Mr.Heater Golf Cart size heater

[Kat_]

I’m considering buying a Mr. Heater Golf Cart Heater for my car.  Because I’m only heating a small car, all of the other Mr.Heater products I’ve looked at will be too big/produce too much heat. 

I realize I’ll need to keep a window slightly open when in use and that moisture may be a problem.  I’m also thinking that just for my own peace of mind I should get a battery operated carbon monoxide detector.  
I’m wondering if anyone else has done this and what were your results? 

This is for the golf cart Mr. Heater (MH4GC), not the my buddy or my little buddy. 

If this doesn’t seem like a good idea, please LMK and if you have another suggestion, I’d appreciate hearing that as well.  
Thanks,

 

[RoamerRV428]

1 lb propane tanks will cost you a lot and they do not truly fit 'any' lb tank if you read the reviews on it. No adapter to 20# tank offered, one review said they had to make their own adapter for it to run of 20#.

I googled fast and found this one which which seems to be a bit more user friend, you can buy the adapter to the larger tank and that will save a ton of money on that issue.n You also want adjustable heat for sure, nothing just 'on or off' one heat only.


just something to consider but I would not leap so fast before you purchase, I would definitely google 'small indoor propane heaters' like I did and I found this one, but there are a lot of other options out there.

The patent-pending Dyna-Glo HeatAround 360 is the only portable recreational heater that provides 360 degrees of warmth. It's compact, vesatile 360 design makes it the ideal choice for grab and go heat. The oxygen depletion sensor allows safe indoor use, for emergency heating. No electricity and no batteries are required, as it is fuled by a 1 lb propane tank (not included). It can also be connected to a 20 lb propane tank for outdoor use, with an optional hose/regulator (not included). The HeatAround 360 ships completely assembled, and it includes a swivel regulator to easily attach a propane tank. The piezo ignition lights quickly and easily, it heats up to 250 sq feet, and it is adjustable from 7,500 BTUs to 10,000 BTUs. It also includes a safety tip-over shutoff switch, just in case. The Dyna-Glo HeatAround 360 is an outstanding solution for grab-and-go portable heating, tailgating, hunting, camping, fishing, emergency indoor heating, backyard/patio heating, and many other uses.

The reviews weren't wonderful and over the top on this one but I would think you could find a very small heater that won't blow you out if you search up a bit more.

best of luck

 

[tx2sturgis]

4000 BTU is still a LOT of heat for inside a car, unless you plan on winter camping in the great white north.

Maybe use it to preheat the inside for half an hour or so, then shut it off when retiring. Don't sleep with it on.

You may need a small battery powered fan to circulate the heat, since that heater will be sitting in a cup-holder, and the rising heat could damage your headliner if left on too long.

 

[maki2]

Use it when you are awake, don't leave it on when you go to sleep.

 

[Trebor English]

I looked at Amazon ads to compare.  The Mr Heater Little Buddy I got is alleged to be 3800 BTU.  It is way too big inside my mini van and really needs a tiny fan to move the hot air forward rather than convecting up.  A 100 square foot room would presumably have twice the height.  The golf cart MH4GC is alleged to be 4000 BTU.  My guess is that internally there are great similarities.  

What I use now is the MaxxFan all the way in the back on the lowest speed turned off 90% of the time directly over the two burner camp stove that heats a big coffee can full of sand.  My guess with no measurement is that this amount of heat alternating two cans, one on the stove, the other close to the front, is double my body heat.  I have read that's about 250 BTU so adding 500 would be less than 1000 total.  

In a car without the 14" square exhaust fan you can get a window mounted strip of tiny computer fans that could adequately exhaust the propane fumes.  In my mini van the low 4 foot ceiling height is a problem that would be worse in a car.  

Any combustion to heat a car will need to be small.  A camp stove can be turned down low.  You want a thermal mass so you can turn the flame off and continue to have a low level of heat.  Don't put rocks or bricks on a stove.  They might contain moisture that could do like popcorn.

Due to having elderly relatives I stay in central Florida.  I only want heat 10 nights per year.  I never wake up to no coffee because my water is all frozen.  I don't need heat.  

I used to have a Bernz-O-Matic propane torch.  Something like that could work as it could be turned down low.  I don't know how you could distribute the heat or store some heat in a thermal mass.

 

[JamesAdam]

I use a Golf Cart Heater and the one pound propane canister mounted on the base I use for my single burner propane stove. It fits well between my two front seats. Mr. Heater has replaced it three times under warranty because the electronic ignition keeps going out and it won't light. With that said, when it works it works great! I have found that it's heat shoots straight up, rather than out. Using a 12 voltfan plugged into my lighter socket prevents that. It circulates the air very well. I turn it on to take the chill off, then climb under four sleeping bags for sleep, then turn it on again in the morning. It works very well, when it works! Perfect size for my Toyota Previa. When it stops working and while waiting the two weeks for a replacement, I use my single burner stove, however the stove uses three times the propane!

I love the Golf Cart Heater from Mr. Buddy. The heat that thing puts out makes my cold van warm, fast!

P.S. I use a Shower Squeegee to wipe off the condensation build up on the windows.

 

[sephson]

For those who aren't familiar with the Mr. Heater golf cart heater, here's what it looks like. From a functional stand point, it operates exactly like the Little Buddy heater. The differences are primarily cosmetic.

The really nice thing about it for use in a car or van is that it fits in a cup holder, making it relatively easy to find a place to put it. Here's where I set mine up when I'm on the road and it's cold enough that I want heat. Before anyone asks, no I'm not worried about it igniting my passenger seat. There's more space than this picture shows and the bulk of the heat goes straight up. The seat only gets a little warm.

I crack the front windows open about an inch and then fire it up until the car is nice and warm. Then I shut the thing off and go to bed. If I get cold and wake up in the middle of the night, I repeat the process. I also had an issue with the igniter on mine, but it only took me about fifteen minutes to take the thing apart, adjust the spark gap on the igniter and reassemble the thing. Oh, and I also have a carbon-monoxide detector in the car, just in case.

 

[JamesAdam]

How do you adjust the Spark Gap on the Ignitor?