Propane Heater: CO2 and Reduced Winter Heating Bill?

glShemp

glShemp

Active Member
Winter is coming and I'll have 2 4X4 grow tents, 1 for veg other for flowering, in the bedroom of my little condo, both with 4" inline fans blowing out through a modified pet door in the sliding glass patio window to the second floor balcony. The opposite end of my place is another sliding glass window left cracked and cold air will be sucking in. Between the 1kw in lighting and all the cold air flowing through and my electric central heat, I'm expecting some very high electric bills this winter.

How about a propane heater, something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/Heater-MH18B-Portable-Big-Buddy/dp/B0002WRHE8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1286508503&sr=8-2

heating the incoming cold air in the front of my place to hold down on electric bills while enriching the air with CO2 where it will be pulled through the grow tents?

Good idea? Bad idea?

Your thoughts please...
 
reggaerican

reggaerican

Well-Known Member
however you are wrong scott CO is only produced if all the gas does not get burned properly.. so no worries you and the dog will be safe thru winter glshemp
 
glShemp

glShemp

Active Member
Scott Avanzo said:
Propane emits (CO) Carbon monoxide not (CO2) Carbon dioxide. You, the plants and the dog will never reach harvest.
Click to expand...
I know you're joking. With 2 200 CFM fans pulling outside air past the heater there will be plenty of ventilation. And that heater has a low oxygen shutoff. My understanding is propane heaters throw off a mix of CO1 (monoxide) and CO2.

Anyone who has actually heard of this being done?
 
VICTORYGARDENSHYDRO

VICTORYGARDENSHYDRO

New Member
Propane undergoes combustion reactions in a similar fashion to other alkanes. In the presence of excess oxygen, propane burns to form water and carbon dioxide.
C3H8 + 5 O2 → 3 CO2 + 4 H2O + heat
propane + oxygen → carbon dioxide + water
When not enough oxygen is present for complete combustion, incomplete combustion occurs when propane burns and forms water, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and carbon.
2 C3H8 + 7 O2 → 2 CO2 + 2 CO + 2 C + 8 H2O + heat
Propane + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide + Carbon Monoxide + Carbon + Water
Unlike natural gas, propane is heavier than air (1.5 times as dense). In its raw state, propane sinks and pools at the floor. Liquid propane will flash to a vapor at atmospheric pressure and appears white due to moisture condensing from the air.
When properly combusted, propane produces about 50 MJ/kg. The gross heat of combustion of one normal cubic meter of propane is around 91 megajoules[8]
Propane is nontoxic; however, when abused as an inhalant it poses a mild asphyxiation risk through oxygen deprivation. Commercial products contain hydrocarbons beyond propane, which may increase risk. Commonly stored under pressure at room temperature, propane and its mixtures expand and cool when released and may cause mild frostbite.
Propane combustion is much cleaner than gasoline combustion, though not as clean as natural gas combustion. The presence of C–C bonds, plus the multiple bonds of propylene and butylene, create organic exhausts besides carbon dioxide and water vapor during typical combustion. These bonds also cause propane to burn with a visible flame.
Greenhouse gas emissions factors for propane are 62.7 kg CO2/ mBTU or 1.55 kg of CO2 per litre or 73.7 kg/GJ.[citation needed]
[edit]Energy content
The energy density of propane is 46.44 megajoules per kilogram[9] (91,690 BTU per
 
SouthSideNuggs

SouthSideNuggs

Member
just make sure you keep your co2 under 2000ppm or it will be toxic foor your plants the target area is 1600ppm and only while the lights are on.
 
J

Juicy Fruit

Active Member
for 130$ I wouldn't get that, just go to walmart or canadian tire(home depot or similar in U.S) and get a coleman lamp attachment from the camping section, there only about 40$ and run off the small 4$ propane tanks and still last a couple hrs. Safer and alot cheaper...
 
Q

q3aserver

Member
Right but to have an odorless vent into the house after the air goes through the tents they would need to be scrubbed. Hell wither the air is going outside or not its got to be scrubbed. Key word in all this was "condo"


OP, why not (Intake)dog door > ducting > tents(whatever) > Air mover(fan, inline? whatever) > scrubber > vent back into house to use that extra heat.

This is my setup I live in upstate new york and so far this year I have not had to use the heat because my grow is venting into a central room.
 
glShemp

glShemp

Active Member
q3aserver said:
Right but to have an odorless vent into the house after the air goes through the tents they would need to be scrubbed. Hell wither the air is going outside or not its got to be scrubbed. Key word in all this was "condo"


OP, why not (Intake)dog door > ducting > tents(whatever) > Air mover(fan, inline? whatever) > scrubber > vent back into house to use that extra heat.

This is my setup I live in upstate new york and so far this year I have not had to use the heat because my grow is venting into a central room.
Click to expand...
Hmm. Upstate NY? You're going to pull air from the outside in January into your grow tent?

I'm new at this, let me ask the group. How much do plants at veg stage stink? 10% as bad as flowering plants? 50%? Maybe I'll vent the scrubbed air from the veg tent with it's 400 watter to the room then draw that through the flower tent with the 600 watter and a second scrubber and exhaust that. I have great security. No one but me goes into the bed room. I'll buy a extra nice rug for the living room and keep the occasional lady guest in there and out of the boudoir haha!

But, yeah, it's a condo, and there is no margin for error with regard to odor control.
 
VICTORYGARDENSHYDRO

VICTORYGARDENSHYDRO

New Member
glShemp said:
Hmm. Upstate NY? You're going to pull air from the outside in January into your grow tent?

I'm new at this, let me ask the group. How much do plants at veg stage stink? 10% as bad as flowering plants? 50%? Maybe I'll vent the scrubbed air from the veg tent with it's 400 watter to the room then draw that through the flower tent with the 600 watter and a second scrubber and exhaust that. I have great security. No one but me goes into the bed room. I'll buy a extra nice rug for the living room and keep the occasional lady guest in there and out of the boudoir haha!

But, yeah, it's a condo, and there is no margin for error with regard to odor control.
Click to expand...
they don't really smell at all until the last 3 weeks of flower
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top