[james67]

ive had mixed results with quartz heaters. i like the hydronic heater designs but i spent $160 on a farenheat hydronic heater and it leaked, which coupled with the shoddy central heat in my house caused the death of every animal within 18 inches of the floor.

i dont think a 2 stroke is going to be a good choice. they are noisy and generally require fuel oil mixtures. spend the money to get an OHV 4 stroke generator. (honda engines or clones are great ) also remember that the ratings you see are generally for peak power while the normal operating power output is considerably less.

james

 

[james67]

with a little know how its possible to rig an electric start generator to come on when the power fails. either way i'd suggest an inline thermostat. i bought mine for $35. its a LUX. works GREAT!

automatic backup generators are very expensive and so out of the price range of many

james

 

[james67]

do not risk your animals to a propane heater. the combustion of propane converts it to Co2. 5000 ppm is enough to prove fatal. allowing for airflow to the room will lower temps and require the unit to use more propane to heat and in turn create more Co2.

this is a very dangerous idea for your frogs and yourself.

james

 

[james67]

I found a small coleman propane heater for $57 on Amazon.

this is NOT an area to make decisions based on affordability. small heaters (space heaters) are responsible for hundreds of deaths and thousands of hospitalizations each year in the US alone. assuming that a heater is safe because its currently on the market or manufactured by a well known brand is not enough. dont gamble with your frogs your home or your life.

james

 

[james67]

James, thank you for your words of warning. I completely understand what your saying about the real risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. That's what I was most concerned about when looking over reviews. The reviews all say the heater was used in tents, garages, indoors, and even in cars? A couple people tested it with carbon monoxide sensors and it didn't trigger an alarm. Do I know these people, no. Could they be making it all up? Yes. Can I even trust a carbon monoxide sensor? I sure hope so.
Coleman makes this heater for indoor use. The manual states that it just needs 6 square inches of fresh air flow. And your right, just because its on the market doesn't mean its safe, but that also doesn't mean that its not safe... I don't mean to play devils advocate because I know this heater could certainly injure someone or start a fire from coming into contact with a flammable material, but don't they all? The thought of dropping hundreds of dollars on a generator and heating units that would essentially do the same thing just seems like overkill to me.
I know your just looking out for my best interest, and I like the information I'm getting, that's why I started the thread. I've already ordered it and will test it out. If it doesn't cut it I'll return it. If I do, and you also don't recommend other space heaters then what options am I left with?
I like the idea for an inline thermostat, but isn't that electric?
And when all the animals 18 inches off of the ground died was that from them simply getting too cold?

propane produces carbon dioxide (Co2) so a carbon monoxide detector would be useless. Co2 is a colorless, odorless and tasteless (at low concentration) gas which is heavier than air, meaning that animals lower to the floor will be at greater risk.

its your call but i wouldnt personally trust a propane heater indoors. as real world proof, i used to work for a flooring removal company which billed far more jobs than our competitor because we used an electric flooring removal machine (it cost a ton more) whereas he used a propane machine (which according to the manufacturer was completely safe for indoor use) however customers he serviced had to, on a number of occasions evacuate a building because of nausea and headaches, which are symptoms of exposure to high levels of Co2. your talking about an animal that weighs a half a gram. im no scientist but i imagine that sensitivity would be greater in the frogs than humans.

i have no idea how many frogs you have but loosing even a small number of them to something as simple as not putting the $ into the proper backup heating or cooling unit could cost a TON more than the initial investment in a system that you know will be safe.

james

i lost the animals within 18" of the floor because the central heat failed and when my backup unit was supposed to come on (like it had in the past) it didnt (the unit had a malfunction) therefore the cold air in the room (which settled on the floor) killed those animals.