ventless gas heater question

I'm trying to understand how a ventless gas heater works. What happens to all of the comustion gasses? from what I've managed to find out, the heaters don't require *any* venting to the outside, so all of the exhaust must just go into the room..... This doesn't make sense to me. What happens to the Co and CO2?
thanks --JD

The Co goes into your lungs if your house doesnt expel it naturaly through its air cycles. If your house is tight , more so. Yes they have high Co shutoffs, but things break. Personaly I would not have one.

j.duprie wrote:
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All houses allow for some air exchange. Your own body exhales CO and CO².
A properly working heater has little CO. It is not much of a problem, however they don't always work properly. I believe all of them sold in the US must have a monitor to shut it down if the CO gets too high. However it can fail. Personally I would not have one. I have experienced CO once and was lucky. I don't want to do it again. Life is too short to take a chance like that with out a good reason.
Good Luck
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"j.duprie" wrote:
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A ventless natural gas heater burns CH4, and produces mostly water (H2O) and carbon Dioxide (CO2). It releases both of those, and tiny bits of carbon and nitrous oxides into the house, depending on normal air-exchanges to swap those with outside air before they get to dangerous levels. Carbon DIOXIDE isn't poisonous, particularly, you're more likely to die because the burner used up all the available free oxygen in the house than because of an overdose of CO2. Unless there's something wrong with the unit, it doesn't produce enough carbon MONOXIDE to matter. I don't like the things, but that's because they give me headaches, which I suspect is the mercaptan, (the oderant), not the gas.

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The assumption is that combustion is almost complete with very little CO or CO2. It also assumes you have adequate air available for complete combustion. CO is produced by an oxygen starved flame. Most have a sensor and will shut down if oxygen is low. Many localities do not permit them to be used in a sleeping area, and in some localities they can't be used at all. Check your local codes. Don't used in a tightly sealed home.
Bob

rck wrote:
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You did not really mean that part about CO² did you? :-)
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This is Turtle.
If the heater or burner -- burns completely all the fuel you put into it. It will produce little or no CO or air born carbon. If the flames don't burn all the fuel. You get CO / Carbon mixed in the air for you to breath in and mess you up. Now the Van Guard or other Panel Ray open heater burn at temp.s of 3,000ºF+ which burns 99.998% of all the fuel you put in it and have very little carbon to put in your house. The .002% of the unburnt fuel waisted comes from the pilot lite which has a blue flame and is not fuel effecient or hot enough to burn everything but the burner or panels of the flame is 100% fuel effencient . These heater require no venting for they don't produce enough CO or carbon for the air to be call not good air to breath. If the heater is 100% fuel efficent you don't need to vent it but do need a O2 sencer on it to cut it off if O2 gets low in your home.
TURTLE

TURTLE wrote:
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3000F? I dont think so. 800 or 900 degrees maybe but no way its 3000F. Even if you inject liquid oxygen i doubt you could get a 3000 degree flame from natural gas. Eric

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This is Turtle.
Earth to Eric --- First your confussing flame heat with Radiant heat. They are two different area as to producing heat. I do know your confussed for a cigerette lighter burns at 1,200ºF No referrence here.
then a have a plumber B-Tank torch with no oxygen burns at 3,000ºC Referrence here : http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1998/JamesDanyluk.shtml
Then you have a Oxygen / Axce rigs that burn at 3,480ºC and that is more than 3,450ºF
Refrerrence here: http://hypertextbook.com/facts/2002/AnthonyCheedie.shtml
Now i have not listed the heat produced from Natural gas but here is a heat of a candle that is far less ability to heat than from natural gas fort the candle temperature is 1,400ºC and here is another referrence for it below. The Candle at 1,400ºC is much hotter than 1,400ºF
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/1999/JaneFisher.shtml
Now you can referrence the different temperature of flames and types of flames at this website for you catch up on temperature of flames and not think 800ºF or 900ºF is very hot. Sorry to bust your bubble but hey i had to say it.
http://hypertextbook.com/facts/index-topics.shtml
TURTLE