Mr. Heater style propane heater

[Ron Jones near Indy]

These heaters attach to a 20# (grill size) propane tank. Some residents of my dad's town have been w/o electricty for 18+ hours due to an ice storm. He has electric heat and wants to get one of these as emergeny back up heat. Are they safe to use inside for such purposes? Do they have much of an odor during use? Thanks for your help.

[Jim Becker]

They are really only designed for use in an area with free-air flow such as a garage, etc. He'd need to crack the windows, but I'd still be uncomfortable using them in living space.

[Jerry Clark]

They use up the oxygen in the air-- NEVER sleep with it on! For a few hours during the day with a window opened a little-- it will provide some warmth. in one room only-- I use one in the garage and there is some odor, but not to bad.

[Frank Pellow]

These heaters attach to a 20# (grill size) propane tank. Some residents of my dad's town have been w/o electricty for 18+ hours due to an ice storm. He has electric heat and wants to get one of these as emergeny back up heat. Are they safe to use inside for such purposes? Do they have much of an odor during use? Thanks for your help.
I have heated / refrigerated/ lighted with propane all my life (62 years) and I would never use a propane tank within the house.

[Rob Russell]

They will suck a lot of O2 out of the air and create a lot of CO2. Another issue with propane heaters like that is the amount of moisture they will put into the air. That moisture will condense on cold walls and make for a real cleaning job later on.

If it looks like they will be without power for a long time, go find a kerosene heater.

[Frank Pellow]

...

If it looks like they will be without power for a long time, go find a kerosene heater.
I'm with Rob on this, even though kerosene stinks, it is safer to use inside.

[Doug Shepard]

If your dad still has power and is just contemplating this as a future backup, go with the kerosene. If he's currently powerless and all the other residents have bought up the kerosene heaters, go ahead and use the propane. The odor is minimal. If you've ever gone camping in a RV or trailer, that's the same smell. BUT - trailers/RV's are vented. Follow the other replies re: cracking windows, short-time operation, not sleeping, etc., plus - do not leave the heater unattended. But if it's a difference between freezing and propane, he can use it if necessary.