Please Help for Minnesota Winter

[Mr Happy]

Hi there...I am a virgin camper and I need your help.
I want to use my 2013, 16 foot Bambi for hunting deer in northern Minnesota, November 8 thru November 16. Average daytime temps are 32 to 38. I have a 30 X 90 foot metal building on a concrete slab that I have my camper parked in.
Here are my questions:
Would you use the gas furnace and water heater inside the building with a ceiling fan going and an open roof vent the length of the building? Do you think it would be safe enough? By keeping it in the building there would be much less chance of a freeze up.
I wanted to be able to shower with hot water and use the toilet.

My other option would be to winterize the water system and drain the water heater. Use bottled water to flush the toilet and pour antifreeze in the toilet and the sink trap.
Then I would use a small electric heater for heat.
Please advise...with any suggestions or comments...
Thanks

[dkottum]

Too many people die of carbon monoxide poisoning in their sleep. I wouldn't dream of running the propane appliances inside a partially closed building. November temps here can be unpredictable (it was snowing yesterday, October 4th).

Winterize everything and heat with electric. I think Bambi's use an electric heater to protect the black tank so that's pretty risky, even with anti-freeze. We have used disposable plastic bags in folding camp toilets when camping in the wild without a trailer. And I have lined our Airstream toilet bowl with a kitchen trash bag to use when traveling in freezing weather with a winterized trailer. Pee in the woods.

A little touch of roughing it in the tradition of the Minnesota Deer Camps.

[idroba]

A 30 x 90 foot metal building is essentially so huge compared to the amount of combustion products that the trailer can produce I would have absolutely no problem with running propane inside the building. CO, the dangerous gas, is only produced when there is not enough O2 for complete combustion. The water heater and the furnace will not be producing CO, but CO2 and water vapor only.

I am super sensitive to the issue also, as I had a cousin and his wife and baby daughter who died by CO in a tragic accident. But ruining trailer heater and water heater in a 30 x 90 ventilated building is just like being outside.

[RangerJay]

I'm in the camp of "don't even think about it" - instead, think about just pulling it outside the building for the time you are hunting. Electric heat is a good supplement - but suggest your furnace will do a better job of keeping the air moving around your water pipes on cold nights.

As an aside - not sure what size your tanks are - but in our 2002 Bambi 8 days is simply not in the cards without having to dump somewhere along the way ......


Jay

[ventport]

I live in Wisconsin and I would do what you are contemplating in a minute. The only thing I would do is have a CO detector inside the camper in the event it got dangerous. The building is huge, you are venting it and you would have an alarm in the remote case something went wrong. Do it and shoot a 12 pointer.

[markdoane]

I really think your little Bambi need some company for the winter. Do you have any extra space you would like to rent?

[MBT]

I am moving to Northfield, MN from Oregon with my 25 ft Serenity. I'll be renting for awhile and prefer to have the AS under cover for the MN winters! I know the other option would be to head south but that's not always possible.
Any suggestions or names/locations of storage places from you native Minnesotans? Appreciate you sharing your experience!

[Ultradog]

I know this is an old thread but I think it still warrants a reply.
It's funny how people can not put 2+2 together.
A typical oven in a typical home is about 7000 BTU in 1400 square feet.
Ovens as you know are Not vented.
The OP was wondering about using maybe a 10,000 btu furnace in 2700 square feet. Does anyone REALLY think he would have a problem with CO or CO2?
If you are one who doesn't do math well remember; you can always buy a plug-in type CO detector and have it in the camper.
EZ

By the way, Mr Happy did you get your deer?

[markdoane]

Follw up to Jerry's comment. In Minnesota you are required to have 50 cubic feet volume for every 1000 Btu combustion, assuming average infiltration rates. So the storage building needs to be a least 500 cu. ft., about the size of a large bathroom.