Mr. Heater Portable Big Buddy Propane Heater with Tank Refill Adapter - Indoor/Outdoor Heating for Camping, Garage, Workshop & Emergency Use (2-Piece Bundle)

On an initial test to burn off any possible residual manufacturing related odors, my Big Buddy California approved model, ran for 2 hours and 40 minutes on high in my basement. I had two windows open a bit. The device threw a lot of heat and I didn’t use the heaters battery powered fan. My CO monitor showed nothing, but my eyes were burning a bit, so I did some research on numerous web sites.The byproducts of propane (C3H6) combustion are carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), some nitrogen oxides (NOx) and potentially carbon monoxide (CO), if there is an insufficient source of oxygen present. Low oxygen results in an incomplete combustion causing carbon monoxide.1. Carbon dioxide – Propane produces .139 lbs of CO2 per hour for every 1000 BTU’s consumed. The big Buddy on high (18,000 BTU/hour) emits 2.5 lbs. of carbon dioxide every hour.The average American emits up about 57 lbs of carbon dioxide per day, or 2.3 pounds per hour. The Big Buddy at the highest setting emits just about the same amount of CO2 (2.5 lbs) per hour as an adult does (2.3 lbs).As long as there is sufficient oxygen available, this carbon dioxide production should not be a problem. Keep the minimum required vent (window) opening.2. Water – Any amount of propane that you burn in a space heater will produce approximately 163 percent as much water. So, a two pound run of propane in the heater produces 3.26 lbs. of water, or just over a quart and a half of water. In the dry winter weather, this may be a plus.3. Oxides of nitrogen – NOx emissions do not form in significant amounts until flame temperatures reach 2800 F. Propane flame temperature in air is 1967° F. NOx can be a toxic gas that at lower concentrations is an upper respiratory irritant. Propane produces, variably .036 ounces of NOx per pound of fuel. At the Big Buddy’s propane flame temperatures, NOx seems that it does not appear to present a major problem.4. Carbon monoxide – This colorless, odorless, tasteless and deadly gas is produced when there is an insufficient supply of oxygen during combustion of a fuel. It is imperative that one should open a window to allow for a source of oxygen. The Mr. Heater manual recommends a source vent to be 18 square inches for the Big Buddy. The device also has an oxygen depletion sensor built in to shut down the Big Buddy in the event that here is a lack of oxygen present for complete combustion. An incomplete combustion produces deadly carbon monoxide.For insurance to guard against incomplete combustion, one should have at least one or perhaps two carbon monoxide monitors available. Also, the pilot flame should be predominantly blue with a slight hint of green. The tip of the flame should have a tinge of yellow. If the pilot flame is yellow, it may be an indication of insufficient oxygen present for a complete combustion, or a dirty pilot line tip.On my second test with the mostly cloudy outdoor temperature at 20° and winds at 10 to 20 mph, I opened two windows exposing 40 square inches to the outside. This is double the minimum required amount of vent opening. With the furnace shut off and the inside temperature dropped to 65° in my 570 square foot location, I turn on the Big Buddy to high, without the fan. To my surprise, the temperature rose steadily from 65° to 71° in 45 minutes. A 6° rise. At that point, I shut the heater off and closed the windows. The room took 3 hours to drop back down to 65°. I was more than pleased with this result. My CO monitors showed nothing. However, my eyes still burned.I went back to the computer. I believe I found the answer to my burning eye concern from one source: At combustion, some water and carbon dioxide can combine to yield a weak carbonic acid (H2CO3). Acids can cause a burning sensation to ones eyes, such as someone cutting an onion. The writer ([...]) suggests leaving the room when the heater is working and going back into the room when the heater is turned off. I think I will try this in the future, or I may stay in the room and put eye drops in to flush the acid, if the burning eye becomes troublesome.I am surprised at the volume of heat produced without the fan. I wanted this heater as an emergency back up if a power failure occurs and it does suits my needs. The eye burning problem is not critical to me; however, I wanted to know why this occurs.Yes, I am pleased.