tents that I have owned over the years..... camping in late October you would have to wear a toque to keep the head warm as wind was actively blowing through the tent all night.

 

Burt

 

 

Yes, 4 season tents have the fly go almost to the ground.

 

This is my Eureka on Great Slave in mid January.

 

 

[Joey]

I think your best bet would be to go buy a Mr. Buddy. Don't leave it on all night, just heat up the tent, turn it off and go to sleep. Sleeping bags, hat on head, then when you wake up, heat up the tent again for a bit. If you're bringing a gal friend, you can cuddle for heat too

 

We used the Mr. Buddy when we lost power in the ice storm in our living room. Even though I know it's pretty safe, I still had apprehension using it and opened two windows for flow through air and we have a CO detector. Better safe than sorry (dead).

[Squid]

I have used my coleman tent heater for years,overnight, and it works great. Like others have said, there is plenty of ventilation in a tent so there is no issue, the air gets moved around on a regular basis in a tent.

[bare foot wader]

anybody ever smoke in a tent? the smoke lingers for a good while, it isn't vented away very well in any tent I've been stuck in

 

all of my tents are 3 or 4 season, while some might have a mesh fabric on the upper part of the tent, the fly is waterproof/resistant and the fly is staked to the ground.....there is ventilation between the fly and the tent, this keeps the condensation on the fly, rather than the tent...but not much ventilation to the outside air

 

I'd be extremely cautious running a heater while you sleep in tent, regardless of the safety features, failures happen....sometimes instructions are good, warnings are there for a reason

 

I always pack my heater if i'm truck camping, but it doesn't run while I sleep

[SirCranksalot]

I'd be extremely cautious running a heater while you sleep in tent, regardless of the safety features, failures happen....sometimes instructions are good, warnings are there for a reason

 

Agreed. I wouldn't let my life depend on the reliability of any mech or electronic device. I don't winter camp but I know some who do. They get top notch gear such as really good sleeping bag and tent, but don't use any heater. I am told that just a candle can heat such a small space quite a bit w/o the CO hazard. If you wanted to let it burn while you sleep you'd need to make very sure it couldn't tip and create a fire hazard, of course.

[Tootsie II]

We've used the Coleman BearCat Catalytic heaters in our tent and camper for years. One propane bottle lasts about 8 hours on high. You must make sure that there is a source of fresh air (oxygen) for it to operate but it does not give off CO. We also make sure that we put a battery operated CO detector on or near the floor of the enclosure just in case the catalytic component fails.