I have a double burner propane heater I've been using to heat the garage/shop for quite some time. I've grown tired of the smell. Does anyone have other recommendations? A wood stove isn't an option since vehicles are in there at night. The other restriction is that I only have 120 volts. Of course the ultimate answer would be to have a dedicated shop, but...
Why does propane smell? Al that should be coming out of it is water and CO2. The water part has its own problems, though, particularly if it's not continually heated.
I use an electric radiator heater that is 120v and it works well in an non-insulated 2-car garage. It's not going to get it 80 degrees in 20 minutes like my kerosene heater does, but once it's warm, it'll keep it there.
snipped-for-privacy@notreal.com on Mon, 12 Nov 2018 21:56:05 -0500 typed in rec.woodworking the following:
Don't forget the "oderizer" added to propane so you can smell if there is a leak.
I really like the $100 kerosene heater I bought at Northern last year.
which is $40 less than the BORGs.
Are you planning to stay in-place for some period of time? If so, it might be cost-effective to have a 240V service installed. It opens up all sorts of possibilities beyond heating. I have a 4kW ceiling-mount heater installed in my shop/garage and it does a great job of keeping everything comfortable. I was lucky enough to be able to excavate in the ceiling of the room next door and revive a 45A 240V circuit that was there to serve the long-gone ceiling heat system but had it not been there I would have been glad to run new wires just for the heater.
You need a better propane heater. I get no odor from my Reddy Heater. You should get no odor from a proper running heater. I also us propane for the range in the house with no odor.
Are propane or kerosene heaters SAFE to use in enclosed spaces if the heate r is not vented to the outside air? I've always heard they were not safe i f not vented outside. And for the garage under consideration here, cutting a vent hole in the wall does not seem like a good idea. Unless its an una ttached garage building with no insulation so cutting a hole is real simple . I would not want to cut holes in the walls of my attached garage. Thus the reason electric heaters are popular.
Most are considered "clean burning." Look at the manufacturers warning pages and you'll see a list of "pollutants." They do give off some, but are considered low enough levels to be safe for indoor use. A typical gas stove does the same. They provide the typical warning for pregnant women, the elderly, small children, etc.
How about a heat pump? Something like this ...
How about a small furnace? An RV or motorhome furnace, or even a mobile home furnace - faiurly compact forced air externally vented so you don't smell the propane or natural gas odorants. Even an oil furnace.
I have 220v in my shop (no gas, LP or otherwise on the premises) and so was able to install a small electric unit that does a GREAT job of bringing the insulated shop up to 70 degrees from ~ 45 degrees which I've set as the minimum temp out there. We're on a "total electric" rate plan and it hasn't been a problem. Only problem I encountered was having to cut a hole in the wall for a 12K BTU through wall AC unit when SWMBO saw how comfy the shop was in the dead of winter. Said she, "Well, it only makes sense, you use the shop in the summer just as much if not more, why sweat in the summer?" Did I mention that she's a "Keeper?"
That said, I could have just as easily installed (for roughly the same price) the Pioneer split-system that Just Wondering mentions. I have the exact same unit in our 504 sq foot family room. It's cheap, so quiet you literally have to stand next to the air handler to hear it, and does a great job of heating and cooling.
If you can smell the mercaptan, there *is* a leak. If the burner is working properly, there is no smell. I have propane logs in my living room and a propane cook top. Neither stink.
Yes, "ventless" heaters and fireplaces (and logs for same) have been available for a long time. They're perfectly safe. Of course, CO detectors should be installed in any building where there is combustion, vented or not.
The same warning is on bottled water and don't forget the Prop-65 warning.
snipped-for-privacy@notreal.com on Tue, 13 Nov 2018 21:08:40 -0500 typed in rec.woodworking the following:
It has been a while since I had the heater going inside the shop. Right now, things are cluttered enough, I'm not sure I want any kind of flame going. B-) So I can't say if there is some other kind of smell resulting from burning propane. My other issue is the noise, but between freezing and not being able to hear the radio "How do you like your coffee?"
My experience with propane powered cars is if they run rich they stink and if they run lean enough to misfire they stink worse. Set up properly there is virtually no stink. Your burner is likely running "orange" instead of blue-white.
Clare Snyder on Wed, 14 Nov 2018 02:04:49 -0500 typed in rec.woodworking the following:
Hard to say. It is one of the Mr Heater" dual purpose (heat or cook). sorts, with a ceramic fireplace thing behind the meshwork, if I remember right.
" snipped-for-privacy@yahoo.com" on Tue, 13 Nov
2018 11:46:51 -0800 (PST) typed in rec.woodworking the following:Depends on what you mean by "safe". The issue is the build up of combustion products, particularly Carbon Dioxide. If you don't have adequate fresh air,* you may get a lot of incomplete combustion, leading to Carbon Monoxide production. While breathing CO2 is bad, CO is really bad to breath. Insidious in a manner that CO2 isn't.
tschus pyotr
*one of the drawbacks of modern 'airtight' energy efficient construction is the reduction in air exchange. Sure you used to have drafts, but you didn't have to worry about the heater not getting enough fresh air.
HTH
The stink could also be burning dust. If so, it should go away soon enough.
Noise? Wood makes a lot more noise than propane. OTOH, an open flame may not be such a good idea in a shop.
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