Vented propane heater

[ljamies1]

Does anyone have any experience/ thoughts on vented propane heaters? I have used the vent-less and wont do that again (found the condensation and fumes most unpleasant).

Currently have a 12ft and building a 30 ft yurt. Each will have a wood stove as a primary heat source. I was hoping to have some kind of backup heat option on a thermostat to keep both yurts above freezing.

Plan on leaving dogs alone in one of them and need to keep them warm and not worry about Carbon Monoxide poising.

I have no allegiance to the propane industry, open to any alternative suggestions as a back-up to wood.

[Jafo]

I know Karl has one:

Merry Christmas! | littleyurtontheborderlands

He uses it for similar purposes and swears by it.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

Originally Posted by ljamies1

Does anyone have any experience/ thoughts on vented propane heaters?

I have no allegiance to the propane industry, open to any alternative suggestions as a back-up to wood.

Here is a link to a pellet stove that is very interesting it requires no electricity and will burn for up to 30 hours.

WiseWay Pellet Stoves - Stoves | Central Point, OR

For vented propane, we've had a customer use the Woodstock soapstone vented propane heaters. These also require no electricity, just a 9V battery for the ignitor.

Here's the link:

Mini...

[Jafo]

In the middle of a pellet crisis in this country right now lol. I just found a place that had some and they are only selling a max of 5 bags, per customer, per day.

http://wnep.com/2014/02/27/retailers...llet-shortage/

[Bob Rowlands]

I gotta be blunt and straight with you. It sounds like you are building your yurt off grid, and uninspected, or the details of the propane heater would be worked out before the plan was stamped by the building dept.

If that's the case, realize the risk. If there is no

heating

professional involved on the heater install sorting out what is safe, you are absolutely taking the safety of occupants and your investment into your own hands. No to mention the public if you cause a fire that spreads elsewhere.

Fire safety is a REAL big responsibility here in the U.S.. This isn't Tibet, Mongolia, or Nepal. Please carefully consider what you are planning to do.

I am unfamiliar with propane heaters that aren't the typical 'construction salamanders' that run off a propane bottle. I can say with certainty that if you have a portable propane heater that needs to exhaust combustion air to the outside, anchor the unit and the supply tank so it can't possibly move, and make sure any supply piping is installed so it will not leak. Make certain you have sufficient make up air to the firebox. Do NOT install any unit into a doghouse sized box to 'cover it up', for example. It takes ALOT of air to deliver btus to even a small residential furnace.

Make certain all combustion gas exits the yurt. Securely mount the vent pipe. To preclude blowback into the furnace, mount the vent pipe out the yurt well away from the dwelling, at a MINIMUM of two feet above the apex of the roof, if the exhaust pipe is less than 10' from the roof apex.

Not trying to throw a towel on your plan. Not knowing anything about the unit youi are planning to install might make what I've said here inapplicable. But whatever you do, think carefully before proceeding.

[Bob Rowlands]

I forgot to mention, I live in Colorado Springs. There have been about 1000 homes lost to fire here in the last couple years. The fire codes, they are getting WAY more stringent. Just sayin.

[Surely Yurts - Steve]

We need more local pellet sources for wood pellets, obviously.

Any local sawmill could buy a pellet mill to convert their sawdust into wood pellets for market.

This would be a good business idea for anyone in timber country (with access to lots of cheap sawdust), a few grand for the pellet mill and you are in business.

Just sayins' all

[Jafo]

I know one of the sawmill owners up here and he sells his sawdust, they come and pick it up. Just easier for him. I would imagine it probably goes towards local pellet production. We just had a really long cold winter this year and they hadn't stocked up enough for it.