Propane gas heater.....

[adauto]

Any HVAC guys here? I've got posts in a few other forums but havent found an answers. We use a "chimneyless" heater in our sales area as supplimental heat in the winter. Long story short this thing puts off enough fumes to knock you over. Yes its clean/blown out w compressed air. I'm guessing() its some kind of adjustment problem. Also been on places like fixya, poked around but really didnt find an answer. Anybody???

Visual aids are best.... its a Charmglo but looks just like this.... THANKS!

[Steve P.]

Sounds like your exhaust is not blowing out but coming in!! Does the pipe go straight out the wall or does it turn up? 

[adauto]

Steve, its a "chimneyless" heater, no venting kind of a a gas range.

[nvrbdn]

yea, thats the kind you just run a gas line to and fire up. havent been around them though and use torpedo heater in my garage.

[Steve P.]

I have never heard of a fireplace without some type of exhaust. As far as I know, without a chimney of sorts it will kill you!!! Like using a salamander inside or your gas grill.. THEY WILL KILL YOU!!!!  Can you post a brand and model number of this unit? I would like to see what exactly it says...

[nvrbdn]

i guess you google charmglo ventless 

[nvrbdn]

yep its charmglow and they are ventless or vent free.

[Steve P.]

Found this.... Sound like BS to me.... 

http://www.ventless-gas-heaters.com/charmglow-ventless-heaters.php

[adauto]

Found this.... Sound like BS to me.... 

http://www.ventless-gas-heaters.com/charmglow-ventless-heaters.php

yep, seen that before. Really dosen't tell me anything. I've tought about the "oxygen depletion" thing too . But the door to the shop is always open and customers are constantly in and out the front door.   

[PocketThunder]

I have one of those for my ice fishing shack.  I dont buy into the "ventless" part either, the exhaust has to go somewhere.  I keep a window open slightly in my fish house when we use it.

[adauto]

Guess what really puzzles me is we've always had a gas range. Thats not vented anywere... 

[nvrbdn]

true, but you have always been told to cook with it, not to use it for heat. even in campers you are told not to use those stoves as heat source.

[Steve P.]

^^^^^^^^^^^ Agreed.....

[Dans 68]

The combustion products from natural gas/propane are carbon dioxide (what you exhale) and water vapor (the fluffy stuff up in the sky). Oxygen is needed to make up what the heater is using. Crack a window or keep the shop door open and all will be fine. If there is a smell there may be something else burning.

Dan

[Silver R/T]

I have one of those propane shop heaters in garage. I usually open window a bit and have exhaust fans on the window.

[Steve P.]

All I can say is that I WILL NEVER use such a thing. It's the same as firing up the car in a closed garage. The CAR will survive!!!!!   

[Dans 68]

All I can say is that I WILL NEVER use such a thing. It's the same as firing up the car in a closed garage. The CAR will survive!!!!!   

Car exhaust contains CO (carbon monoxide) and other hydrocarbon nasties. There are none of these compounds in propane/natural gas combustion.

Dan

[nvrbdn]

yea, im just not sure about a heater without venting of some sort. but it sucks to be cold.

[adauto]

Still bangin' my head on this one,,, 

[Dans 68]

Think of it this way...a garage full of your car buddies, all drinking beer and eating chili. Your buddies are sucking up all the oxygen in the room (you open a window so it is not as stuffy), burping out their exhalations (you open a window so it is not as stinky) and probably adding more than a little methane (now you leave the garage). Your car buds have put out more airborne nasties than a propane/natural gas heater.  

Another example: I have a tent (not air-tight) that I use every winter with a propane heater. I use a fan to move the air through the tent.  No issues.

Dan  

[adauto]

Well Dan, I can definetly relate to the drinking beer /methane part. 

[J.Bond]

Best advice I can give you is, 2 wheel dolly it to the curb. One of the most important factors here is enviroment, if there is any chemicals used in your company or surounding area, as they pass thru the flame in the fireplace, chemical composition changes. example refrigerant, R22 R404 etc pretty stable and non toxic, however, if it passes thru flame, it changes to fossgene, hope it's spelled right( MUSTERED GAS ) absolutly harmfull. Here in Ontario, I don't believe chimney less appliances are allowed, the only place I have seen indoor venting is in greenhouse applications. I'am a comercial , industrial H.V.A.C.R. contractor, not residential so there might be a few products out there that I'am not aware of. If a fireplace is best for that location, just replace it with a vented model and be done with it

James.

[The70RT]

When everyone in your shop gets iratable and gets a headache you'll know why. If its ventless you will be cold or dead....eventually both if you don't vent. Those little contained oil heaters work OK. They work better with a fan behind them. No worries about venting.

[Tilar]

All I can say is that I WILL NEVER use such a thing. It's the same as firing up the car in a closed garage. The CAR will survive!!!!!   

Car exhaust contains CO (carbon monoxide) and other hydrocarbon nasties. There are none of these compounds in propane/natural gas combustion.

Dan

  There is a lot of difference between the two.

[4cruzin]

OK first thing I would check is make sure on the tag that it says propane/L.P. gas and not natural gas.  That would cause issues like you have indicated.  Is there a regulator in the gas line between the tank and the unit so that the unit gets the right amount of gas and the tank is not pushing too much into it?   

[nh_mopar_fan]

These thing usually require an in-line filter as well. I know that one I have does. Could that make a difference?

[adauto]

4C yes has a regulator and is supposed for natural of LP.

J Bond, thanks for the imput (being an HVAC man). They sell this "ventless" stuff in EVERY bigbox store around here. We had a vented one some years back. The shop got added onto and there went the place for the vent.  So ol BIGS (  ) figured ok we'll go chimneyless. PITA ever since.