On 2011-12-27, Existential Angst wrote:
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Awl --

Apropos of the ahr thread Gas vs. electric range, someone spoke favorably
of ventless gas heaters.

Some time ago, it was complete news to me that "ventless gas" heaters even
existed, as I thought it was safety no-no, and also being conditioned to
vented Modine blowers -- not cheap, AND you need a stack.
But after some reading, I thought I'd died and gone to heaven, regarding my
shop heat problem, ie, freezing my ass off.

So I bought TWO, of the "radiant" type, with the ceramic ditty, a small and
a large, plumbed gas to the shop, and BAM, from a heat pov, I was in
seventh heaven. I need not have bought two, and could have easily gotten by
with just the small one! Cheap, too, I think $119 and $79.

But.... BUT.....
The air quality was atrocious!! You could FEEL the air in the back of
your throat -- and I spent many a youthful winter huddled in a gas-heated
kitchen, with no such sensation. A little stuffy, mebbe, but nothing like
this. Almost acrid.

Second, the water vapor.... holy ****..... I don't think a dehumidifier
coulda kept up with the vapor, and the wall above the unit was just
soaked -- not good metal, machinery-wise, OR wall-wise..

They lasted a month, and have been in plastic wrap for years now.

Never could figger out what that smell/sensation was, as they seemed to be
burning clean, altho I never did bring down the CO detector. But I'm sure
had those sensations been related to CO, I'da blacked out or wound up with a
CO migraine.

Too bad, cuz the heat was ossum.
In a sense, the poor air quality mighta been a blessing, cuz I proly woulda
endured the prodigious water vapor, to the long-term detriment of the shop.

Now, I've added lotsa lighting, proly almost 2 kW worth, so THAT helps in
the winter.
That, and a long electric baseboard heater (with a 3 way wall switch, you
can get high heat and a nice low heat, by switching 120 V to it), the
dehumidifer, and the machines themselves keep it OK -- not toasty, like the
ventless gas, but OK. A second portable electric heater helps in the
super-cold. Also calisthenics.... LOL

I hate those filthy m.f.

i