View Full Version : ice house heater
There was some talk about these and carbon monoxide. (ever feel sleepy in your house and wonder why?)There was talk of Buddy heaters w/low O2 sensor and port CO2 dector I guess is a real good idea) but I see another way,..at http://www.zodi.com/2000/files/hotvent/hotvent.html
they have a heater that has a heat exchanger that stays outside the fish house ..only 10,000 btu so its not for every situation but I also saw somewhere a system of a poncho system that you sit down with your own "personal tent,..you then put the heater tube under this,..again not for everyone and all situations,...but might be for some situations,.. (I seem to be sensitive to fumes from heaters,..hight CO or not) the fresh air system looks good to me.
Anyone ever use these?
I use an old milk house heater that exhausts outside via a 3" stove pipe. Plenty of heat output for a large shanty.
Lou in Alex.
12-08-2001, 06:38 PM
Ensure proper ventalation.As a safety measure, I keep a fishing candle lit. If oxygen levels drop- the candle dims and is easily detectable- inexpensive as well.For smokers- if your lighter wont start- or you smoke wont stay lit- its time to open the door and let some air in.Good luck-Lou in Alex.
Lou I think you can have very quick CO build up as the candle is dimming,..the problem can be that CO binds with hemoglobin sites much EZer and faster than O2,..and it stays,..so you can then go outside or open a window,..but a lot of CO is already bound to the blood,..you'll be "kind of OK" ,..not dizzy Etc. but it could also be a problem with certain conditions such as compromised blood vessels of the heart. I understand when I was an infant, my father happened to come home early to find my mother and the three kids all passed out due to a faulty coal stove/situation we had at the time. (maybe thats why I do do well with any petrol.fumes,..gasoline,.following a bus etc. I've heard stories from people that were knocked out by CO that said it hit them so fast that a guy with a black jack would not have worked much faster. A fireman told me he went into a building and thought he was fine and apparently walked about ten steps and thats all he remembered until they dragged him out as another firefighter had put on his breathing equipment. I think I would spring for a Bat. operated CO detector,..they are pretty sensitive to very low concentrations and I think would react faster. (what if you were fighting KING walleye and didn't notice the candle!!!???) The milk house heater sounds good,..but I think they are rare around these parts,...check out the Hot Vent heater,..I'm thinking Santa is going to bring me one....
I too as a firemean have seen the effects of CO. It is no fun dragging one of your fishing buddies out of a fish house. I have ice fished for years and when someone around here is buiding a new fish house I tell them, don't be skimpy on the stove. I went to a heating pro and told him to install mine. Cost $150 with a thermostat. Installed a battery operated CO detechtor also. One thing I do before I lay down at night or for a nap, is I go outside and make a little hole buy one of my holes to let some air in. The hole might freeze up a little and I might have to crank the heat up a notch but at least I know I won't wake up dead.