Any time you burn fossil fuels for heat there are always concerns of carbon monoxide production because that fuel requires oxygen to burn. If the heater depletes the oxygen enough to a percentage below what's required for complete combustion production of carbon monoxide will occur. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that will make you sick up to and including death.

If you have the means to vent it properly this venting should not only include waste gases but also fresh air to allow for complete combustion. Safety can not be stressed enough here.

Aside from those concerns, Propane itself is extremely dangerous for the simple reason if a leak develops the propane is heavier than air and will 'pool' in the air at ground or floor level. That 'pool' of propane vapor once large enough will cause violent explosions, once the pool of gas reaches an ignition source.

It's not likely you will find a propane heater that doesn't need some form of electric to operate the device. Typically they will use a fan to expel the heat from the device. If it is radiant heat only it will still need some sort of control to start it up / shut it off this will require some electric input.

I have used a 80,000 btu twin head burner attached to a standard propane 20 lb. tank along with my propane range in an emergency. I don't leave the house when they're on. They both burn clean, so I have no worries about CO, but one of the byproducts of burning gas is water vapor so you wouldn't want to run them for days.

Of course, Austin and Seabornman, if I did this I would properly vent the heater. It would be easy to do if I'm home to turn it on, etc. but what to do if I'm not? I could set it up and ask a neighbor/friend to turn it on if there is a power outage, or I could do the same thing with an inexpensive generator and electric heater combination (not connecting to my home wiring). Of course, said friend would have to turn the generator on (it would be already connected to my 100 lb propane tank).

The venting comment / CO warnings aren't necessarily to you mtvhike, if you understand those common sense things. It's for the person that reads this thread maybe years later.

If a new thread started on this subject, there would be another similar warning in that thread if I were to post in it. Anyone reading such a thread needs to be aware of safety related things. Combustion air is often not thought of. -- a vent for flue gases is often times not enough.

Without proper combustion air via a fresh air intake vent makes the gas burning appliance a CO maker -- which is extremely dangerous.

For the most part the reason you need electric to run these things now is the ignition source to light the fuel. I doubt you would find a pilot light on one of these appliances now, they are all electronic ignition source.

I suppose you could come up with a way to do this with a battery source power, but you would need some way to recharge that battery source at some point.

If you have control knowledge with stored battery power, you could make this automatic. Obviously if the appliance required a fan to operate the amount of time it would operate without power would be limited.

If any of you have been following me with several threads, my primary concern and wish is to a) provide an emergency heat backup, in the event that I lose power and b) keep the cost at a minimum. I have a visit the other day from an electrical contractor who, at first, thinks I need a whole house generator, at least 25 kW but perhaps as much as 40! For a cost in excess of $20,000 (installed). This is for something I may never need. He came over and looked at my heating situation and we were brainstorming about something which would take less power. What we came up with is a small electric boiler which would preheat the water and could be heated by a small generator. This would not be used normally. He then suggested a PowerWall, which would be charged by my 14kW solar panels (which, right now, are putting out 14kW during the day (remember, I'm at 45° latitude, but when the sun is out, it is bright!). This would be made independent of my grid-tied system and, therefore, could be used as backup.

Still just trying to brainstorm!

How about using a hot water heater as the boiler for hydronic heating system? You can buy an atomospheric vented 40 or 50 gallon gas hot water heater and retrofit it for propane. This would be connected to one baseboard heating loop which is powered by a circulator pump. The pump would be powered by a small generator during a black out. The hot water heater requires no electricity to operate. You could install a thermostat to control the circulator pump. However it may not be necessary since you are not looking for precise temperature control. You only need the maintain the temperature above freezing and the hot water heater does not have enough heat output to make the house too hot.

The backup generator could by also powered with propane.

" The pump would be powered by a small generator during a black out. " Use the solar with battery storage. I realize that if you have a grid-tied system, you would probably need to create a hybrid system (grid-tied and off-grid together) to accomplish this.

And I'd use a bigger tank (80-120gal), and electric if no gas available.

Very attractive idea. The main issue is how to start it up. Of course I could depend on a friendly neighbor (which I gaveral😊).

"Built in" (permanently affixed) generators start themselves when the power goes out. Our next door neighbors had one installed (to run off natural gas) because one of them had a medical equipment need for reliable power. It would cut on when the power went out. It was annoying for us, we can see a peek of their house from the front. To see their house lit up as per normal while the rest of the neighborhood was dark was a bit angering but the feelings were really jealousy.

That couple moved away. The new owners found the monthly (or maybe even weekly) 10 minute test startup and run as annoying as the rest of the neighbors did so they had it disconnected.

You could get back up generator with self start up. The Generac backup generator with 7.5K KW capacity sells for $2000. This could power a 6KW 220 V infrared heater which could be wall or ceiling mounted. That would provide 20K BTUs which is should be enough to keep the house at 50 degrees. Home Depot sells one for $700. For about the same money it would be a simpler solution than the hot water heater.

I'm going to revive this thread as I am now dealing with this same issue. I'm also in upstate NY. I have used unvented propane heaters, but would like something safer. @Mtvhike, what did you end up doing. I have no propane (at the moment) or natural gas. I have a ground source heat pump with a 60A breaker. I'd buy a whole house generator, but don't like where it would need to be placed, along with a propane tank. The best I have come up with is dedicated wiring for one 240V outlet that I would connect a large electric heater to, or possibly a transfer switch that picks up a couple of 240V outlets. Both of these require that I'd be home to lug the (large) portable generator out to connect.

Emergency heat is provided to either safeguard against losses (e.g., freezing and bursting of water pipes) or for occupant comfort during a power outage. You could probably achieve either with a pellet stove and arrange for a neighbor to fuel it during an outage if you're not at home. If it's for loss prevention which is limited to water pipe freeze protection when you're not home, you might consider installing solenoid-controlled valves which block water supply (fail closed) during an outage and drain the system (fail open.)