> I know without specifics this is far too general, I'm asking more if
> anybody here runs a kerosene space heater in an enclosed shop,
> how far away
> from flammables you keep it, and have you nearly killed yourself yet?
Scott, I even heated my house with one for a short time, never had a
problem. You do need to pay attention to the flame, don't try to turn it up
too high or it will stink. "Deodorized" kerosene is also a good idea. They
don't put out a great deal of heat for their size, and most of it is carried
upwards by convection, so I'd say it would be fairly safe just 2-3' away
from wood. Use common sense tho, check the surface after a few hours of
operation and if it's too hot to keep your hand on, move the heater.
We did run a CO detector, it never turned dark. Oh, and the house was a
1920's "beach bungalow", it leaked air pretty bad, so no worries about O2
depletion. If your shop is airtight, you might have more of a problem. At
least in CA, it's no longer legal to sell unvented heaters for use in a home
(which means very few places sell them at all anymore).
The only unvented heater I ever had a problem with was a "smudge pot" aka
"salamander" like used to be used to keep orchards from freezing. Had it
running full bore in a 3-car garage, first the heat melted a turn signal
lens on my 1970 Audi, then I got a splitting headache. Shut it down, went
in the house, felt fine the next day.
Randall
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