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Indoor Propane Heater
With all these winter storms in the mid west, it's really got me thinking that I have to get an indoor propane heater. I have several propane tanks (from small camping size to 20 lb, to 100 lb).
I have a wood burning fireplace, but heat is limited to the living room, and minimal at that. Been looking at: Click image to enlarge... http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dim...0,200&cvt=jpeg For indoor or outdoor useNo electrical outlet needed. Keep those goose bumps at bay with this 4-lb., 11 1/2 x 7 3/4" hot little number that puts out 3,000 BTUs and a pressure regulator for consistent heat output. Space heater has quiet, platinum catalytic technology for flameless heat, running up to 10 hours on a 16.4-oz. propane cylinder (not included). High and low-heat settings. Use in your tent, camper, garage, or keep warm outside while hunting, fishing or camping. Get 'em while they're hot... and available at this savings price! Order ONLINE Now! Brinkmann� Portable Catalytic Space Heater WX2-92132 - Brinkmann� Portable Catalytic Space Heater $49.97Compare at $60.00 Club Price $44.97 Heater is NEW, improved, totally portable, get more POWERFUL heat! Click Portable Heater to enlarge... http://image.sportsmansguide.com/dim...0,200&cvt=jpeghttp://image.sportsmansguide.com/dim...0,130&cvt=jpeg Hose for 20-lb. cylinders "hides awayhttp://image.sportsmansguide.com/dim...0,130&cvt=jpeg Switch for on/off blower fan to distribute heat faster The Mr. Heater� Big Buddy Propane Heater, now with TWICE the BTU output of the previous model, and with more propane capacity!
Obviously the "Big Buddy" will give more heat, but I'm curious as to what my fellow GIMers think, and use. FYI - I'm all electric at the house, so if that goes out, I'm down to wood and propane. No place to put a wood burning stove. Can't do a generator right now. Any thoughts on Kerosene heaters? (pros, cons) |
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http://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/r...heaters-rv.htm These are just some ideas, that will help you get what would be best for you. These units are super safe; no pilot lite , thermostatic controlled and you can just leave them on . and economical. There mostly wall mount, , but in a pinch they will keep the chill out over an extended time with good economy on fuel. You hook a rubber line to it from a propane bottle. And keep the bottle outside and run a copper or rubber line thru a wall. There a bit spendy. I keep these around in a pinch , they heat up a room in seconds and are safe, I left it burning in the itchen when the power went out. http://www.northerntool.com/images/p...173633_med.gif http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...pane%20heaters |
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I would strongly recommend against any vent-less propane heater unless you are able to throw a cat threw the leaks in your walls. JMO
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I wouldn't buy a tent heater that runs on expensive little disposable propane cannisters to heat a house. I'd get one of those infrared vent free heaters and hook it up to one of your large bottles. They're very economical and efficient to run.
Other options include 12 volt fans to circulate to back bedrooms, or hooking a generator to your house wiring to circulate central air. Even a very small generator would run the "fan only" mode and you could just run it 3 or 4 times a day for 20 minutes to circulate woodstove heat. |
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For temporary use the catalytic/infrared type heaters still get my approval. I was wondering if carbon monoxide detectors should be used with them though. |
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Fireplace Hearth Heater
http://www.northlineexpress.com/imag...s/checkout.gif http://www.northlineexpress.com/images/5GS-FH-D.jpg Product ID: 5GS-FHK Fireplace Hearth Heater The Fireplace Heater was developed to dramatically increase convection heat (hot air) coming from your fireplace. The unique design of this grate heater super heats the air within the exchanger tubes to over 500'F and will produce up to 60,000+ BTUs of heat, enough to heat a large room or two. It fits into most fireplaces and has a limited one year warranty. Easy to install, simply assemble the blower on the tubes, seal it with the supplied silicone sealer and set into your fireplace then plug it in and build a fire. The heavy tubing is designed for long life and still works during power outage by convecting heat naturally through the tubing and into your home. The blower is connected to the grate by means of a flexible tube which allows the blower to be positioned in front of the fireplace opening. Tubes made of aluminized steel. Unit size: Height 20 1/2" (removal of legs reduces height to 18"), Depth 18", and Width 17". Click here for a brochure. For smaller fireplaces see the FHZC Fireplace Heater. For wider fireplaces a custom Fireplace Heater can be ordered consisting of 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10 steel tubes. Custom sizes will take approx 2 to 4 weeks to receive. Pick sizes from the menu options below.
http://www.northlineexpress.com/deta...ID~5GS-FHK.asp a friend of mine has one of these in his firplace. Each of those 5 ports is blowing out hot air similar to a hair blow dryer. Worked great. Need 110 to run the blower. |
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SJ,
The heaters you mention would work well, though you do realize only for a single room or two. The "Buddy" brand you can also flip upright and use the grill as pot holder for cooking as well. I have a single head model I use out on construction work sometimes. I find it runs about 24hrs on high on a 20lb bottle. I'd avoid kerosense heaters. They are messy to fill ( and I don't care WHAT you do, you'll manage to slop kero eventually ), smelly on start up and when the run out of fuel, and, as a bonus, they put a LOT of moisture in the air when burning.....in a tight environment, you'll actually have a moisture problem. My advice is get a wood stove insert for your fireplace and keep a stock of firewood. You can get a dang good used insert out of the Tri-Cities Trading Post or the IWANNA for 300-500 bucks. Save the propane for cooking.....get you a Coleman propane camp stove and a rubber hose adapter to run it off a larger tank, like a 20lb'er. http://www.tpost.com/ http://www2.tricitiesiwanna.com/ |
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Hmmmm, interesting Hearth Heater. Can't help but think it would blow at least some smoke into the house. Makes me think of zig-zagging copper tubing along the underside of my existing rack and then running the tube to the front of the fireplace and attaching a small blower. Same principle, maybe not as efficiant, but could probably make myself, and would keep my fireplace from looking like a Flintstones rack of ribs.:cheerful:
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Laughing my soda out my nose---Flint stone rack of ribs:rofl:
Propane or Kerosene need some fresh air--crack a window or two and its there. I will probably get a Wood burning stove for next house as they can seriously put out the heat. My father and I built a cabin in the woods and had a wood burning stove with a blower that we got up to 95 degrees in the cabin while testing how hot it would get. This on a 20 degree night. I would check with Vermont castings for a stove without a blower for heat back up without electric. E-A |
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I've got a Vermont Castings (gas) stove, no electricity needed. It throws a ton of heat.
I also have a kerosene heater. As long as you fill it and put it out, outside, they are fine. If anything goes wrong with a 20lb propane cyclinder (inside the house), I'd bet the insurance company will not cover the loss. |
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I'm running a Mr. Heater "Big Buddy". About 16,000 btu max to heat my 30 footer, I run a bathroom exaust fan (replaced the cheap RV type with a 100 cfm DC brushless fan scrapped from a big 'puter) with a larger window cracked open, for positive ventilation. I don't have condensation problems normally associated with ventless heat. No CO problems either.
I also run LP leak det and smoke alarms. . |
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I use kerosene but we always have one around in case my wife gets cold anyway.
Pros: The fuel isn't explosive and won't catch fire as long as you store it correctly. Modern heaters (1980 or so and up) are safe for day-to-day use, even around pets and kids. Cons: Messy to refill, have to let cool to be safe. Stinks. Your place smells like a bus station for about 20 minutes on start up and snuff. I have no idea which fuel produces more heat per $. I've seen housewives use pots of pot-pourri (sp?) on top of them to kill the smell and make the house stink like flowers the entire time the thing is running. I'm up in the air over which smell I prefer :smile: Use a CO detector. I believe you should have one anyway. |
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I'm with ya on the pot pourri vs. fuel smell.... don't know which is worse. Everywhere else I've lived, I haven't seen Kerosene, but since i moved to TN, I see Kerosene for sale, containers, and heaters at the stores and at Garage sales. My wife has a super sense of smell, so I think that about shuts the door on Kerosene. ...back to wood and propane. ...the search continues. Thanks for all the input from everyone!!!!! |
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It will bother you even if you don't have a super smeller. I have 3 of them brand new, still in the carton, along with 6 of the blue 5gal plastic kero containers, that I bought for my rentals for emergency heat ( they were all electric also ) in case we have another one of those "Blizzards of '93" ( and it was in APRIL !! ) where the power was out for 1-2 weeks depending on where you were ( 12 days here at my house ) I planned to take them over there and make the renters keep them going in the basements at least just to keep me from having to repair a bunch of broken pipes. Lot of folks had to virtually abandond their houses during that time and came back to a mess......so you are wise to look ahead to such possibilities. We had another mess in '95 that wasn't quite as long ( about a week ), but again, some areas around here are worse than others. We get heavy, wet snows that take down a lot of trees, and it just flat overwhelms the power company on repairs....the late winter/early spring ones are the worst. Tell what ELSE I'd do.....especially if your water heater has some age on it......change to propane water heater.....best dang move I've made in a long time ! I can live without the electric......but a hot shower is a the difference between misery and relative comfort IMHO. I guarantee, a hot shower will make ANY situation somewhat brighter. And if you go propane on the hot water, just go ahead and get yourself a small unvented propane wall heater( get the blue flame type, about 15-20,000 BTU )...put it down in the den or lower hall of your house, and it will go a long way toward keeping the house comfy....especially if you just shut off the bedroom doors. But all around, wood is the best IMHO.....you can heat and cook on it as well. Get yourself about 8-10 4x4x8', 12- 5/4x12' decking boards, and 10 2x6x8' ( get it all in treated lumber ) and I'll supply the metal for the roof and sides ( I've got a bunch of 3'wide painted metal I used to cover my lumber piles with....now I use a shed, and it's just laying here....and I'll come over one Saturday, ( 1/2 day project....you supply the burgers ) and we'll build a 6'x12' by 7' high firewood shed....that will hold 3 cords of wood easy, and be more than you'd burn all year if you used it every day. And if you can find a better deal than that, take it. :D |
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Can't beat that offer. And heck you guys got it good, we used to burn 6 cord of maple in a mild winter.
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CAN'T WAIT!!!!! Thanks again!! |
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YOu need to have someone watch the meter and start throwing breakers and see what is pulling all the juice.
I do not know if your new location is just a higher price for each KW but that seems like a big change. I will say that my bill here runs about 430.00 for two months but everything is high out here. My friend just came back from hunting in TN and says it is the cheapest place in the country he has ever been. He wants to buy something down there but the humidity is a big concern. I have family just outside of Moro Arkansas and was there some years ago. I like the place fine but again that humidity. Have to sit out buy the pond and shoot turtles and catch catfish just to keep the sweat down. |
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On the Buddy issue I've done some searching and I think I've found what you're talking about but just wanted to verify. On the issue of cooking in the tech specs it states, "Automatic low-oxygen shutoff system and tip-over switch", did you 'modify' the unit ala Tim "The Toolman" Taylor or is there some sort of override? http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w..._211577_211577 http://www.northerntool.com/webapp/w...7957_200307957 |
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Sorry.....I hadn't looked at a picture of them.....I'm talking about a different one....a single head version of this:
http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...V35364917_.jpg This is the kind I have, and is also made by "Mr Heater". You can rotate the head around to where it is pointed straight up and then put a pot on the safety "grill" thing. |
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Update: went to Mr. Heater web site - this could be a set back for my indoor heating plan: • For outdoor use only |
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Thanks for the clarification Andy. One more, hopefully the last, question.
Everything I can find on those heaters shows they're for outdoor use only but I'm curious why those are outdoor only and the Buddy models are for indoor use. What is difference in the design? |
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True "catalytic" heaters, running on propane or natural gas, do NOT require any venting. They are sealed units.
The burning gas creates a catalytic reaction inside the unit. Don't ask me how they work beyond that, they just do. lol We use them in the natural gas industry, inside high pressure gas regulator stations, to keep the regs from freezing when it's too cold. (you also lose more temp when you cut pressure, ie: 7 degrees F is lost, for every 100 psi cut) Their only downside is they produce a lot of moisture. These buildings are quite small though, so a house probably wouldn't be affected that much. Since these are made for RV's, I would assume they are ventless too. I would add an appliance reg set at about 2 ounces, between the heater and your larger regulator/tank, unless they are rated for the higher pressure. Just FYI |
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Thanks for the recommendations, as we live in a small town and had unexpected heat issues the pickins were slim but found one of these and even on the low setting it was getting too warm for everyone in the living room after a day earlier it not getting above 60 in the same room. We got the CO detector up on the wall by it and I made a quick little stand to prevent a tip over 'event' with an extra little heat shield below the unit (a small piece of corrugated metal roofing). So we're toasty and got another prep item done in the event we're ever w/out power.
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OK, I'm curious. I've got the same kind of basic heat both of my rural grandparents had: propane floor furnace. So if a propane heater "requires" a vent, how do floor furnaces work? You can look right down through the grate and see that it burns a whole bunch of propane inside of a big hollow metal thing. That can't be airtight though or there would be no oxygen for it to burn. So does it "leak" air in and out down under the floor or what?
And my grandfather also had one of those small little wall units that burned propane as well. Just heated that one room. Blue flames inside of little ceramic type grates. There was no vent on that unit. Just trying to figure out how the old-timers "made do" with this stuff without dropping dead! Gregg |
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