It can be very tempting when you come home to a cold house in the evening to fire up a propane heater in the room you will be spending most of the evening in to get it warm. That's fine as long as you observe some of the safety essentials that go along with using one of these heaters indoors.
Understanding the Dangers
The common mistake people make is to close the door and make sure the windows are tightly closed, essentially sealing off the room from drafts and any way of cold outside air getting in. That may be fine if you're heating the room with an electric heater, or a fitted wood burning or gas heater that is vented to the outside.
However, in many cases people are using portable indoor propane heaters that are vent free, meaning they do not vent any unburned or exhaust gas to the outside. And that means the gas stays in the room and builds up in the atmosphere over time.
In new models and those that have been serviced regularly, this is often not so much of a problem as the level of carbon monoxide gas emissions, which is the main danger to be aware of, are generally fairly low. But in older units and those that have not been serviced recently, more of the fuel is not completely and efficiently burned and greater levels of carbon monoxide are given off.
What's So Bad About Carbon Monoxide?
When this gas (CO) is inhaled an any great quantity, such as by standing at the roadside where there is busy automobile traffic, smoking tobacco or being in a sealed room with an old, inefficient gas heater that is not vented to the outside, the body is adversely affected. The inhalation of this gas causes the molecules to saturate the bloodstream, depriving the brain and internal organs of oxygen.
That's because the CO molecules are smaller than those of oxygen and are more easily absorbed by the blood. They attach themselves to the red blood cells and prevent oxygen molecules from doing so, creating oxygen starvation.
When your body becomes deprived of oxygen and saturated with carbon monoxide, you can lose consciousness and if the situation is not rectified over the next few hours, you can die. So you see this is extremely serious!
How Can You Tell If Your Propane Heater is Giving Off Carbon Monoxide?
The best way to test for high levels of carbon monoxide is to buy a CO alarm. These are similar to smoke alarms and are available in most hardware stores and supermarkets. They are quite inexpensive and can literally save your life!
If you don't have an alarm but are using a non-vented propane heater in your home, you can reduce the risk by not closing the door or leaving a window open slightly to let a little fresh air circulate around the room.
Early warning symptoms of carbon monoxide inhalation are drowsiness and a headache. If you experience these symptoms while occupying a room with an unvented propane heater, get up and open the door, go outside and breathe in some fresh air. Stop using the heater until you can get it serviced by a professional, or replace is with a new model.
In all cases, remember that portable heaters should be treated with due respect and safety should be uppermost in your mind. Be aware, be ready and be safe!
