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cantdrv55 · 12-15-2014, 08:38 AM

My brother-in-law, owner of an SOB, says I should not use the furnace as it runs on propane while we sleep due to possible carbon monoxide leaks. He says to buy a small electric heater. The AS has a propane leak detector but not yet a CO leak detector. Does anyone use a portable electric heater instead of their furnace?

Protagonist · 12-15-2014, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cantdrv55

My brother-in-law, owner of an SOB, says I should not use the furnace as it runs on propane while we sleep due to possible carbon monoxide leaks.

As long as your furnace is in good working order, it is every bit as safe as a natural gas furnace in your home. Maybe even safer. The key feature of an RV furnace is that— just like the water heater and a Dometic refrigerator— the fire is outside the trailer. Heat is transferred to the interior air through a heat exchanger, and no propane exhaust comes inside the trailer except through a window.

If you feel the need to crack open a window for air exchange— to prevent the buildup of carbon dioxide, not carbon monoxide— then open a window on the opposite side of the trailer, so that the chance is minimized that propane exhaust from outside will come in through the windows.

And of course make sure your carbon monoxide, smoke, and LPG detectors are all in good working order.

But the potential for carbon monoxide buildup is why you should not use your propane stovetop or oven as a heat source overnight, because for those the fire is inside with you.

mimiandrews · 12-15-2014, 08:56 AM

Battery-powered CO detectors are cheap and easy to install. Available at Home Depot. We have three of them in our Airstream, since we're still using the original furnace and it's pretty old (although thoroughly checked-out).

An electric heater has the advantage of running on power you've already paid for as part of your RV hookup rental instead of propane you have to pay for elsewhere.

Standard fire safety precautions regarding electric heaters should be followed carefully!

BassCan · 12-15-2014, 09:00 AM

And change batteries every time you change the time on your clocks for daylight savings.

paiceman · 12-15-2014, 09:00 AM

Run ours a lot in both SOB MH and AS. Have two CO2 detectors. Never had an issue. If still concerned open a bedroom window slightly,

dkottum · 12-15-2014, 09:20 AM

We use the furnace without concern when boondocking, but prefer the Dyson electric heater (se Avatar) when with external power. It's quieter and keeps the heat more even and right where you set it. Good down to near freezing outside, then need the furnace.

The Airstream has smoke/CO1 alarms. We always crack the bedroom roof vent enough to control condensation but I doubt that is protection from carbon monoxide in the trailer, so it's important to maintain the detector(s).

m.hony · 12-15-2014, 10:10 AM

Being in a mild climate and having heat pumps we don't get to use the furnace very often. I have used the furnace on 3 trips and didn't worry about it. It sure is warm and cozy. I think campers are so drafty anyway that we are getting enough fresh air.

m.hony · 12-15-2014, 10:13 AM

I was visiting friends in their home Saturday evening. They had an Eden Pure endorsed by Bob Vila they bought mail order. It kept their 25' x 25' den very warm and toasty and it does not get hot to the touch. I want to see about getting one for the Airstream. Maybe they have a smaller size, as this one was quite large. It would go under the dinette so it wouldn't be in the way.

**DKB_SATX** · 12-15-2014, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by m.hony

I was visiting friends in their home Saturday evening. They had an Eden Pure endorsed by Bob Vila they bought mail order. It kept their 25' x 25' den very warm and toasty and it does not get hot to the touch. I want to see about getting one for the Airstream. Maybe they have a smaller size, as this one was quite large. It would go under the dinette so it wouldn't be in the way.

Watts are watts, there's no magic in Edenpure or "Amish Heater" or whatever. The Dyson everyone raves about is probably only more pleasing because it has a proper thermostat and perhaps different airflow characteristics than most. Other than the quality of the thermostat and differences in sound (fan vs. convection, loud fan vs. quiet, etc) you're going to get a very similar amount of heat from any 1500w electric heater.

TinTin · 12-15-2014, 10:32 AM

We leave our furnace on at night, but lower the thermostat to about 60F. If we're on shore power, we'll supplement with a 1500 watt heater.

Len n Jeanne · 12-15-2014, 10:41 AM

If you camp with nights below freezing temperatures, a good reason to leave the furnace on is because it heats under the floor where the pipes are located.

We travel with a small electric heater that we use on cold nights where we have hookups, but the furnace is pretty much it for boondocking.

Like the others have suggested, it is important to make sure the furnace and CO detectors work properly. Also, you can leave one of the roof vents or windows open just a tad for ventilation.

We also keep the thermostat at a low setting, and pile on extra bedding during cold nights.

DougHart352 · 12-15-2014, 10:53 AM

Should be very safe, but just like at home, don't use it without a functioning CO detector.

dznf0g · 12-15-2014, 11:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

Watts are watts, there's no magic in Edenpure or "Amish Heater" or whatever. The Dyson everyone raves about is probably only more pleasing because it has a proper thermostat and perhaps different airflow characteristics than most. Other than the quality of the thermostat and differences in sound (fan vs. convection, loud fan vs. quiet, etc) you're going to get a very similar amount of heat from any 1500w electric heater.

Agree...and IMO, the Dyson "magic" is the way they move the air throughout every (rounded) corner of the AS, without a chilly draft. Watts is Watts.

msmcv51 · 12-15-2014, 11:13 AM

I like to use the furnace when ever possible. It does a better job than several space heaters that become trip hazards at night when heading to the bathroom. And then there is that old saying "if you don't use it you loose it"

and that goes for things mechanical also.

**DKB_SATX** · 12-15-2014, 11:21 AM

Oh, and I neglected to answer the original question while climbing on my soap box about overpriced "miracle" heaters.

My WBCCI unit does a fair amount of boondocking, and in Texas what passes for winter is great time for that, but it does occasionally get cool at night. I ALWAYS have a CO detector in the trailer (just like at home) and run the furnace when it's cold. I've also camped with power a couple of times when it was cold enough to warrant using the furnace for tank heating.

tjdonahoe · 12-15-2014, 12:14 PM

I would be more worried about who I was sleeping with than the furnace

rodsterinfl · 12-15-2014, 06:48 PM

Absolutely not. First, your furnace does not put out carbon monoxide. The only way that happens is if the propane is not burning completely at the flame- yellow flame. That is why there is a gas LP detector in the coach and it is to be replaced about every 7 years. When they start intermittently beeping you know that it is either a low power situation or a failure of the sensor. Mine went bad while at a Rally in Feb a year ago. It was beeping every so often. What we do not need in a trailer is the CO detector as we do not have a gas engine or generator on board like a motorhome. They come with LP/CO detectors as most CO poisonings come from people running their generators while asleep. I use a portable heater for its electric use versus propane not for safety but for the use of electric when I am hooked up and paying for it rather than pay for electric AND propane.

Al and Missy · 12-15-2014, 07:46 PM

As previously stated, the furnace can put out carbon monoxide if combustion is incomplete. But, as others have pointed out, the combustion occurs outside the trailer and isolated from the interior unless the heat exchanger has rusted out. I'm going to try to figure out a simple test for leaks in the furnace heat exchanger like using something to puff smoke in the outside compartment while the blower is running and test for smell in the interior.

As for propane, four appliances use propane: stove/oven, refrigerator, furnace, and water heater. Only the stove/oven has the potential to leak propane into the interior in the event of only a leak in the appliance (single failure) because it is the only one that normally has propane in trailer interior. The furnace, refrigerator and water heater are installed in exterior compartments that are supposed to be sealed from the interior. The quality of this sealing job may vary, and years of vibration and/or modifications may reduce its effectiveness.

My trailer had only a smoke alarm and a propane detector. I replaced the smoke alarm when it failed and put a CO detector in the bedroom. I haven't replaced the propane detector even though it is probably original. The manual for it does not call for replacement at any interval, and I test it regularly by leaking a tiny amount of propane from a handheld tank near the detector.

We run the furnace at night and have not had any alerts from the CO detector.

Al

dkottum · 12-15-2014, 07:59 PM

You better straighten out the CDC on this who put this foolishness on their website then:

"Every winter when the temperature drops, your furnace can become a silent killer. Gas- and oil-burning furnaces produce carbon monoxide (CO). CO is an invisible, odorless, poison gas that kills hundreds every year and makes thousands more sick."

Protagonist · 12-15-2014, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dkottum

You better straighten out the CDC on this who put this foolishness on their website then:

"Every winter when the temperature drops, your furnace can become a silent killer. Gas- and oil-burning furnaces produce carbon monoxide (CO). CO is an invisible, odorless, poison gas that kills hundreds every year and makes thousands more sick."

Many home furnaces have the fire inside the living space, and carbon monoxide is a problem. It's a completely different situation than an RV furnace that has the fire outside. Apples, meet oranges.