Thoughts on using a gasmate heater in tent awning

Submitted: Thursday, Jun 30, 2011 at 21:07

ThreadID: 87308 Views:3291 Replies:6 FollowUps:3

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Trev6

Hi All ,

Has anyone used one of those gasmate heaters (the one's that screw on top of the bottle) in a tent awning?.

what I am thinking of doing is putting our 2 RV5's up with awnings facing each other with the peaked side panels on one side only thus creating like a 3 sided room between the 2 tents and would like to use one of the above mentioned heaters to warm the area while keeping in mind the saftey issues of cause.

Has anyone tried this sort of setup with tents and how much heat will the unit put out, also any other issues that I should consider would be appreciated

Thanks
regards
Trev6

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Reply By: Member - John C (INT) - Thursday, Jun 30, 2011 at 23:14

Thursday, Jun 30, 2011 at 23:14

Hi Trev6 we used one of those heaters in our Cavalier camper they work well and if used with a lot of care should work well in your awning. We had a 3kg cylinder that was short with a large base this made it quite stable and we never had any trouble with it. Do not place near flapping tent side ECT or where there are children or pets. John C

AnswerID: 458912

Reply By: MrBitchi (QLD) - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 09:06

Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 09:06

If you have one open side you'll have no problems. Main issue with these types of heater in an enclosed area is they burn up all the available oxygen, replacing it with co2. You go to sleep and don't wake up..
If one side of your awning is open that can't happen.

AnswerID: 458937

Follow Up By: Crispy Bacon - Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 10:13

Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 10:13

Carbon monoxide CO and nitrogen dioxide NO2 are also big risks (http://www.health.nsw.gov.au/factsheets/environmental/gas_heaters_fs.html). Coleman did have a range of gas heaters with catalytic converters that would convert the CO and NO2 to safer gases that were suitable for use in tents (well ventilated) but I don't think they're approved anymore.
Back on topic, I would guess that a heater would be safe to use with one side open (similar to using one on your verandah at home) there would be more than enough eddying even in still air to ensure adequate removal of toxic gasses.

FollowupID: 732555

Follow Up By: Zebra400 - Thursday, Jul 07, 2011 at 08:46

Thursday, Jul 07, 2011 at 08:46

We have one of the Coleman heaters with the catalytic convertor. It works well and keeps our tent reasonably warm. Wind is a problem, as the tent cools pretty quickly if the wind blows into the tent.

We have had no issues of feeling sleepy.

Laurie

Zebra400

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Reply By: Trev6 - Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 21:39

Friday, Jul 01, 2011 at 21:39

Thanks fo the replies, I will have to see what I can organise

trev6

AnswerID: 458991

Reply By: Crackles - Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 10:03

Saturday, Jul 02, 2011 at 10:03

My experience is that on very cold nights these heaters barely raise the temperature at all inside a tent as most is lost through the walls. They are nice to sit around for radiant heat but don't expect the tent to be toasty warm. Safety wise you just need to have a stable base to sit the bottle on, leave some ventilation and I certainly wouldn't be running it overnight while you're asleep. I find it far better to wear thermals and a beannie to keep warm.
Cheers Craig.. . . .... .

AnswerID: 459005

Reply By: isabel d - Tuesday, Jul 05, 2011 at 17:36

Tuesday, Jul 05, 2011 at 17:36

Hi rev6,

One of my friends use gas mate heaters.He said it can produce upto 5000 BTU heat to warm your room and also great for stability issue and variable temperature controlling system. Atthough if u consider low price its ok. But i personally recommend you patio heater if you have little high budget..

Thks
reply me what you think about it???
http://www.outdoordesignershade.com.au/awnings.html

AnswerID: 459250

Reply By: Fatso - Wednesday, Jul 06, 2011 at 23:31

Wednesday, Jul 06, 2011 at 23:31

To each his own. But for me I won't use a heater in a tent. Except maybe a hot water bottle.
I can't help but be concerned about the fire risk.
We just rug up.

AnswerID: 459339