CO2 from propane heater?

Hey, my very first post here. Been lurking for about a year. Just signed up a few months ago so I could see some pics. Anyway, I have been doing the outdoor grow thing and have started an indoor grow (thanks to all of you!!)

My question is...can you produce an appropriate amount CO2 from a little vent-free propane heater? The one pictured here is similar to the one I currently have.

Anybody have any comments on this?

No,read the product specifications in the manual,heaters like that are generally 99% efficient,thats why they are vent free, & that is not good for what you want,you want CO2 without massive heat.I have 4 heaters like that only mine are Dyna-Glo brand that i use in my garage & for camping.Co2 generators are designed to be inefficient to produce high levels of CO2,kinda like tweking a carberator to make the engine run like shit.

If your room is anywhere near your water heater you can vent the water heater into your room & raise the CO2 levels that way,every time you use hot water you get a free shot of CO2.

If you do decide to use the water heater exhaust make sure that you have atleast one half inch per foot of slope to the exhaust pipe ,with the pipe being no longer than 10 ft,if you go past 10 ft with the pipe you'll need to increase the slope to 1.5 inches a ft,secondly only do this if your room is sealed well & vented outside regularly.

My water heater is electric unfortunately. I have found a way to deal with the heat produced by this unit. From what I have seen of the marketed CO2 generators (propane) they are basically the same thing except they produce less heat. I imagine that all of these heaters have a high efficiency rating as not to kill you with Carbon Monoxide. There still is a blue flame indicating that the propane is burning clean. So you think the heater units are not producing enough CO2?

here ya' go...

https://www.rollitup.org/do-yourself/1362-home-made-co2-tutorial.html

yer welcome

Thanks faralos but I have read that thread. I have tried the yeast method. Really I am looking for something that will provide heat and CO2 at the same time. I live in a very cold place. My grow op is in a unheated basement and I am heating with an electric heater right now. Want to get off the grid with the heat...perhaps that would also free me up for more light action. Anyone actually try the propane heater as a CO2 source? I really do not see any reason why it would not work, maybe some of you have tried and measured this with a CO2 monitor?

Limosnero said:

There still is a blue flame indicating that the propane is burning clean. So you think the heater units are not producing enough CO2?

Click to expand...

Both units are 2 different animals,i think your confusing the principals of the two devices,a C02 generators only function is to produce high levels of C02,with heat being the byproduct of the function, a vent free space heater's only function is to produce heat at safe levels & C02 is the byproduct of the function.

In order to not have a blue flame the propane would need to be burning at seriously unefficient levels & is not an indicator of clean burn,only that the burn is within operating range.

alot of growers use propane burners as a way to get co2 levels up. CAP is the large producer of of regulators and burners for some this is more feasable then tanks.

yes the heat can be bad on large burners

Limosnero said:

Anyone actually try the propane heater as a CO2 source? I really do not see any reason why it would not work, maybe some of you have tried and measured this with a CO2 monitor?

Click to expand...

I know you really want these heaters to work but stop & think about it for a second,these heaters are designed to be ran in enclosed spaces with humans present for extended periods,do you honestly think they manufacture these units without being 100% sure that the c02 levels are as low as possible.

My home is hard wired with fire,burgular alarm & carbon monoxide dectectors,none of my space heaters will set any of them off,even with the disposable carbon monoxide tests the levels from the heaters will not show.

If your bound & determined to use the heater thats cool,you'll get heat but at $2 a bottle for propane & no way to regulate temp,plus the extremely low levels of c02 they produce its not a big pay off.

I obviously am not an expert on the subject but Propane is Propane. If you burn it on a CO2 generator that produces a blue flame this means it is burning efficient. If you do not have a blue flame...or a yellow/orange flame with black smoke being produced, you will most likely have Carbon Monoxide being produced....as the propane or LP gas is not burning cleanly. CO2 is a natural bi-product of LP being burned (efficiently). The CO2 generators that burn Propane I see for sale is a scaled down version of a heater....made not to produce much heat and still reap the benefits of the CO2 bi-product. I have researched the replacement burners themselves and really found nothing special that would say these generators are that much different from their heater counter parts. Check out this site - Green Air Products - Principles of CO2 Enrichment

Has anyone actually tried using a propane heater for CO2 production?

These heaters can be run on larger tanks.

panhead said:

I know you really want these heaters to work but stop & think about it for a second,these heaters are designed to be ran in enclosed spaces with humans present for extended periods,do you honestly think they manufacture these units without being 100% sure that the c02 levels are as low as possible.

My home is hard wired with fire,burgular alarm & carbon monoxide dectectors,none of my space heaters will set any of them off,even with the disposable carbon monoxide tests the levels from the heaters will not show.

If your bound & determined to use the heater thats cool,you'll get heat but at $2 a bottle for propane & no way to regulate temp,plus the extremely low levels of c02 they produce its not a big pay off.

Click to expand...

Actually the warnings say not to use in bedrooms and small spaces (I'm sure just as a precautionary statement). You might be right...it might not be a big payoff as far as CO2 production.

Anyone use the Propane Co2 generators and have good measurable results?

abudsmoker said:

alot of growers use propane burners as a way to get co2 levels up. CAP is the large producer of of regulators and burners for some this is more feasable then tanks.

yes the heat can be bad on large burners

Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply abudsmoker. Would you think burning more propane, with the propane heaters, would actually produce more CO2 (along with more heat) than the specifically manufactured CO2 propane generators?

I did a little digging on this subject,according to OSHA the use of vent free heaters is allowed in bedrooms up to 10,000 btu's and in bathrooms up to 6,000 btu's,the warnings must be for extra precaution.

I also checked with OSHA on the maximum allowed co2 output from vent free heaters,according to their info the maximum allowable co2 output level for any vent free heater is 35ppm.

panhead said:

I did a little digging on this subject,according to OSHA the use of vent free heaters is allowed in bedrooms up to 10,000 btu's and in bathrooms up to 6,000 btu's,the warnings must be for extra precaution.

I also checked with OSHA on the maximum allowed co2 output from vent free heaters,according to their info the maximum allowable co2 output level for any vent free heater is 35ppm.

Click to expand...

Do you have a link to that info?

I just ordered some seeds from Dr Chronic. Once I receive I will post a journal and experiment with the little space heater. See what happens...maybe kill 2 birds with one stone for those colder climates. Or should I say smoke 2 bowls with 1 match

What would cause black smoke from a propane CO2 generator?
I hooked one up last month in one of my rooms.... has a lot of yellow in the flame. I had one friend say the tank needs a new regulator and another that says the burners need to be cleaned. Lots of soot buildup around my fans.
Ar the burners cleaned by using a torch tip cleaner?
Any help would be appreciated.

Totally disagree. Respectfully. Burning propane is burning propane. A CO2 generator is nothing more than a better controlled mr heater you can buy off Amazon. Anyone with an actual co2 meter can verify this as I have. Doesn't have to be propane could be natural gas too. Simply put cumbustion produces co2.

Stonerbuboner said:

Totally disagree. Respectfully. Burning propane is burning propane. A CO2 generator is nothing more than a better controlled mr heater you can buy off Amazon. Anyone with an actual co2 meter can verify this as I have. Doesn't have to be propane could be natural gas too. Simply put cumbustion produces co2.

Click to expand...

I know this I'd an old thread, but what ppm did you get from a propane heater?

I have this big one in a 10 x12 shed. It's mostly sealed as well. Caulked all the joints as it was built. Not for this reason but due to wet environment and all 4 walls are exterior. Lol

StevenBair said:

I know this I'd an old thread, but what ppm did you get from a propane heater?

Click to expand...

Dude. This thread died 8 years ago eh? And the guy hasn’t been seen here in over a year.