Side effects from sitting by Mr Heater out fishing

[BobT]

Quote:

Sounds like your heater is burning poorly. Clean the face of it and put a new thermocoupler on and see how that works.

I doubt the thermocouple will have anything to do with it but the cleaning solution is valid. A thermocouple is used to sense the presence of the heat to know that it is lit. If it doesn't sense the heat it'll shut off the fuel but I doubt it would have anything to do with regulatomg the flow of fuel.

[Ed Carlson]

An interesting test would be to do a controlled test, and compare the 9000 BTU Heater/Cooker and the Buddy, with a CO meter to test exactly how many parts per million the CO is at a set time in a like confined area.

Some of you guys at the local fire departments would have access to this, and could see what the general trend is +/-, and how quickly it spikes to dangerous levels if not vented properly.

Do 10 min, 20 min, 30 min, and up to an hour and see just what the stats are for sure.

[GotALunker]

From WebMD: Carbon Monoxide Poisoning - Treatment Overview

In some cases, a person may receive hyperbaric oxygen therapy. During this treatment, you are put into a full-body chamber that uses oxygen under pressure (hyperbaric chamber) to remove the carbon monoxide faster.

If a pregnant woman has carbon monoxide poisoning, treatment must be continued even after carbon monoxide is no longer found in her blood, because there still may be carbon monoxide in the blood of the fetus.

I was with my pregnant wife and a cabin cruiser full of parents and kids and most of us got CO2 poisoning this summer. I actually saved the life of one woman who had passed out. The incident happened in Duluth on the river. The woman who's life I saved still had a 25% concentration in her blood after several hours. My pregnant wife was rushed via ambulance to HCMC in MPLS and had to suffer the hyperbaric chamber for two hours. We're still in limbo w/ the insurance company over the bills.

Anyway, this is not something to mess around with. Everyone please be careful. Ventilate, drink water, get out of the shack at least once every half hour. Don't take it for granted.

[goose89]

I've never had any "side effects" using a Cooker heater. Great thing about them is they throw enough heat that whatever I'm in, portable or small hardside (Zack Shack), I need some ventilation. Window is always open a bit, sometimes 2.

That said, I never had any side effects, nor could I with my "Buddy" (RIP). I had to keep vents/ window pretty much closed with the soft heat it put out, and he never stayed lit long enough for the CO shut off to kick in.

[FrontenacPike]

Just a quick update for everyone that chimed in (which was much appreciated by the way). I bought a big buddy last night and went fishing all day. NO sneezing and no running nose yet. Thanks everyone for all the input...see ya on the ice!!!

[Random guy]

Great! I just read this thread for the first time and it scares the heck out of me. In our rentals we install new CO detectors every year and they are tested daily as CO is nothing to mess with at all. Spooky stuff and I'm glad you found a fix to your problem.

[Ed Carlson]

Great to hear it's working out for you.

Just be sure to keep some fresh air flowing, it's still imperative no matter what unit your using.

TIP: If you running the bulk hose, invest in the in-line Mr. Heater filter. Flip your flap inside the shack, and set the Big Buddy on top of it up against the side wall opposite the door. This will eliminate the draft issues commonly experienced by many that may cause pilot light or thermocouple cooling issues.

[riverwalker]

I adjusted my set screw under the red "low med high" setting cap. I used to get way too warm and always kept turning my heater cooker on and off. You know the sound you get when your heater is running to empty point on a 1 lb tank. I adjusted mine to that sound then a small turn more gas. I get more time out of my tank and it doesn't seem to be running so hot on low. I also noticed that my screen wasn't getting that bright red either. It does make a bit more squalking when you start it up, but I just turn mine up to high when starting till the sqaukling stops, then down to low....never any higher. I am comfortable even when its way below zero. I would recommend doing this before you go out next and not while in your shack for obvious reasons. I hope this helps you cause it made a huge difference for me...and I don't get that I need to step outside feeling anymore. If it matters I use a clam 2000 so you can see why I wanted to turn it down anyways...good luck...