I grew up with coal furnaces, wood stoves, oil heaters, and gas kitchen stoves, NONE of which used outside air for combustion.
My first RVs had propane wall heaters that had outside exhaust, but inside combustion air, AND had propane lamps on the wall, with NO CO detectors!
In fact, there were no detectors of any kind!
How DID we survive!
Actually, quite well, thank you.
Yes, the danger is real. But, the risk is minimal. The most common thing in a modern RV would be a crack in the heat exchanger of the furnace (just like the gas furnace in your home!) It would appear that that is a very UNcomomon occurrence, though.
CM1, USN (RET)
2002 Fleetwood Southwind 32V, Ford V10
Toad: 2006 Jeep Rubicon LJ
Other toad: '06 PT Cruiser, Kar Kaddy dolly
Toy: 1977 Dodge W100 CC SWB, 3/4 ton axles & springs
"When seconds count, help is only minutes away!"
I switched to a electric heater when we have shore power. The furnace would wake me up throughout the night every time it would kick on. Plus it's cheaper to run. As for threat of gas poisoning I think it s been covered.
I grew up with coal furnaces, wood stoves, oil heaters, and gas kitchen stoves, NONE of which used outside air for combustion.
My first RVs had propane wall heaters that had outside exhaust, but inside combustion air, AND had propane lamps on the wall, with NO CO detectors!
In fact, there were no detectors of any kind!
How DID we survive!
Actually, quite well, thank you.
Yes, the danger is real. But, the risk is minimal. The most common thing in a modern RV would be a crack in the heat exchanger of the furnace (just like the gas furnace in your home!) It would appear that that is a very UNcomomon occurrence, though.
Well said Mower. I'm sure I'm not the only one that remembers propane mantel lamps in our trailer. Unvented at that.
~ Too many freaks & not enough circuses ~
"Life is not tried ~ it is merely survived ~ if you're standing
outside the fire"
CO poisonings from propane appliances are vanishingly rare. Nearly all above-ground CO-related deaths are a result of fossil fuel (gas, diesel, charcoal) poisoning, and as pointed out above generators are a growing problem source.
Your neighbor's generator fumes getting sucked in to your rig pose a greater threat than a (properly functioning) propane appliance of any kind.
" Not every mind that wanders is lost. " With apologies toJ.R.R. Tolkien
We have always used a plug in 120 volt CO/explosive gas monitor AND a ceiling battery powered CO monitor. Same with smoke detectors. Small price to pay for a lot better protection and peace of mind.
Same with our house.
My posts shouldn't be taken for factual data. They are purely fictional, for entertainment purposes and should not be constituted as actually related to scientific, technical, engineering, legal, spiritual or practical advice. Amen.
I agree with Skipnchar...test your CO detector and make sure your furnace, water heater and fridge are burning properly.
I had a bug crawl up the air/gas tube in my water heater on our last outing. It caused the heater to burn poorly and the side of the TT was covered in soot by the time I noticed it. I'm sure it was making CO...and thank god it's in a sealed outside compartment.
As several have said, there are dangers, but not from the RV furnace, at least no more than in a home.
But generator exhaust has been known to get into RV's and kill. Also you really should open a window or vent a bit when using the stove or oven, especially if used for extended periods of time.
One added point. Some folks use catalytic stand alone heaters when boondocking. These heaters, at least all I've seen, very clearly warn the user to leave the window open, as several people die every year by using those types of heaters in an enclosed space.
Have fun out there!
Chuck
Wonderful Wife
Australian Shepherd
2010 Ford Expedition TV
2010 Outback 230RS Toybox, 5390# UVW, 6800# Loaded Not yet camped in Hawaii, 2 Canada Provinces, & 2 Territories I can't be lost because I don't care where this lovely road is going
We use a ceramic heater. Not because of CO poisoning, but because we have kids with asthma, and the furnace fire just bothers them. In any case, it supplies a very generous amount of heat for our 26 foot trailer, even in the "master bedroom" that has pocket doors on either side of a center wall for the swivily TV thingie (yes, that's the technical term for it). We do leave those pocket doors open, of course.
I think that 2 CO detectors is a good idea. Actually testing a CO detector is hard to do. When you press the button, you're just testing to see if the noise maker and battery are functioning. To test a smoke detector, you need to put smoke under it and see if it goes off. Likewise, to test a CO detector, you need to expose it to CO and see what happens. Since your CO detector is a part of your trailer and can't be removed to, for example, your garage while a car is running, you never really know for sure if it's functioning well. Having two makes things safer.
Lilliputian wrote: We use a ceramic heater. Not because of CO poisoning, but because we have kids with asthma, and the furnace fire just bothers them. In any case, it supplies a very generous amount of heat for our 26 foot trailer, even in the "master bedroom" that has pocket doors on either side of a center wall for the swivily TV thingie (yes, that's the technical term for it). We do leave those pocket doors open, of course.
I think that 2 CO detectors is a good idea. Actually testing a CO detector is hard to do. When you press the button, you're just testing to see if the noise maker and battery are functioning. To test a smoke detector, you need to put smoke under it and see if it goes off. Likewise, to test a CO detector, you need to expose it to CO and see what happens. Since your CO detector is a part of your trailer and can't be removed to, for example, your garage while a car is running, you never really know for sure if it's functioning well. Having two makes things safer.
Why would a sealed combustion chamber and fully vented furnace bother anyone inside a trailer?
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