No CO from a gas heater, inside.

[440Magnum]

And CO binds in the spot oxygen normally binds to and prevents oxygen from doing so...

Originally Posted By: kschachn
Well they both bind to hemoglobin but one has a much greater affinity

Originally Posted By: Rand
If it picked up CO2 if would go off everytime you walked past it.... since you produce CO2 in abundance.

CO2 is really not an issue esp in most older homes.
CO2 has to be quite high to have a bad effect.
CO is being poisoned it bonds to your red blood cells.

 

[lars11]

well, be careful. It may burn clean but if your ventialtion is poor, after a while it has burnt a lot of the oxygen and will then start burning badly putting out some CO. Very little CO will cause you severe health problems, a bit more: Death.
I would NEVER leave a larger flame burning indoor for any longer period and certainly not go to sleep with it burning. Get something with a chimney if you need real heat.
Maybe in your situation, I would run it a -while watching it-, shut it off and go to bed.
Rather use an extra blanket than sleep forever.

 

[OneEyeJack]

Be careful. This all sounds a bit scary.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Be careful. This all sounds a bit scary.


A whole generation in my area grew up with non-vented natural-gas or propane space-heaters as the only source of heat in houses. My grandmother would haul out the Dearborn heaters and hook them to the gas jets every fall, put them away every spring. There was a gas wall-heater in every bathroom, too.

There were two rules of thumb that always worked:

1) crack at least 2 windows by 1/2 inch (usually one downstairs and one upstairs)
2) Adjust the heater if ANY amount of white showed on the flame, or if the flame actually touched the ceramic "mantels" that glowed and radiated heat- pure blue flame was the only color allowed.

Of course houses were FAR less tightly sealed back then- but so long as you make sure the heater is burning so that it produces only CO2 and not CO (blue flame, not quenched on anything) and allow the CO2 out and replacement O2 in (cracked windows) its reasonably safe. I wouldn't do it anymore without a CO monitor, and I sure wouldn't leave it burning unattended while I sleep... but people USED to do that regularly.