Okay! Whats a good temporary propane heater?

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Small Cabin Forum / General Forum / Okay! Whats a good temporary propane heater?

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OutdoorFanatic Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 05:32pm Reply My cabin is 12x16 with a 12x8 loft. I'd like to get some interior work done but its cold. 10-12 degrees during the day and below 0 at night. Its not insulated yet but thats what I hope to get started on. I will be putting in a full vented propane heater next year but am just looking for something cheap that will heat it up warm enough to work. I checked out the "Mr Heater - Tough Buddy" but it doesnt look like it would really do the job.(maybe it will, I don't know) I dont want to spend more than a couple hundred $$$ because the heater going in next fall is going to cost me about $1200.

paulz Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 06:27pm Reply I use one of these tank top jobs for quick heat. Ventilation required and no sleeping! http://www.harborfreight.com/catalogsearch/result?q=propane+heater

OutdoorFanatic Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 06:50pm Reply Hi Paulz, I had one of those once and it broke on me within the first month. The button that you hold in to start it broke and it wouldn't light off unless I kept it held in with a set of vise grips. That kinda spooked me on buying another one. The other thing is that I'll be using Kraft Faced Insulation and I'm thinking it wouldn't be good having that hot lamp fall on some.

Jebediah Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 07:24pm Reply I use Mr Buddy heater in a 10x 12 sunroom on low 4000 btu's and its lots of heat at -10c ....

DaveBell Moderator	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 08:37pm Reply Quoting: OutdoorFanatic I dont want to spend more than a couple hundred $$$ because the heater going in next fall is going to cost me about $1200. Which heater is it? Could you do a temporary install?

cspot Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 09:04pm Reply I have the big buddy heater and it heats my 32' long camper pretty well.

sparky30_06 Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 09:06pm Reply http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200664881_200664881

OutdoorFanatic Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 09:24pm Reply Thanks Sparky, Looks like what I had in mind. I wonder if that fan will run on 12V since I'm on battery power right now. The other thing I wonder about is, "Will it really heat 700sq ft like it say's and do it quickly without waiting 4 hours.

OutdoorFanatic Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 09:26pm Reply Quoting: cspot I have the big buddy heater and it heats my 32' long camper pretty well. Thanks cspot, thats helpful info. I looked at them at Lowes but they look so small. I hate to spend the money and find myself standing next to it holding my hands up to it like a toaster.

low277 Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 09:37pm Reply Mr Heater makes a fan forced propane heater that runs on a rechargeable battery. The Hero series. I think the 30,000 btu one is under 200 dollars.

low277 Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 09:40pm Reply Mr Heater makes a fan forced propane heater that runs on a rechargeable battery. The Hero series. I think the 30,000 btu one is under 200 dollars.

cspot Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 10:02pm Reply There are a couple of different sizes of the Buddy Heater. I have the small one and the bigger one. The smaller one has a low and high that are 4,000 and 9,000 BTU and the larger one has 3 settings that are 4,000, 9,000, and 18,000 BTU. The larger one also has a blower fan that runs D cell batteries. I bought a hose for the larger one to hook to a 20lb tank. The 1 lb tanks will go empty pretty quickly when running on the 18,000 BTU setting. Also with a 12' hose you can set the tank outside. If you are working in there then you also don't need it really warm anyway. You just need something to take the edge off the cold. I have used the little buddy heater in deer blinds too so it serves a dual purpose.

paulz Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 10:11pm Reply How do those vent free wall heaters deal with the CO?

toyota_mdt_tech Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 10:21pm Reply Quoting: OutdoorFanatic Hi Paulz, I had one of those once and it broke on me within the first month. The button that you hold in to start it broke and it wouldn't light off unless I kept it held in with a set of vise grips. Maybe get the original "Mr Heater" brand VS the cheaper chinese unit from H/F? We have used it (Mr Heater) for years. I used it to knock the chill out of my cabin, makes it nice for working int he cold. Set it closer to you and where you will be working. Really takes the sting out.

darz5150 Member	# Posted: 8 Jan 2017 10:37pm - Edited by: darz5150 Reply @paulz.They don't deal with it per say, but many have a low oxygen shut off that shuts the heater off automatically. I believe the Buddy Heaters have that safety feature also. The most important thing to have while using any propane burning device is a CO detector/alarm. Whether it is a stove, heater, or refrigerator, or whatever. This topic has been argued back and forth quite a bit on this forum. You don't want to risk your life based on someone else's opinion. CO detectors and fire extinguishers are cheaper than any propane fired device, and a hell of a lot cheaper than a funeral.

Julie2Oregon Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 06:50am Reply I just bought a Dyna-Glo Cabinet heater. It's awesome! The 20 lb. tank goes inside the cabinet where there's the hose, regulator and safety features all built in. It's 6,000, 12,000 and 18,000 BTUs on low, medium, and high. The safety features work. My shabin is insulated and I had a problem getting it to run after the pilot light was lit. Finally figured out it needed fresh air so now I have it next to the door and I removed some of the door insulation so there's a draft around it. Problem solved. I have 2 CO detectors, one in the main area and one in the loft. No problem. The heater really works great! It was $106 on Amazon. I read a lot of reviews and apparently this type of heater is commonly used in homes all over Europe as a space heater without a problem.

sparky30_06 Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 07:46am Reply one thing to remember is that infrared heaters are designed to warm what's infront of them. they don't heat air very well. I was going to buy the one listed, even went and looked at them, nice looking unites and seemed well built, but ended up being able to stay in an RV instead of my non insulated, half finished shack.

sparky30_06 Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 07:48am Reply Quoting: OutdoorFanatic The other thing I wonder about is, "Will it really heat 700sq ft like it say's and do it quickly without waiting 4 hours. Reminds me of when we would get to a buddy's cabin in Wisconsin in the middle of the night for a week of snowmobiling. get the cabin opened up, fire place cranked up and everyone would sleep in sleeping bags in front of the fire place that night taking turns waking up to put logs on. by the next evening it was warm and we could turn the water on.

wgiles Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 10:10am Reply One thing that you will find with unvented propane heaters in a cold space is that you will get some condensation. As others have said, it's important to have ventilation and a CO alarm. I've used unvented heaters quite a bit and have yet to have any detectable CO, but I don't use them in tightly enclosed spaces. At a minimum, I would want a dryer vent high for exhaust and one low for make up air in a tight space. A 30,000 BTU heater is quite a bit of heat. It will warm up a small space fairly quickly, but then will cycle on and off according to the thermostat setting. There are 10 and 20,000 BTU units available also and they go on sale at the big box home stores once in a while. If your primary need is for quick heat once in a while, then the big heater is probably appropriate. It depends on the size of the space, the insulation levels and the outdoor temperature and wind. If the space isn't very tight, a strong wind can blow all of the heat away. A 30,000 BTU space heater in an open doghouse on a drill rig is barely enough to warm your hands on (an extreme case). We called it a doghouse because it was just barely big enough to get out of the wind.

Julie2Oregon Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 02:19pm Reply I probably should have mentioned more specifics about my shabin and the Dyna-Glo. My place is 10x16 with a 10Ã—8 loft. Loft ceiling is insulated but the other half isn't. Walls are insulated, floor isn't. The Dyna-Glo has the radiant ceramic plates that warm in the front and also big vent holes on top that pump out hot air. I've never used it on High (18,000 BTUs) to warm my place. Medium is all I've needed to kick out the cold when I was away (and it was well below 0) and then I turned it back to low to keep it comfortable. A tank lasts about 70 hours on low, they say. I'm finding that to be about right but I haven't kept track. No energy source is required. Just put on the wheels, put the tank in and attach it to the regulator (the hose and other things are already inside the cabinet) put the back on, and you're all set. I like this thing. Mr. Buddy makes one, too, but the reviews aren't as good. Matches my experience with a Big Buddy that I had to return because the propane wouldn't connect properly. The threads in the thing were poorly cut; gas was leaking.

Rickkrus Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 04:09pm Reply Mr Heater Big Buddy. It will heat that space up no problem.

NorthRick Member	# Posted: 9 Jan 2017 04:58pm Reply Quoting: OutdoorFanatic My cabin is 12x16 with a 12x8 loft. I'd like to get some interior work done but its cold. 10-12 degrees during the day and below 0 at night. Its not insulated yet but thats what I hope to get started on.I will be putting in a full vented propane heater next year but am just looking for something cheap that will heat it up warm enough to work. Our first night in our 12x16 cabin was during construction. No insulation on the walls and only a blue tarp for a roof at that point. It got down to about -5F that night. We had a small propane heater that I thought would at least provide some warmth. We froze our butts off that night. I think the inside temperature was all of 0.5 degrees warmer than the outside. I'd make getting some insulation installed the top priority.

NorthwoodsGuy Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 01:21pm Reply We have the exact same setup: 12 x 16 with 12 x 8 loft, and we have the Big Buddy heater. We have insulation in walls, ceiling will come in a couple of months. In November, it kept the cabin very comfortable, especially after insulation. Temps were 20s to 40s. For working it would be more than adequate. In December, it was 15 below, and the propane didn't want to flow. I am guessing we could have warmed the tank up a bit and it would have worked, but we were just stopping by for a quick visit so I didn't bother.

OutdoorFanatic Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 07:09pm Reply Good info! Sounds like the Big Buddy heater is the way to go for now. I hear it's going to start warming up into the high 20's low 30's soon so that should work.

paulz Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 07:56pm Reply Does the Big Buddy take 1lb. tanks? Might start to add up.

cspot Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:33pm Reply It does take 1 lb tanks but I would recommend getting the hose to hook to the 20 lb. It will pay for itself in a short period of time. That darn hose is like $40 if I remember correctly.

creeky Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:45pm - Edited by: creeky Reply you mean like this?

cspot Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 08:48pm Reply Yep Creeky just like that. I put my tank outside though and run the hose in thru a window.

OutdoorFanatic Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 09:14pm Reply Man, that looks so small. Looks like it wouldn't heat a closet, but if ya'll say so. I have plenty of 20 lb propane tanks and a hose so I'll give it a try. Cant stand seeing my baby sit there all alone in the cold dark woods.

creeky Member	# Posted: 10 Jan 2017 11:47pm - Edited by: creeky Reply That was my construction heater. I have a 8k btu vented propane now. But the Mr buddy did the trick when I was building. I have r40 on the floor. R28 walls and r50 roof. So there is that too. btw. that's a might purty lookin' cabin thar.

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