Have you stayed overnight at zero deg?

[nothermark]

I'm not surprised at all about how much heat you get out of the furnace vent. It's probably around 15-20% of the furnace output loaded with all the combustion byproducts. The furnace puts out a significant amount of heat for a relatively short period compared to your catalytic heater. The furnace cycles while the catalytic sits there putting out a steady smaller stream of heat plus the byproducts. I'd say that the heat averages out over time but you are heating less space so it does not. You also need supplemental electric when it gets colder. I think you would get to the furnace if it got to zero as the OP asked.

If it works for you in milder temperatures that your call. I'd figure out how to keep the furnace happy if I was dealing long term with the cold but that is simply different strokes for different folks. ;-)

[ALLOY]

[QUOTE=SkiSmuggs;3980057]I have some issues with the previous post. If an entire family was recently killed by a propane heater, why hasn't there been any news and the most recent story is 2011?
[/QUOTE


I don't know why people spent their money on heaters. A cheaper way to put one's health at risk is to lite the stove and oven leaving the door open. As long as the flame is ALL BLUE (no yellow) there is no CO being emitted.

As a catalytic heater ages it emits more CO.

CO is just one of many chemicals emitted by burning propane

Mr. Heater and Wave heaters cannot be used indoors in Maine, California or Canada.

An unknown number of people are poisoned every year.

People are subject to long term poisoning >20ppm in 8hrs because household CO detectors don't alarm until 40ppm. A level that is not acceptable in the workplace.

Capitano Family Dies from Possible Carbon Monoxide Poisoning | PEOPLE.com

Propane Heater, Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Blamed For Death Of 3 Hunters

Carbon monoxide poisoning likely caused death of rural BC family of four | Vancouver Sun

https://globalnews.ca/news/3779565/c...ronto-seniors/

Carbon monoxide suspected in 2 Dayton deaths

Death ruled carbon monoxide; Mom in critical condition - News - The Ledger - Lakeland, FL

https://carbonmonoxide.com/news

[SkiSmuggs]

Several stories about CO poisoning without indicating the source, or indicating no ventilation or CO detector. One was caused by a propane WATER heater; another did say propane heater but did not say what type, or whether indoor or outdoor. As I've said before, the Coleman outdoor only heater seems to be responsible for a lot of deaths. I've lived in a home with a Rinnai vented propane heater and there were warnings to keep the vent clear of obstructions such as snow. My oil boiler, used by about 6 million homes in New England could malfunction and put CO in the house. I have a CO detector in the room above it. As for using a stove, they consume far more oxygen than an indoor heater. Ventilation and CO detectors are vital to safe operation of ANY fueled heater.
BTW, one of the stories suggested that a generator may have been the culprit. When I mentioned to DW that I need a way to keep our home backup generator dry when needed, she suggested that I run it in the attached garage. WHAT? I've read stories of deaths from doing just that.
I just read more of the stories and it seems generators were the source of the CO, and a story at the end saying that one generator produces more CO than a parking lot full of cars because they have no emission standards.
When a story says they are investigating the source of the CO, you can be pretty sure there was no ventless propane heater on the floor, so it appears only one story may be related to a camp heater and we don't know if that is an indoor or outdoor camp heater.
Once again, ventilation and a CO detector! Generators and the built-in vented furnace are the main reason for CO detectors in our RVs.
Here is some information on vented and non-vented propane heaters. https://www.abe.iastate.edu/extensio...ances-aen-204/

[SkiSmuggs]

My first reaction to ALLOY's post was WOW! how did he find so many stories on deaths from a Mr Buddy. Then I read the first story and it was a "significant failure of the home heating system."
The second story was an unidentified propane heater (Coleman?) with no ventilation.
The third story was a propane water heater.
Fourth story investigating the source of the CO.
Fifth story is unidentified source of CO.
Sixth story is CO from a generator INSIDE the house!
And the last story is about the dangers of CO from generators.
What is proved is that CO is deadly. Mr Heater or Wave not so much.

[ALLOY]

Originally Posted by SkiSmuggs

https://www.abe.iastate.edu/extensio...ances-aen-204/

Excellent information. Wish people would post links like this when recommending the use of un-vented appliances indoors.

[SkiSmuggs]

Originally Posted by ALLOY

Excellent information. Wish people would post links like this when recommending the use of un-vented appliances indoors.

There is a company in the NW that installed direct-vent catalytic heaters on an outside wall. Product While it costs a lot more, it is a lot safer, but you still need working CO detectors because even the RV furnace can leach CO back into the RV with certain wind conditions and possibly cracking a window near the vent.
The article from Iowa State U recommends unvented heaters as supplemental heat and I agree with that. My furnace acted up on a cold night in a Walmart parking lot and that is why I carry a Mr Heater. Run it to warm the RV up, then shut down at bed time and get under the covers. I am fine sleeping with the bedroom in the 40s.