Odyssey 4x4 Posted June 19, 2014 Share Posted June 19, 2014 I tried using my furnace in my 87 Escaper while camping in single digit temperatures. The furnace lights and runs fine and blows hot air. What I am worried about is the strong smell that comes from the air vent. I discovered this when using it and smelled the air coming straight from the furnace and it burned my eyes and nose. I immediately shut it off and bought an electric heater. I know this sounds like CO poisoning potential, but my CO alarm didn't go off. I even held it directly in front of the air vent with the heater running. I have heard people say the burners can get "gummed up." Any advice for me before I pull it apart? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I tried using my furnace in my 87 Escaper while camping in single digit temperatures. The furnace lights and runs fine and blows hot air. What I am worried about is the strong smell that comes from the air vent. I discovered this when using it and smelled the air coming straight from the furnace and it burned my eyes and nose. I immediately shut it off and bought an electric heater. I know this sounds like CO poisoning potential, but my CO alarm didn't go off. I even held it directly in front of the air vent with the heater running. I have heard people say the burners can get "gummed up." Any advice for me before I pull it apart? If you are sure the smell is coming from the furnace and not a duct (if you have any) - I'd suspect a hole in the heat-exchanger. I've worked on many furnaces in houses with holes burnt in the exchangers. Bad smell and often does not set off CO detectors. CO itself has no odor. You can pull the burner assembly out of the furnace and look inside to see much of the heat exchanger walls. If there are holes - you'll probably see them. I just threw out a Suburban NT16 that had holes. In regard to burners getting gummed up? I've see many get plugged. Especially by mud wasps. That can cause incomplete combustion and an odd smell from the exhaust. Not in the hot-air duct though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
linda s Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 If you haven't used the furnace in a long time they do smell horrible. Hasn't killed me yet. I run mine for a while before I take a trip. You can open the outside door and clean it up some and make sure the outside vent is clear. I still need to replace the duct work on my Toyota. Did my Nissan cause it was ripped up and man it was filthy in there. I just try not to think about how dirty my Toyota duct work must be Linda S Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odyssey 4x4 Posted June 20, 2014 Author Share Posted June 20, 2014 I have used the furnace once since buying the Toyota over a year ago and have no clue to its use from prior owners. This furnace is a single slide in unit that sits under my closet and blows out of its metal vent so I do not believe it has any vent work. I will pull it out and see how she looks. I'm sure I will find something out of the ordinary. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WME Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Follow Linda's advice and let it run with the door open. Year old dust stinks bad when you first start a heater that has been sitting for awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnptld Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I just use the Mr. Buddy heater. Sips propane. No electricity used. No CO issues. Just leave windows cracked, and you'll be toasty warm all night. I'd remove the original heater if I didn't risk lowering the resale value one day. Incidentally, I have two CO detectors at the front and rear of my Dolphin. The only time it has ever registered over .01PPM was with the water heater running. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 I just use the Mr. Buddy heater. Sips propane. No electricity used. No CO issues. Just leave windows cracked, and you'll be toasty warm all night. I'd remove the original heater if I didn't risk lowering the resale value one day. Incidentally, I have two CO detectors at the front and rear of my Dolphin. The only time it has ever registered over .01PPM was with the water heater running. Crack a window open in a camper when it's 0 to 20 F outside and Mr.Buddy certainly won't keep my camper "toasty warm." I'm not so sure about the "sipping" part either. Any propane heater/furnace is going to burn a pound of gas to make 22,000 BTUs of heat. Mr.Buddy or an Olympic Wave first sends all that heat inside the camper but also requires a window open to let some of that same heat escape (and cold air come in). A forced-air furnace will take 75-80% of the heat made and send it inside - while the rest gets vented out the chimney. - and no window needs to be open. I have nothing against so-called "non vented" heaters. Got several of them in two of my houses. I'd never go to sleep with one running though. Not even in a house, and I'd be less apt in a confined space like an RV. Most if not all 9000-10,000 BTU "non-vented" heaters require fresh air venting via a hole in the wall if installed in places with 450- 500 cubic feet of living space or less. Even more restrictive if that living space is "tight." We've got CO detectors in all our houses and RVs. Never had a bad reading yet with any heater. The problem is - when something goes wrong, CO goes up, and you're sleeping - often you don't get a 2nd chance to talk about it later. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 The furnace outside duct is coaxial it sends out burn gas (lots of stuff you don't want to breath) and brings in makeup air for the furnace so it does not suck air from inside the camper up. They are safer than any portable heater other than an electric one. If you smell stuff inside that you do outside then there is a problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paulnptld Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Crack a window open in a camper when it's 0 to 20 F outside and Mr.Buddy certainly won't keep my camper "toasty warm." I'm not so sure about the "sipping" part either. Any propane heater/furnace is going to burn a pound of gas to make 22,000 BTUs of heat. Mr.Buddy or an Olympic Wave first sends all that heat inside the camper but also requires a window open to let some of that same heat escape (and cold air come in). A forced-air furnace will take 75-80% of the heat made and send it inside - while the rest gets vented out the chimney. - and no window needs to be open. I have nothing against so-called "non vented" heaters. Got several of them in two of my houses. I'd never go to sleep with one running though. Not even in a house, and I'd be less apt in a confined space like an RV. Most if not all 9000-10,000 BTU "non-vented" heaters require fresh air venting via a hole in the wall if installed in places with 450- 500 cubic feet of living space or less. Even more restrictive if that living space is "tight." We've got CO detectors in all our houses and RVs. Never had a bad reading yet with any heater. The problem is - when something goes wrong, CO goes up, and you're sleeping - often you don't get a 2nd chance to talk about it later. I have a lot of experience with this one since my Dolphin was also a ski chalet last winter. Nearly 200 hours on a 20lb tank of propane. 1/2 the heat from conventional propane heaters gets blown outside the RV. Go stand next to the heater vent the next time it's running. Running my Big Buddy at 9,000BTUs actually left the interior too hot...and the outside air temp was 14 degrees. Incidentally, there have been deaths from traditional propane heaters in RVs as well...both from CO and from fires. The only downside worth noting is that these heaters do produce water vapor when running, which tends to condense on cold surfaces, particularly windows. Finally, blower propane heaters just don't seem to work that well when a coach battery goes dead on you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zero Posted June 20, 2014 Share Posted June 20, 2014 Nearly 200 hours on a 20lb tank of propane. 1/2 the heat from conventional propane heaters gets blown outside the RV. 50% loss is very incorrect. Just about all RV forced-air furnaces waste 25-30% of heat out the chimney just like many household furnaces do. 50% is silly. My Suburban NT20 is rated 19000 BTUs input (that is total heat it makes and 14,500 BTUs output (heat that goes inside the camper). I.e. 4500 BTUs out the chimney. 76% efficient and has 24% loss. NOT 50% as you claim. In regard to your heater making 9000 BTUs of heat for 200 hours on a 20 lb. tank? Impossible. Not unless you've got some special gas from outer space. Takes a pound of propane to make 22,000 BTUS of heat. That is 2.2 hours per pound @ 9000 BTUs. If your tank is filled at 18 pounds - that gives a run time of 40 hours. Even Mr. Buddy himself does not agree with you. Look in your manual. 9000 BTU Mr.Buddy is rated to run 48 hours on a full 20 lb. tank. In regard to deaths? I have no figures on how many people have been killed by CO with modern forced-air propane furnaces in RVs. With my own eyes I've yet to read even one account but I assume it's happened somewhere. I know of many such deaths with unvented propane heaters in hunting shacks and small homes. That's why they are illegal in some states and banned in all of Canada. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob C Posted June 29, 2014 Share Posted June 29, 2014 I agree with Linda and WME. I run my furnace for about 15 minutes with the door open before every trip that could get cold and require the furnace. I have an Escaper also and rely on my furnace several trips every year. I trust the furnace as long as I have a good smoke/CO detector on board. Here in WI, we loose hunters and fishermen every year due to unvented or improperly installed LP heaters. Most of the deaths are caused by older units without built in oxygene depletion detectors that shut the heater down if the O2 level starts to drop. When LP is burned, it uses oxygen and the exhaust is water vapor and carbon dioxide. When the oxygen level drops, the exhaust turns to carbon monoxide which is poisonous. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 I often wonder about O2 sensors in portable heaters how much is too little? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek up North Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 "In 1983 all gas space heaters were required by U.S. government regulations to be equipped with an OXYGEN DEPLETION SYSTEM (ODS). The ODS pilot burner is a highly sensitive device which is designed to shut off a heating appliance if the oxygen level in an area falls below 18%. The standard oxygen level is 21%." http://www.heaterradiants.com/Bulletin.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maineah Posted June 30, 2014 Share Posted June 30, 2014 OK now I trust them less! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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