I might be the first - have one I use occasionally and keep tripping over the b****y thing ....
A few years ago I attended an indoor fair and as I stood talking to one of the stall holders I became very aware that one of my trouser legs was on fire. Somebody had placed a small camping type gas heater on the floor next to the stall and I just hadn't seen it. I was stood right next to it. Fortunately I had fire retardent trousers and they just smouldered and melted a bit
Good point Bob61 . The other thing is gas it's self won't kill it may make you feel ill but it want kill . It will how ever go bang if ignited witch could kill . Gas is naturally odourless and the smell of gas is man maid so leaks etc can be detected .
The gas we used to use in our homes known as town gas or coal gas would kill if leaking or you decided to put one's head in the oven .
There are risks while camping but the biggest must surely be getting to site in the first place .
The main risk from CO poisoning seems to be a charcoal BBQ second would be a faulty appliance . The appliance risk being minimal due to the fact they get turned off .
There are some interesting views expressed in this thread; and also some relevant observations in this parallel UKCS thread.
My point in the OP was not that campers should never use any form of heating in a tent - rather, I was pointing out that they need to be aware of the risks and aware that some forms of heating are more dangerous than others.
As always, the best advice is be well-informed, be reasonably cautious, use your common sense, and do not misuse appliances.
Skep, you are right, and it wouldn't hurt if warnings of the dangers and the correct use of both gas and electric when camping were made obvious at point of sale, i.e. the camping stores. It wn't cover the second-hand sales, but would be a good start. Appropriately used, the risks with these appliances should be minimal, it can never be guaranteed 100% safe.
As a long-time camper, I'm just a bit confused as to why the whole subject has become SO hot all of a sudden. This is after all not a new problem. Sadly, there are records of camping deaths due to CO poisoning going back decades.
Quote: Originally posted by elanman on 14/3/2012
The oxygen depletion is not a worry as the tent is never sealed. Gas diffusion rates mean that even with a small air hole then the oxygen will be the same concentration as the air outside. There have been tests that show that the heaters consume the air in a sealed room to dangerious levels. However people also cosume oxygen and no one in my knowlegde has suffocated in a tent just by breathing. I just read that 4 people in a sealed room 3mx3mx2.5m have 2.5hrs of oxygen. Well thats more oxygen than a small catalytic heater will consume. We have to be realistic if people want to be warm better to inform them the right way to do it than the knee jerk reaction that they should NEVER go near a gas heater in a tent.
Weve used a blackcat in our tent which has a zig, It is only on whilst we are awake, it isnt left on overnight. We have not had any probs with it, keeps us cosy on those chilly evenings when sitting outside isnt an option. It just sits under a table giving out a nice soft heat and no noise. Like elanman says don't be put off if used correctly they are fine. I think that the deaths that are happening are down to bbq's.
Thoughts please to these poor familes and friends of the latest victims.
never use gas anymore always electric , but have a gas back up stove & never in 40 Years have i cooked inside ( Boy scouts ) told us not to so i never did ha ha
I know someone who did his own testing. He bought one of the cartridge type heaters, you see so often these days. He decided to see how safe it really was, so he put it in his dining room, switched it on & left a carbon monoxide detector/alarm directly above it. He closed the door & windows & left it for about 3 hours.
The alarm never went off. He then went into the room & sat in there, with the door & windows shut, working on his computer, for a further hour or two. Still the heater was going (I can only assume he changed the cartridge, as many of us will know just how much gas they get through) yet still the CO alarm failed to go off & he felt no ill effects.
People have been using gas appliances in tents for decades with little problem. These appliances are perfectly safe, so long as they are used properly, with a little common sense (which seems to be sadly lacking these days!)
The fact that these "accidents" are still happening actually angers me. Only 3 or 4 days ago another person died & his wife is in intensive care, because they were ignorant enough to take their barbecue into a camping pod in Cumbria.
I mean, were all those deaths last year for nothing!!! This pair were supposed to be seasoned campers as well, not novices!
You really can't legislate against stupidity like this. If manufacturers were to put warnings all over their barbecues, people like this would still choose to ignore them. It's Darwinism, of the most tragic order. Especially after all the news coverage & publicity last year.
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Topic: Gas and fumes: danger in tents
