Warming hut for a surface interval

[BusDiver]

Hey all,

Just wondering if anyone has put together a warming hut for cold water surface intervals? I know a heated trailer would be wonderful but that does not fit the price range. We have talked about using heaters and tents but there are some inherent problems with that. Any suggestions? Needs to be transportable.

Bus

[Tom A]

you can get coleman heater that use 1 bound propane bottles me an daughter use them in our ground blinds which tents when deer hunting

[snagel]

We got one of those instant canopy's from Walmart. Bought a few extra tarps and bungie balls and built the hut for under $100. Canopy works great in the summer as well. We added an infer-red heater on a propane bottle and warms up nicely.

Check out my photo album under the "Bennet Springs" pics. You will see the canopy in full bloom. We actually have 2 canopy's, but pictured is only one.

S. Nagel

[fisheater]

Originally Posted by Tom A

you can get coleman heater that use 1 bound propane bottles me an daughter use them in our ground blinds which tents when deer hunting

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! Be SUPER careful doing this.

Better yet, don't.

Too many people have died from carbon-monoxide poisoning from this, including my brother-in-law.

"Proper ventilation" is required but very difficult to define. You don't want a wide-open window on a cold, windy day when you're trying to warm up a room. BUT, that may be what you need.

Also, Coleman has steadfastly refused to include a simple mechanism in their propane heaters what would shut them down when CO becomes a problem.

[snagel]

Yes, keep the CO issue in mind and also the fact that there are many flammables around when using a heater - suit, shelter, etc.

CO is an odorless gas that rises, it is lighter than air. If you have an air tight tent, this could be an issue. If you have enough ventilation coming in you should be okay. You cannot detect CO by smell. First sign of exposure is usually a headaches, but not all people respond the same. If using propane, it is heavier than air so it will settle to the ground area if you have any leaks.

S. Nagel

[RoadRacer1978]

If in doubt, take along a CO2 detector. Like a smoke detector that runs on batteries and was made for your house, these detect dangerous levels of CO2 and warn you with a horrible screaching. Nothing says you couldn't hang one in a tent or other type of enclosure. This would add a little margin of safety for anyone concerned about CO2 poisoning.

[MSilvia]

I've used a tent on ice dives, and found that simply blocking the wind makes it seem significantly more comfortable. If you have a stove outside keeping some water hot, you can use it to provide hot drinks and warm rinse water. I don't think a stove in a tent is necessary or prudent if you just want a changing/SI room.

[BusDiver]

I believe we are going to try to different shelters. One is a modified collapsable ice shanty that my neighbor uses. I told him what I wanted to do and he has some ideas to modify his structure to make it dive friendly. What that means at this point I do not know. He is a fisherman and a diver so I am interested. The other, my dive buddy is making (with my help and some crown royal). It one of those pop up tents that you see at art fairs etc. Using some of the advice from this forum we will wrap the sides with extra tarps. We will run a stove/heater inside with a chimney. That said I like the idea of hanging a carbon monoxide alarm in the tent for extra safety.

Now my dive buddy has bagged for this weekend. Said something about 15 degree weather is past his cold point. So it gives me some time to try out these shelters in my back yard and have a beer or two and pretend I am in the tropics.

Thank you all for your help. I will let you know how it went and which design worked.

[plot]

I find drinking something warm while staying out of the wind does more for me than sitting somewhere warm. Gets my core all heated up... grab some of those new(ish) coffee/hot chocolate things that you pull the tab to heat up.

[terrillja]

Originally Posted by RoadRacer1978

If in doubt, take along a CO2 detector. Like a smoke detector that runs on batteries and was made for your house, these detect dangerous levels of CO2 and warn you with a horrible screaching. Nothing says you couldn't hang one in a tent or other type of enclosure. This would add a little margin of safety for anyone concerned about CO2 poisoning.

RR, I think you mean CO (Carbon Monoxide) rather than CO2(Carbon Dioxide) both will kill you, but CO is the bigger threat IMO, and the detectors are cheap and sold at any hardware store. I have no clue about CO2 detectors, I've never seen one before.