Not just when camping, but in your home and in your car, or in your workplace, be carbon monoxide aware and stay safe.
At home
Carbon Monoxide Safety: How to Protect Your Home, Identify Issues, and Respond to Emergencies
and How to keep your home safe from carbon monoxide
Poorly
installed or maintained gas stoves. 12th February 2018. A rash of gas poisonings in a region of southern China has left at least
104 people dead and hundreds more hospitalized so far this year. Over three days last week, 22 people died from carbon monoxide exposure,
Chinese news outlets said. Credit Gilles Sabrié for The New York Times.
Even a flued household heater (gas or wood) needs maintenance
or it can be a danger. A lucky survival story for a family with a flued gas heater
Authorities blame a newly-installed coal burner at the home for the deaths of a couple in their 30s and their dog.
Years ago, when living in a small rural town, we were awoken by loud and agitated voices next door. A group of young
teenagers had been to a school social in another town, transported by parents. One parent had taken some of the girls, including
my neighbour’s daughter. It was late at night and during the long drive back, some of the girls went to sleep. When they
stopped they could not wake one of these girls. After taking her to the hospital, she made a good recovery. A close call.
A taxi driver dies of carbon monoxide poisoning in his cab.
2011-2017 model year Ford Motor Co. Explorer models moved a step closer to recall in the US over mounting reports of exhaust fumes leaking inside.
At work
Two people were
rushed to hospital with carbon monoxide poisoning on board a warship in Sydney's Garden Island Defence base. The contamination,
caused by a gas leak from a fridge, affected four people on board HMAS Canberra.
A gas powered floor polisher in a Wangaratta suburban
shopping centre complex caused a woman to be found unconscious from carbon monoxide poisoning and caused the temporary evacuation
of adjoining stores. Article not found, but similar has occurred overseas such as this fatality using a propane buffer.
Even outdoors
Not only in confined space. Residents forced to move because of risk.
Father
and daughter hospitalised after carbon monoxide poisoning from peat fires.
Automotive gas in a domestic situation. While some people say it is safe to use automotive gas for filling your camping gas bottles, it is not.
The AIP’s Safety and Standards Officer, Stephen Reynolds confirms that the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning
is very real. He says that that [Australian] appliances are approved for propane . . . but Autogas generally also contains butane.
‘Appliances run on this will not have pure combustion . . . this will affect different appliances variously . . . but some become
virtual carbon monoxide generators.’ The link for this statement is no longer available. See more on Carbon Monoxide Poisoning.
A caravan or motorhome is a relatively small area to warm. If connected to mains power, the easiest way is to run a small electric fan heater at floor level until your living space is warm. A canvas camper or tent lacks the insulation qualities, but it is also harder to keep heat in if using any form of heating, so wearing added layers of clothes is the best way of keeping warm.
For camping away from mains power and needing a heater, the best option is to install a diesel or gas heater which has the exhaust to the exterior of the caravan so are quite safe to use. Diesel heaters such as Webasto, Dometic Eberspacher, or cheaper versions such as Planar or Snugger are safe, efficient, and are small so finding somewhere to install them is not difficult, and it can be self fitted. Truma make the only gas heater of this type, which must be installed by a licensed gas fitter which adds to the cost. These are not cheap options.
In the climates most travellers choose, heating would rarely be necessary. If you are cold, close the door and windows, but ensure the gas vents in the door are not inhibited, and leave your roof vents open. Get into warm clothes; tracksuits and ugg boots, and even wear a beanie if you are really cold. Two people in a small space once the cold wind has been blocked will warm up a caravan quite quickly.
On really cold nights, snuggle in bed early, and if in a camper that does not eliminate the cold, wear thick woollen bed socks, a track suit over your pyjamas, and a beanie to keep your head warm. A sleeping bag keeps your body warmth close around you, and provides insulation from under as well as over. Rather than pile doonas on top of the bed, use as much insulation under it as over. This is particularly necessary if in a tent sleeping with a thin mattress on the ground, or in a camper with beds out in the air.
If you have sufficient battery power you can run an electric blanket before bed time to warm the bed. You can purchase 12 volt electric blankets, but for the cost and the short while warming the bed, a 240 volt blanket run on an inverter will suffice.
An alternative that may suit some travellers is a heater which draws on heat from the hot water system such as the Swift Ecotherm which couples with a Swift hot water system and circulates the warmth from the heated water. However as most caravanners are like us and only heat the water to shower temperature prior to showering, it would be of little use in these circumstances. The heat exchange heater requires some 12 volt power to run the circulating pump and the fan.
Another alternative for keeping warm when inside or even more so when out of doors, is heated clothing. Heated jackets would
also be of benefit in allaying a cough if you have a cold or bronchitis.
Sold through tool stores, hardware stores such
as Bunnings, and on eBay they are powered by 12 volt or 18 volt rechargeable batteries as used to portable electric drills.
Some examples are AEG, Makita, Kingchrome, Metabo and Milwaukee, with heated vests (sleeveless jackets) from All Purpose Heated Clothing.
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Camp safely in winter. Do not take risks with your life and the lives of your family.