M GO BLUE wrote: I personally would never run a portable heater in an enclosed space even if it is vented...also running a heater with a vent or window open defeats the purpose of running the heater
Hi All.
I'm sorry there M GO BLUE. But we totally disagree with you about your comment about an open widow or vent "Defeats the Puropse of Running the Heater".
We have been using a Mr Heater "BUDDY", a Mr Heater "BIG BUDDY" and an OLY WAVE #6 Propane Heaters for many many years now.
And we do leave a Window and a Roof Vent open, and some time no window and jsut two Roof Vents only. Our Roof Vents do have Maxxi- Vent Covers on them. Trust us, you can not feel any air comming it at all when you are running the Propane Heaters.
Heaat rises, and will stop the flow of cold air comming it, at least to the point hat you can't feel any air movement at all. The same thing happens when windows are open also.
It kind of builds up a sort of pressure zone, and stop winds from blowing in. We have used our Propane Heaters in some pretty windly days, and have neveer felt any drafts at all.
We have also never tripped one of our two Propane Detectors or our two Carbon Monixide Detectors.
I aslo did an experament one time, and I worked insidde our Motorhome for 6 hours with the Propane Heater on, and all windows and vents were clsoed. I did have our two way Raadios on, and the DW checked on mme every now and then.
I never felt any effects fom burning the Propane Heaters, and also never tripped any Dectors either.
We also have never had any Mositure issues either. These Heater are as safe as you make them be.
So far, and I haave looked, there hasn't even been one reported case of anyone dying from a Mr Heater "BUDDY, a Mr Heater "BIG BUDDY" or any of the OLY Wave #3, #6 or #8 Propane Heaaters.
There have been some RV'ers who have used their Oly Wave Propane Heaters for over 20+ years now and they are very much alive and well, just as we are.
Yes, there are "Disclaimers" on almost any type of Burnig Propane Products, even Propane BBQ's. Just to try and protect the Manufactor from law suits.
If you follow a few simple instructions, and you use some "Good Old F, Common Sense", you can be as safe as you make yourself be.
These Propane Heaters are great for Boondocking. They use very little Propane, and don't use any Battery Bank Power at all.
We can't stand the Nosie that RV Furances Make. We don't like how RV Furances Suck Down the Propane. And being Boondockers, we sure don't like the way an RV Furance drains the life out of a Battery Bank.
We must be doing something right, as we have used our Propaen Heaters for many many years now with no problems at all. And we have only been RV'ers for a little over 45+ years now.
We use our Buddy heater just fine. We follow the ventilation rules and thus do not share the paranoia of "waking up dead" that others have. We crack a roof vent and a window on the cab and that's that.
We crack a window AND open/run our roof vent to make sure we get through-flow in the RV. Heater puts out more than enough heat to keep us warm even w/ the flow-through. Have been using Big Buddy for 2 years this way and very happy w/ it.
I use the Mr Buddy heater when camping off the power grid. I have the roof vent open and one side window down stream and creates a good draft. The Mr Buddy puts off alot of heat. Something that doesnt have an open flame. I grew up with the Mr buddy type heaters back in the tent camping days. Since I already carry a bunch of 1lb propane canisters for the grill it is a natural thing to have around when you need more heat.
We too dont operate our Mr buddy heater when we are sleeping. Thats what covers and electric blankets are for. My inverter setup operates an electric blanket just fine when camping off the power grid.
If we are connected to shore power I use an oil-filled radiator type heater. It is very quiet in operation and only goes "clcik" every now and then. I would not be afraid to leave my trailer unattended using an oil-filled radiator type heater (Lowes). Anything that has an open flame or open heated cores could start a fire I imagine. Falls under the "stuff happens"...
My Posts are IMHO based on my experiences - PM me Roy and Carolyn
RETIRED DOAF/DON/DOD/CONTR RADIO TECH (42yrs)
K9PHT (Since 1957) 146.52M
2010 F150, 5.4,3:73 Gears,SCab
2008 Starcraft 14RT EU2000i GEN
2005 Flagstaff 8528RESS
POPUP PHOTOs-Pg52-Pg56
I'm leery of the propane heaters for a few reasons:
1: People who don't have an additional propane detector are betting their lives on if a relatively cheap part working or not. I'm sure that with the proper ventilation, it is safe to use in an RV, especially with setups as described above. In a relatively drafty tent, it worked extremely well, especially with a fuel filter and connected to a propane tank outside the tent, so one doesn't have to replace a Coleman propane canister at 2:00 AM in the morning while freezing. I would have at least one propane detector in addition, just in case.
2: The Buddy heater puts out a lot of water which can condense in spaces inside the RV and do as much damage over time as an actual leak. If I were using it for a couple weekends of boondocking, then had some type of dehumidification, it wouldn't be an issue.
3: One needs to be careful about where stuff is near the heater. I know someone who is trailer-less because his bedding caught fire from the heater, which soon engulfed his rig. Luckily nobody was hurt, and the local FD got it under control quickly.
4: In a RV, one has four choices -- use the small bottles (and change canisters every few hours), try to get a tee line off the RV's main propane setup, leave the propane bottle out a window and thread the pipe through something into the trailer, or have the 20 pound bottle in the trailer. All are doable, but require some thought.
This is not to knock Buddy heaters -- they are extremely useful, and are great for a lot of uses. However, I just prefer the RV's furnace when boondocking or two Vornado heaters set on low when on shore power. All things considered, the RV furnace takes more propane and is noisy, but it is very safe, barring major mechanical failure.
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