[A/S]: Catalytic Heaters

["Richard P. Kenan" <as5368@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

         I believe this is right; if not, I'm *sure* to be 
corrected:  ;-)...Carbon has an atomic wt of 12, Oxygen 16; so, CO has a 
molecular wt of 28.  Air, at 80% N (this is not an exact wt.; Nitrogen has 
a Molecular wt. of 28) and 20% Oxygen (molecular wt 32) has an average 
molecular wt of 28.8.  So, CO is slightly less dense than air.  This 
difference may possibly be mitigated by high humidity (molecular wt of 
water is 18; humid air is less dense than dry air), likely in a trailer 
with a catalytic burner pumping water vapor into its atmosphere.
         The bottom line - well, there doesn't seem to be a definitive 
bottom line.  It seems to me that a single sensor should be located at 
about the sleeping level (30" from the floor?).  Two sensors could be 
located with one lower than that and the other near the sleeping level.
         I always thought that catalytic heaters produced very little CO, 
and that modest ventilation (low and high) would take care of this.  Also, 
Airstreams are not very airtight, unless they've been intentionally 
sealed.  We did have a local father-son-neighbor disaster on an overnight 
in a tent with a heater running inside (all dead); I'm not sure if the 
heater was catalytic, though...people *do* do dumb things for lack of 
thinking ahead.

- Dick
(5368)