Date: Tue, 3 Nov 1998 15:35:05 -0800
Reply-To: davidson <davidson@SIERRA.NET>
Sender: Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@vanagon.com>
From: davidson <davidson@SIERRA.NET>
Subject: Re: Catalytic Heaters.
Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1
Many of your statements come from fear rather than logic:
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> From: harald_nancy <harald_nancy@EARTHLINK.NET>
> To: vanagon@VANAGON.COM
> Subject: Re: Catalytic Heaters.
> Date: Tuesday, November 03, 1998 2:57 PM
>
> It is not safe to use a unvented catalytic heater
> in a enclosed space.
Not true. Thousands of them are sold to the RV people every year. They have
been tested and approved. I have tested mine with the slider window and
skylight open only and inch. Never got over 10 CO reading all night. CO
detectors trigger only after hours at a reading of over 50. I bet you get
more CO from using your propane stove burners for 1/2 hour than the
unvented catalytic heater all night. Not to mention the exhaust you breath
from your van in the garage or other vehicles on the freeway. A reading of
10 is very clean! Even a candle would give off that.
> A unvented catalytic heater will work ok for those who camp
> in a relatively warm place and use it more like a campfire, with
> lots of ventilation.
Well, I tested it one freezing night at Lake Tahoe and got it up to 80
degrees inside the van. Too warm for me to sleep.
> I found that a unvented catalytic heater can give me a terrible
> headache if it stays on all night, even with a window partly open.
Maybe. It could have been the propane stove top burners. Or candles, or
engine exhaust or something else.
> In addition one loses almost as much heat as you gain from
> the necessary cross-ventilation.
How did I get it up to 80 degrees then?
> Basically if one is serious about winter camping in a northern
> climate, any unvented heater is a pretty useless health hazard.
> Discovered this by trial and error.
Not many people want to camp in serious winter weather anyway. But
considering my experience above, we certainly have different results.
> The only vented catalytic heater on the market, the platinum
> cat, is totally safe and comfortable to use in a small closed and
> insulated space, since it does not release any combustion
> by-products into the surrounding air.
Misleading. Nothing is totally safe. Even your natural gas forced air at
home can give off dangerous CO if not adjusted properly. The only way to
know it to test with a CO meter. Even vented installations should be tested
periodically. Especially with vehicle vibration.
> The forced-air ventilation from the platinum cat does not
> create any cold drafts. I found that enough air enters the
> camper through the front dashboard vents, for the platinum cat to
> operate safely.
> To compare a unvented catalytic heater with a vented catalytic
> heater is kind of like comparing a smoky campfire with an
> airtight modern wood stove. Which one would you
> prefer in your living room?
An unvented catalytic heater creating a reading of less than 10 CO is
hardly a smoky fire. You are stretching your credibility here. You are very
biased in your report.
> I am probably somewhat biased, since my platinum cat
> vented heater has given me more than 10 years
Have you ever put a CO meter to it? Perhaps you should after 10 years!!
of faithful
> service in several vanagons.
> Harald
> 90 westy.
Just an attempt to give a more rational view.
Bill
90 Westy Syncro
Lake Tahoe
