Portable Propane water heater inside RV

[Peter_n_Margaret]

That monitor is showing CO2 levels, not CO.
Very different.
High CO2 slows you down but is not poisonous.
CO kills you.
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[chet6.7]

It is important to know what is being monitored, CO and high CO2 can both kill you.

'' Severe Symptoms​

Severe hypercapnia can cause noticeable and distressing effects. Unlike mild hypercapnia, the body is incapable of restoring CO2 balance, which can lead to urgent symptoms:

• Acute paranoia, depression, or confusion
• Coma
• Dilation (widening) of blood vessels in the skin
• Fainting
• Hyperventilation
• Panic attack
• Respiratory failure
• Seizure
• Swelling of the optic nerve (papilledema)

Severe cases of hypercapnia can lead to respiratory failure and coma if left untreated. Call 911 if you experience any of these symptoms.''

 

[llamalander]

How hard is it to put the heater outside (or in a box outside) and supply & deliver the water from the inside? Worth challenging some braincells with that before you snuff them-

 

[DirtWhiskey]

If I remember correctly a small tankless unit burns 30k BTU. Your typical dometic stovetop probably outputs less than 4k BTU per burner. So even when running all your burners you are burning way less than the tankless heater. Get monitors and alarms for any inside propane use and be sure to ventilate when burning anything. Don't die, that's rule number one. It happens alllll the time.

 

[ProdigalSon]

Anytime someone mentions the word propane, everyone suddenly dies all the time.

The guy wants to heat some water - not run the car in the garage and take a nap.

Get your propane instant water heater, exercise caution (read common f* sense), and be happy with your choice and means to do so.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

Anytime someone mentions the word propane, everyone suddenly dies all the time.

The guy wants to heat some water - not run the car in the garage and take a nap.

Get your propane instant water heater, exercise caution (read common f* sense), and be happy with your choice and means to do so.

A 30k to 50k BTU burner chews up a lot of oxygen in a small enclosed space to say nothing of CO.. But yea chill bro. It's party time.

 

[ITTOG]

You do you and ignore everyone else. Propane is like Ford vs Chevy, Microsoft vs Apple, etc. Have a monitor and be happy showering inside, and possibly wiping down the walls when done if you like a hot shower.

We find this handy:

View attachment 810070

Aranet

aranet.com

Thanks for that link. I have not seen those. I was excited until I found it didn't test CO. That is much more of an issue than CO2. Hopefully you have a separate CO monitor.

 

[Trail Talk]

Thanks for that link. I have not seen those. I was excited until I found it didn't test CO. That is much more of an issue than CO2. Hopefully you have a separate CO monitor.

Yes, this is more of an enhancement for monitoring indoor air quality/humidity, not a replacement for a carbon monoxide detector. Sorry for the confusion, I’ve edited my typos in previous post.

 

[ProdigalSon]

A 30k to 50k BTU burner chews up a lot of oxygen in a small enclosed space to say nothing of CO.. But yea chill bro. It's party time.

okay i concede bro

to the OP:
Do NOT heat water in your camper. YOU WILL DIE!
Do NOT use intelligence to stay alive YOU WILL DIE!

 

[AbleGuy]

…when running all your (cookstove) burners you are burning way less than the tankless heater. Get monitors and alarms for any inside propane use and be sure to ventilate when burning anything.

As advised here, having a propane alarm too is wise, despite thinking you wouldn’t need one because you would smell the rotten eggs stink before any gas leak got too bad.

Our Tiger was factory built with purposeful safety redundancy. It has a separate hard wired propane leak sensor/alarm near the floor and a ceiling mounted battery powered carbon monoxide detector, plus a combo, hard wired propane/CO detector on a side wall.

This redundancy probably partly was done to placate lawyers and insurance companies. But nonetheless, it all seems like cheap protection.

 

[Panulhos]

Honestly, even with short burn times, I wouldn't risk it. Carbon monoxide is called the 'silent killer' for a reason. Your RV is so small that any CO buildup could be deadly. I'd stick with an outdoor shower setup for the portable water heater or explore upgrading your RV's existing water heater.

 

[Peter_n_Margaret]

Is carbon monoxide still a problem in the US? - USAFacts

Each year in the US, over 100,000 people visit an emergency room for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, with tens of thousands hospitalized.

usafacts.org

"Each year in the US, over 100,000 people visit an emergency room for accidental carbon monoxide poisoning, with tens of thousands hospitalized."
"In 2022, 1,244 people in the US died from carbon monoxide poisoning, according to provisional CDC data. Of those deaths, 624 were accidental"
Cheers,
Peter
OKA196 motorhome

 

[Pntyrmvr]

Hmm.

624÷320,000,000=?%

Do up your seat belts, put down the phone, and live.

CO death paranoia is low on my priority list. Steering clear of the impaired, stupid, and phone users is the real priority.

 

[86scotty]

Agreed. There are so many things that can go wrong when you combine a vehicle and a house.

Just think of the smorgasboard of madness in your typical RV. By this I mean everything from a truck camper to a diesel pusher, and the thought of a home built RV based on what Guido taught you on Youtube ups the ante.

- Fiberglass/wood shell mated to vehicle chassis/trailer frame by someone VERY far from an automotive engineer, though I'm sure they would argue
- Automotive AND residential wiring also not designed or installed by an actual automotive engineer, rattling down the road, or worse yet trail
- Multiple fuel sources and tanks. Gasoline, diesel, propane, improperly vented off gassing FLA batteries
- Open flame cooking devices
- Often uninsulated heater ducting
- Incandescent light bulbs everywhere (until recently)
- All of this in a box made of kindling, light fabrics, foam and fiberglass.

What could go wrong?

Yes, I buy, sell, build and use all kinds of campers but I put a CO/propane detector in them pretty quickly when I get them.

 

[Pntyrmvr]

And then still accept the fact that you're sleeping in a tinderbox and just get on with living.

Sheesh. Better odds of an accident within 5 miles of home than CO poisoning and death while snoozing in the bush.