I’ve read about some RV owners heating up the inside of their RV by turning on the propane stove burners, or by turning on the oven and opening the door. I was wondering if this is a safe heating method, so I did a little research to find out.
It is not safe to heat your RV with a propane stove or oven. Any propane-burning appliance gives off carbon monoxide, or CO, which is deadly. The stove and oven lack the proper safety shut-off mechanisms necessary to make it safe, and without the proper ventilation, the build-up of carbon monoxide could be fatal.
Propane burns when there is a mixture of liquid (LP), oxygen, and an ignition source. The byproduct of this burn is CO, an invisible, odorless gas, and without proper ventilation, the poisonous gas can build up causing injury or death to pets and people in the room. Carbon Monoxide is one of the top causes of poisoning in the United States according to the CDC*.
How Much Carbon Monoxide Does a Propane Stove Give Off?
Most propane ovens and stoves will give off a low, safe level of CO while in use for less than an hour. If you are using any gas stove for long periods of time, even if it’s a residential stove, good ventilation is necessary either from a fan, a flue, or a couple of cracked windows to provide fresh oxygen and airflow.
Without proper ventilation, a propane stove will produce what’s called a re-burn. This is the point where the oxygen level in the room is consumed by the burning flame, at which point the CO output becomes higher. The more oxygen that is consumed by the flame, the more CO is produced. The level of CO build-up will depend on the size of your RV, how strong the flame is, and how much ventilation you are providing.
However, I found this information regarding residential gas stoves, so it may be safe to assume the information applies to RV stoves as well.
Kitchen ranges are required to produce no more than 800 parts per million (ppm) of carbon monoxide in an air-free sample of the flue gases. Continued operation of a kitchen range producing 800 ppm in a tight house without extra ventilation will cause carbon monoxide levels to rise quickly to unacceptable levels.
**Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and Biosystem Engineering
How Much Carbon Monoxide is Dangerous?
According to the EPA***, the existing primary standards are 9 parts per million (ppm) measured over 8 hours, and 35 ppm measured over 1 hour.
| 35 ppm (0.0035%), (0.035‰) | Headache and dizziness within six to eight hours of constant exposure |
| 100 ppm (0.01%), (0.1‰) | Slight headache in two to three hours |
| 200 ppm (0.02%), (0.2‰) | Slight headache within two to three hours; loss of judgment |
| 400 ppm (0.04%), (0.4‰) | Frontal headache within one to two hours |
| 800 ppm (0.08%), (0.8‰) | Dizziness, nausea, and convulsions within 45 min; insensible within 2 hours |
| 1,600 ppm (0.16%), (1.6‰) | Headache, increased heart rate, dizziness, and nausea within 20 min; death in less than 2 hours |
| 3,200 ppm (0.32%), (3.2‰) | Headache, dizziness and nausea in five to ten minutes. Death within 30 minutes. |
| 6,400 ppm (0.64%), (6.4‰) | Headache and dizziness in one to two minutes. Convulsions, respiratory arrest, and death in less than 20 minutes. |
| 12,800 ppm (1.28%), (12.8‰) | Unconsciousness after 2–3 breaths. Death in less than three minutes. |
What’s the Difference Between Using the Stove and A Propane Heater?
I was also wondering, well, if I can’t heat my RV using my propane stove, how come I can safely heat my RV with a propane space heater? The simplest answer is that propane space heaters that are designed to be used indoors, have a built-in sensor that detects the oxygen level and the CO level in the room. If something is not right, the alarm will sound and the heater with shut off.
Even if you use a propane space heater, you still need to use it for short periods of time and with proper ventilation. Never leave a heater on all night while you sleep.
But wait! My refrigerator uses propane and my water heater uses it too. Are these safe to leave on? Yes, they are safe. Those appliances are properly ventilated to the outside, and they also cycle off and on rather than giving off a constant flame. So, it is safe to leave those appliances running at all times if you don’t have shore power.
Better Options for Keeping Your RV Warm
- Use an RV Skirt around the bottom of the RV. This will prevent cool air from blowing under the RV.
- Make sure you have plenty of propane in the tank and that your batteries are in good shape if you’re boondocking. This will allow you to use your furnace.
- Keep your furnace at a low, tolerable temperature the entire time. Don’t turn it off completely allowing the RV to cool all the way down. Letting it get too cold inside will make your furnace work harder.
- Wear a knit hat and warm clothing.
- Use insulated reflective material on your windows.
- Let the sun shine through the windows to warm up your RV, then pull the shades to keep the heat in.
- If you have shore power, or solar power and at least a 1,000 watt inverter, use an electric space heater to warm up your RV. This is great for small RVs or if you want to keep a section of your RV warm.
Wrap-Up
So, the final word is that it is unsafe to heat your RV with your propane stove or oven, even if you open the vents. Besides, if you open your ceiling vents to let out CO, you’re also letting out all your warm air leaving you with a cold RV anyway. Instead, explore other methods for keeping your RV warm, and don’t risk your life.
Sources:
**Iowa State University***Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)