a shout out for Mr Heater

[mockturtle]

Thanks, Bob.  I thought it might be worth the extra $$.  And I'm thinking a Wave 3 will do fine for me.

 

[caseyc]

Well, I bought the Big Buddy heater from Camping World this past weekend. I even paid an additional $22 for 3 years of warranty protection in case anything goes wrong, they will replace the unit for free. I don't normally pay for warranty on purchases, but I thought what the hay. <br /><br />My first impression: This thing is larger than I expected! The knob to switch from Off to Pilot to Low, Med, High settings took some getting used to. I was able to move it to the Pilot setting okay, but then it seemed like it was stuck moving further over to the other settings of Low, Med, High. After some trial and error, I was able to get the thing going and saw a small flame for the pilot light, then was able to move over to the Low setting which seemed to give off a good amount of heat. <br /><br />Questions please: If I will be periodically using this heater on and off for the next few months, do I need to remove the two 1 LB propane cannisters each day I'm not using the heater? <br /><br />Should I purchase the dedicated carrying case for this heater? Is this the correct carry case? http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200578236_200578236 <br /><br />What is the appropriate height the heater should be placed in the van? For example, should the heater be placed at about the same height as the bed? Is placing the heater&nbsp;on the floor a bad idea? <br /><br />By the the way, I'm using this heater with 4 "D" size batteries to activate the heater's internal&nbsp;fan, if that makes any difference. I don't plan on connecting this heater to a larger propane tank, I will only be using the 1 LB cannisters. When using the heater, I will have both front windows down about 1/2 inch for ventilation. Maybe I should also open one of the side vents too? <br /><br />Thanks! Casey

 

[oldsoul]

I lived in a van in Anchorage, Alaska for 6 years, and I used both an Olympian Wave 3 and Wave 6. At normal winter temps I used just the Wave 3, in the teens I turned it off and used just the Wave 6, and below zero I used them both at the same time on low. When it got down to -30 below zero I had them both on high.&nbsp;<br /><br />The Olympian is a true catalytic heater while the Mr. Buddy is not. It is much safer! Catalytic is a chemical process (no flame) so it produces virtually no carbon monoxide. I turned my Olympians on in October, and they ran 24/7 till April. The only time I turned them off is when I changed or refilled the bottles. <br /><br />I personally would not run a MR. Buddy while I slept, although I have friends who do and think it is safe. In normal climates, the Mr. Buddy works fine--I have one now. But Olympian is a better, safer heater. Bob

<br /><br />Bob i sure wish i could get my hands on an Olympian Cat 8 heater, but they don,t sell them in Canada because they aren,t CSA approved or some bull&amp;*%# like that.&nbsp;

 

[Where~the~wind~blows]

<br />

<br />Bob i sure wish i could get my hands on an Olympian Cat 8 heater, but they don,t sell them in Canada because they aren,t CSA approved or some bull&amp;*%# like that.&nbsp;

<br /><br />couldn't somebody from the states ship it to you?

 

[Johnnomads]

<strong>&nbsp;I did a video on the new style Portable Buddy Heater. My old portable buddy lasted 11 years, so i think it was a pretty good value. The new Buddy has a swivel connection for the filter and supply hosem which makes it much easier to connect in limited space areas. The burner surface is larger and seems to put out more heat</strong>, <strong>it is also oriented vertically, which makes the heater smaller and more narrow. The control knob also doubles as the igniter button, i'm used to the separate button on the rear, so the new control knob feels less substantial and flimsy than the old style heater. <br />&nbsp;</strong><strong>Mr Heater recommends the use of a propane filter, when using bulk tanks. The filter comes with coated threads which helps to avoid overtighting</strong> <strong>the connections. The filter comes with a protective plastic sleeve that is to be removed before installation, but the packaging says nothing about removing the sleeve before use. </strong><br />&nbsp;

 

[gypsydreamer]

<br />A question for those who have used the Olympian Cat Heater versus the Mr. Heater/Buddy heater:<br /><br />Does the Cat Heater surface get very hot?&nbsp; I am pleased with the Buddy heater's performance but the surfaces become very hot.&nbsp; Does the surface of the Cat Heater stay cooler?<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Ann

 

[caseyc]

By the way, I also just bought the Mr. Heater Little Buddy heater. &nbsp;It's noticeably smaller compared to the Mr. Heater Big Buddy heater that I also bought. &nbsp;The Little Buddy heater seems to put out just enough heat to warm up the van. &nbsp;I simply place this heater on top of a cooler I got from Camping World. &nbsp;The particular cooler top is designed as a tray lid, and the dimensions of the tray lid top makes for a perfect base for the Little Buddy heater, with just enough height too. &nbsp;I believe this is the link for the cooler: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/20-can-party-stacker-cooler/49105">http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/20-can-party-stacker-cooler/49105<br /><br /><span style="color: #000000;">Because the Little Buddy doesn't have a built-in fan, I got this little USB powered fan to circulate the warm air. &nbsp;This fan is cool (pun intended) because I can simply plug into any USB port for power. &nbsp;Here's a link to the fan.</span><br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006NWJBZE...2001250277&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=">http://www.amazon.com/dp/B006NWJBZE...2001250277&amp;hvpone=&amp;hvptwo=&amp;hvqmt=</a><a href="http://www.campingworld.com/shopping/item/20-can-party-stacker-cooler/49105"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /></a>