Can I Heat My Camping Tent With My 170,000 Btu Propane Forced Air Heater?

Posted on 29 June 2009

6 Comments For This Post

1. Propane Guy says:
   June 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   I assume we are talking about a construction heater…There are not too many heaters of 170k BTU that are portable other than construction heaters.
   There are two possible types of construction heaters.
   One is direct fired, where the fuel/air mixture is burned and the products of combustion flow out of the end of the heater along with the heated air. Pipe this into a tent and two things will happen. It will be on fire in pretty short order because this is putting out the heat of 2 furnaces designed to heat a 3000 ft² house! and you will not be able to survive in there with that heat and carbon dioxide level ( lack of oxygen ). Carbon monoxide wont have time to kill you because you will have already suffocated!
   The other is an indirect fired unit. It has a heat exchanger with a fan blowing clean air across it which you can then duct into a building. But again, the heat output would drive you out of the tent, 170,000 btu is just waaay too much for what you are talking about. Also they require electricity to operate.
   Unless we are talking about a 2000 ft² event tent or something…My answer is definitely NO! Don’t do it!
   If you could elaborate on the type of heater and tent you are talking about, maybe I could offer some suggestions…Is that a typo perhaps and we are talking about a little 17,000btu heater?

2. Carroll says:
   June 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   There are tent heaters that are outside the tent . The heater warms a coil in a tube and the tube has a fan that blows the warm air into the tent. This keeps the flame outside of the tent and there isn’t a carbon monoxide poisoning risk. or a flame risk to the sleeper. I wouldn’t use your heater unless i could figure a way to keep it out side the tent and far enough away as to not start the tent on fire.
   Happy Caving Carroll

3. redfred says:
   June 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   The heaters are usually marked “not to be used indoors”, and that also means tents. The heaters produce carbon monoxide, which can be deadly.

4. Tom S says:
   June 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   I have a trailer 8×28 plus 2 slides with a 16,000 btu heater that keeps it nice and warm 170,000 btu’s is a little over kill, your tent might turn into a hot air balloon

5. Pat F says:
   June 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   Sure, as long as nobody sleeps in it. CO kills.

6. Dave M says:
   June 29th, 2009 at 8:07 am

   Gosh you must have a huge tent – 170 thou. btu is allot of heat.

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