Heater for small dwellings, AKA; Vans Catalytic vs Blue Flame, etc.

[Ballenxj]

In another thread we were discussing heating a van. Now I have been looking at a couple. <br /><br />Here's one, http://compare.ebay.com/like/181012445185?var=lv&amp;ltyp=AllFixedPriceItemTypes&amp;var=sbar <br /><br />And here's the other, http://www.adventurerv.net/olympian-wave-catalytic-safety-heater-p-1679.html <br /><br />I'd like to start a discussion about the Pros &amp; Cons of these two. <br />"Or" If anybody has a better unit to share, please feel free. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /> <br />-Bruce

 

[HoboBerg]

Ive been using my Mr heater portable buddy for over 2 yrs now and am completely satisfied with it. It warms up very quickly.&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F23...51869750&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=buddy+heater">http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F23...51869750&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=buddy+heater</a>

 

[bee]

First things I see are that the procon is 10k btu vs the 3kbtu of the olympian.<br />The procon just plain lies about its efficiency rating.&nbsp; It is not possible to be that efficient with a flame.&nbsp; The olympian IS more efficient and will always be more efficient then a flame style heater.<br /><br />Of course many people are perfectly happy with flame style heaters and their efficiency.&nbsp; They are also cheaper as can be seen in the example you give.<br /><br />The procon does not use electricity like a buddy heater.<br /><br />The procon and buddy heater have oxygen depletion sensors which are good and bad.&nbsp; Extra safety with the sensor, but heater will not work at higher elevations.&nbsp; The olympian does not have the sensor.<br /><br />Olympian can be contaminated by dust rendering it useless.<br /><br />I have the 3000k olympian and am pretty happy.&nbsp; Sitting inside a poorly insulated truck camper right now the heater is on low and it is about 68f inside and 45f outside.&nbsp; So odds are you don't need 10k btu for a small vehicle.

 

[HoboBerg]

<br /><br />The procon does not use electricity like a buddy heater.<br /><br />The procon and buddy heater have oxygen depletion sensors which are good and bad.&nbsp; Extra safety with the sensor, but heater will not work at higher elevations.&nbsp; The olympian does not have the sensor.<br /><br />

<br /><br />My Buddy heater&nbsp;doesn't&nbsp;use electricity and worked great an 10000ft. Not sure if there is another type of buddy heater out there, so if you were refering to something else I do apologize<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />

 

[Ballenxj]

Thanks guys, another question for HoboBerg; How long can I expect that small propane bottle to last on the MrBuddy heater you linked here? Is it truly safe to use in a closed van? It looks good.<br />-Bruce

 

[Guest]

Hi Bruce, I don't know anything other than what I read about the Procom heater. Sounds interesting...<br /><br />I do know that the Olympian Wave is pretty much the industry standard for a wall mounted catalytic heater and millions use them successfully and happily.<br /><br />I am With the Hobo and many other van dwellers and we use the Mr. Buddy heater which does not use electricity unless you were to call the piezoelectric lighter that.<br /><br />I love mine and can never use it for more than just a few minutes before I climb into the rack and I can reach out of my sleeping bag in the morning and turn it on for a few minutes...<br /><br />That is pretty much the extent of my knowledge except that all of these, whether they say vent-free or not, definitely use up your O2 in the vehicle and you need to be sure to have a vent for incoming air...I am not convinced that they don't put out CO (although they seem to stress that it is so clean burning they put out CO2 instead of CO) so I would vent up high for a bit of a crossdraft anyway.<br /><br />I would always rather err on the side of caution...<br />Bri

 

[HoboBerg]

Thanks guys, another question for HoboBerg; How long can I expect that small propane bottle to last on the MrBuddy heater you linked here? Is it truly safe to use in a closed van? It looks good.<br />-Bruce

<br /><br />Id say 4 hours on high 6 hours on low, just a guestimate I am constantly turning it on and off it heats up the van quickly. You can also hook them right up to a larger propane tank if you have one, which requires a special filter or hose of some sort think there listed on the link above. I always crack a window a lil bit when in the van for some fresh air, but they have made these for years without incident as far as I know of. One night I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;open a window, and while watching netflix the oxygen sensor kicked in and it shut down. Not sure if it was there beer or the lack of oxygen, but I did feel a bit light headed.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;Have a friend who runs his all the time in a class C without any incident. Hope this helps

 

[angeli]

I've had luck for many years with this type of heat:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ebay.com/itm/Antique-PER...pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&amp;hash=item4d0671cbd5"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>Perfection portable heater</strong></span><br /><br /></a>if you keep the wicks in good repair, and crack your window about 1/2", it keeps you toasty!

 

[bee]

<p>I don't remember which model probably one of the larger ones not ideal for small campers used D cell batteries.&nbsp; I wasn't sure if they all did or not.&nbsp; Sorry for the confusion.<br /><br /><br />There are stories on line about the oxygen depletion shutoff kicking in at as low as 5000ft.&nbsp; Maybe theirs were overly sensitive, I don't have personal experience, but I would definitely test my unit at elevation before I was depending on it.<br /><br /><br />Are there any specs on buddy heaters for efficiency or fuel consumption?&nbsp; I can't find any.&nbsp; Maybe its a pet peeve of mine but vague statements like "nearly 100% efficient" without any fuel consumption specs to back it up bug me.&nbsp; Of course if its only 95% efficient and a cat heater is 99% efficient does that matter when a cat heater is 3 times the price?</p>

 

[Ballenxj]

Thanks guys, another question for HoboBerg; How long can I expect that small propane bottle to last on the MrBuddy heater you linked here? Is it truly safe to use in a closed van? It looks good.<br />-Bruce

<br /><br />Id say 4 hours on high 6 hours on low, just a guestimate I am constantly turning it on and off it heats up the van quickly. You can also hook them right up to a larger propane tank if you have one, which requires a special filter or hose of some sort think there listed on the link above. I always crack a window a lil bit when in the van for some fresh air, but they have made these for years without incident as far as I know of. One night I&nbsp;didn't&nbsp;open a window, and while watching netflix the oxygen sensor kicked in and it shut down. Not sure if it was there beer or the lack of oxygen, but I did feel a bit light headed.&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;Have a friend who runs his all the time in a class C without any incident. Hope this helps

<br />I appreciate your answer Hobo. How many bottles a week or month will you go through then? I'm trying to compute the monthly cost if I were to go this way. <br />-Bruce

 

[HoboBerg]

[/quote]<br />I appreciate your answer Hobo. How many bottles a week or month will you go through then? I'm trying to compute the monthly cost if I were to go this way. <br />-Bruce[/quote]<br /><br />No Problem Ballenxj, Typically one bottle every 3 to 5 days, but I am constantly turning it on and off. I spend my winters in southern AZ so it definately depends on your location. If i had to use it more often id&nbsp;definitely&nbsp;be buying a larger propane tank. They also sell attachments so you can refill the lil green cylinders.&nbsp;

 

[Ballenxj]

<br />No Problem Ballenxj, Typically one bottle every 3 to 5 days, but I am constantly turning it on and off. I spend my winters in southern AZ so it definately depends on your location. If i had to use it more often id&nbsp;definitely&nbsp;be buying a larger propane tank. They also sell attachments so you can refill the lil green cylinders.&nbsp;

<br />Thanks again Hobo, I think a bigger tank will save even more money by buying bulk instead of those little Green cylinders, but I'm also looking at the adapter to fill them. It will all come together eventually I hope. <br />-Bruce

 

[HoboBerg]

Bruce a 5 gallon propane tank will save you a small fortune in the long run, and refilling those the green cylinders isnt ideal the tend to leak after a 10 or more uses in my experience just make sure you buy the filter or they may make a special hose now. Had a friend who lost his Mr buddy&nbsp;<img src="/images/boards/smilies/bawl.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp;because of contaminates in the hose. Good Luck!<br /><br />&nbsp;<a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Portable-Heaters-F273699/dp/B000HE8P2O/ref=pd_sim_hg_4">http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-Portable-Heaters-F273699/dp/B000HE8P2O/ref=pd_sim_hg_4<br /></a><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F276172-Propane-Adapter/dp/B000AMC5WO/ref=pd_sim_hg_6">http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-F276172-Propane-Adapter/dp/B000AMC5WO/ref=pd_sim_hg_6</a>

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Up here (Canada) where propane is rather cheap, I've mounted an 'auto propane' chassis mount tank in my camper with a 20 lb barbecue tank as backup. The auto propane tank costs 1/2 as much to fill, has a guage, and I know exactly (within reason) how much propane goes in when I fill it. There's also no expiry date on the tank.&nbsp;

 

[Ballenxj]

Well, I am about to remove from the box and inspect my new Mr Heater Portable Buddy. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/biggrin.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /> <br />I was in Walmart tonight and spotted the very last one they had. I pulled the Coleman portable sink out for a closer look, and there it was hidden behind. I also picked up a couple propane bottles so I can actually try it out. My wallet is a bit lighter now by $100, but I'm still jazzed over getting it. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/cool.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /> <br />-Bruce

 

[VanLifeCrisis]

The Big Buddy larger heater has the batteries (and a fan).&nbsp; The Mr.Heater smaller one (which believe me, will heat any vehicle easy), doesn't take batteries and is pretty awesome, even on low.<br /><br />Just to note, it can be kinda bright in a very dark space.

 

[Ballenxj]

The Big Buddy larger heater has the batteries (and a fan).&nbsp; The Mr.Heater smaller one (which believe me, will heat any vehicle easy), doesn't take batteries and is pretty awesome, even on low.

<br />The Portable Buddy is the one I got. No batteries required. <img src="/images/boards/smilies/smile.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" /><br /><br />

Just to note, it can be kinda bright in a very dark space.

<br />Dual purpose? A night light as well? <img src="/images/boards/smilies/wink.gif" alt="" align="absmiddle" border="0" />&nbsp; <br />Actually, I think it'll be comforting seeing the light, this way you "know" it's working.<br />-Bruce

 

[rverscorner]

My portable buddy immediately fogs up the windows (here on Vancouver Island BC) due to the humidity here. Not a problem for me, but it may be a concern when stealth is required. Other than that it works very well and rarely needed on the high setting. Would be nice if it had a thermostat to regulate the output - you have to manually turn it off and on as needed.

 

[Willy]

My portable buddy immediately fogs up the windows (here on Vancouver Island BC) due to the humidity here. Not a problem for me, but it may be a concern when stealth is required. Other than that it works very well and rarely needed on the high setting. Would be nice if it had a thermostat to regulate the output - you have to manually turn it off and on as needed.

<br /><br />&nbsp;You gotta watch that condensation, especially on the Island. That water means there's more that condensed somewhere else and it's sooo damp there that it doesn't evaporate, just accumulates&nbsp; and.. MOLD!! Spent a bit of time there (winter), Texasa, and Powel River, and it was a real bear trying to keep the mold at bay. ..Willy.

 

[crazybill]

The Olympian is the one I installed in my camper. <br />&nbsp; I am very happy with it. It is the smallest one and it has no problem heating the place even on the lowest setting. I ran an overnight test with an industrial gas detector and there was no loss of O2 or build up of CO or CO2. That being said I still leave a quarter inch in the window closest to the heater and the overhead vent at night. (per instructions)<br />&nbsp;Be sure to keep any catalytic heater covered when not in use. Dust, cooking fumes etc. will kill the catalyst bed. <br />&nbsp;-Bill-