RV Furnace vs Mr Heater Buddy

[Stargazer]

Will be heading down hill in a couple days but in the meantime, it's 38 degrees this morning.  My new-to-me Class B PleasureWay has its own propane furnace so I turned it on for the first time (other than to test it).  It was 60 degr inside; in about 15 mins, it was 65.  But sheesh, that thing is noisy and the air coming out was warm but not that "oh man that feels good" heat.

Being the good scout, I have backup for everything.  Out came the ole Mr Heater Buddy, left over from my home built van days.  MUCH better!  In less than five minutes, on high, it went from 60 to 66.  And it's the "ahhh" heat.  I run it off the little green bottles (easy, no hoses, no filters, easy storage, light weight, and available everywhere) with a small battery operated fan tucked under the handle on top to circulate the heat.  Quiet, simple, and oh so much better.

No comparison.  So from now on, the only reason to use the onboard propane is for the cook top.  And maybe the water heater.

 

[John61CT]

Fatally dangerous if you don't crack a window.

Also keep a CO alarm maintained.

Propex HS2211 really is way better.

 

[Stargazer]

Yep, I used the Buddy in my old van for several years. Glad I kept it when I sold her.

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I'm on the other side of the fence. I think RV furnace's are much much better than the Mr Buddy's. There's no CO danger, they don't add moisture to the interior, and they run on a thermostat so you can set it and forget it. They do use a lot of power though, so depending on your set up they may not be a viable option all the time.

I do love the Buddy heaters too, but if i'm comparing the two and have a choice, the RV unit would win every time.

 

[RVtrek]

I'm going to vote RV furnace here too. Having a proper vent on the furnace makes it so much nicer, venting out the harmful gases and excess moisture. Yes, they take a little power, but if you can't handle the power requirements, you should seriously upgrade your batteries anyway. And yes, they are noisier, I can't give any retort to that point.

 

[John61CT]

> Propex HS2211 really is way better.

By this I meant better than any RV furnace, not just unvented options like Buddy.

Much more power efficient, also fuel efficient and mounted outside so much quieter.

Same idea as Webasto / Espar parking heaters, but they burn the same fuel as your genny or propulsion engine.

 

[SoulRaven]

Fatally dangerous if you don't crack a window.

Also keep a CO alarm maintained.

Propex HS2211 really is way better.

+10000 on what John said!  I forgot one night.  Thankfully, I woke up in time to turn it off and open a window.  SOMEONE is watching out for me.  And oh yeah, mine is a Mr Buddy too.  Getting REAL tired of the condensation. 

It DOES have that "Ahh, heat " feel.  I give you that. The weather outside is drizzly AND cool, but I'm not turning it on.

 

[tx2sturgis]

RV furnaces are safe, convenient, and generally reliable (except when they arent), but they are noisy, power hungry, and also, terribly inefficient. (half the heat seems to go outside!) Which is all fine for the 'typical' target RVer: Occasional weekends and vacations throughout the year.

But for full-timers and especially boondockers, propane supply is a limiting factor.

I am NOT a fan of the Mr Buddy heaters either. So I spent the money on a couple of the Olympian Wave heaters, a Wave 6 in my old Class A and a Wave 3 in my current van.  

Yes, they do require venting and they do put out some moisture. But they are 99% efficient, use no DC power, and almost zero CO emitted.

I am going on 18 winters using them. I aint dead yet....and I saved a LOT of propane.

As always...YMMV.

 

[jimindenver]

I will keep my RV's furnace thank you. I can not the the fumes even with venting. The noise is annoying during the day if I'm watching TV but at night on the rare occasion that it wakes me I just think that's nice, it's running and I won't freeze before drifting back off to sleep.

Mine has that ahhhh heat feel. I often nudge the stat after walking Max just to get the chill off of me. The nice thing about not having to vent it is like when I was in New Mexico and it was 19 F. I had all my window pads and vent covers in place keeping the precious heat in.

The RV's I grew up with had gravity furnaces. No fan so they took longer but they were silent. There is a modern version out now.

 

[tx2sturgis]

I will keep my RV's furnace thank you. I can not {tolerate?} the fumes even with venting. The noise is annoying during the day if I'm watching TV but at night on the rare occasion that it wakes me I just think that's nice, it's running and I won't freeze before drifting back off to sleep.

{snip}

The RV's I grew up with had gravity furnaces. No fan so they took longer but they were silent. There is a modern version out now.

Catalytic heaters produce no fumes in normal situations. You only need to vent to allow fresh oxygen in. (if it became starved for oxygen at high altitudes above 10,000 feet in a closed up camper, then yes, it could put out CO)

I kept the RV furnace in my old Class A as a backup. Of course the trouble with that scenario is that as the years go by with non-use, when you DO need it, it wont run at all.

Just because an RV furnace is running does not mean it is heating. If the ignitor board fails but the sail switch is ok, the blower will happily blow cold air until you wake up and its freezing inside!

Have you seen those small wall furnaces in classic RV's from the 60's?....I bet they worked well!

 

[John61CT]

Olympian Wave heaters, a Wave 6 in my old Class A and a Wave 3 in my current van.  

Yes, they do require venting and they do put out some moisture. But they are 99% efficient, use no DC power, and almost zero CO emitted.

These are great units (**silent** !), but again any unvented is dangerous needs CO alarms and cracking windows.

And this type is not suited for people who live/travel in dusty environments or otherwise let dust accumulate. Even with the optional covers in place when not in use, the platinum catalyst pad stops working and costs almost as much to replace as a new whole unit.

 

[John61CT]

None of the RV furnaces come close to the fuel efficiency of a Propex, and electric very thirsty too.

And maybe I'm just more sensitive to background noise, but that's a deal-breaker for me.

 

[tx2sturgis]

These are great units (**silent** !), but again any unvented is dangerous needs CO alarms and cracking windows.

And this type is not suited for people who live/travel in dusty environments or otherwise let dust accumulate. Even with the optional covers in place when not in use, the platinum catalyst pad stops working and costs almost as much to replace as a new whole unit.

Well yes, you need to take precautions....just like anything that burns fuel.

But the one in my old class A lasted 17 years with NO cover on it ever and it was in very windy and dusty West Texas most of its life, mounted under the oven and near the floor, with incidental dust kicked up everytime I walked by it.

I figure 17 years and I got my moneys worth with all the propane it saved me! How many $300 cell phones will last 17 years?

The last few years the output did drop off some...but I just cranked it up to the next notch (medium) and kept using it. The pad doesnt just 'stop working'...it slowly loses the ability to heat, and that takes place over a few seasons. At least, that was my experience. The new one in my van, a Wave 3, I keep it covered and its 3 years old now and works and looks like new.

 

[jimindenver]

True anything can fail. With mine it is usually running out of propane on the bottle I am using at 3 AM. In that case the furnace starts, doesn't fire and shuts off until I reset it at the stat. I can hear that IF it wakes me up and can turn on the other tank.

That is the funny thing about following the 70's. When it is a high of 70 the low is usually cold enough that you want some warmth at night. I think I need to chase the 80's because the A/C runs off the solar for free. The propane for the furnace can really add up.

 

[John61CT]

The pad doesnt just 'stop working'...it slowly loses the ability to heat, and that takes place over a few seasons. At least, that was my experience.

Great to hear your account, I've seen a few posters in those sort of conditions only got a few years, so maybe just a transient QA issue?

Because those units seem a great solution for coming in out of the snow to the instant Ahh factor of a radiant panel, while (if staying inside) the hydronics get warmed up.

I'd think a strategic wall mounting, pointed where you'd be making/drinking the hot chocolate would be ideal?

 

[Every Road Leads Home]

I like the sound of the Propex, i'm going to look into that for whatever build I end up doing.

 

[John61CT]

True anything can fail. With mine it is usually running out of propane on the bottle I am using at 3 AM.

Besides bigger bottles (like 43-lb forklift style) the auto-switching regulator between a pair is a great convenience.

Unfortunately if your bottles are outside, it is a pain to get the indicator visible from inside, haven't yet come across an electronic remote version of that.

 

[missb]

Hello all!

I am new to this van life and need explicit instructions...so if I use a two burner propane stove and have the window open directly behind it while cooking...along with a CO detector down by the floor is this safe enough? Also, do I turn off and remove the hose to the propane tank...I'm getting a 5 pound one...each time for safety?

And lastly...there are many comments about how to store the propane in a van. I need an easy...safe method I can do myself. I've pretty much decided on the Catalytic propane heater for safety reasons...I will be in Mammoth California this coming winter season...so I'm hoping that is a good choice. Also I remember Bob saying he left his on all night in Alaska. Is that feasible for me? I would have it off...obviously...while I was working and trying to figure out ways...I know about insulating...so my van won't be freezing when I return. Thanks for all the help...missb

 

[tx2sturgis]

Great to hear your account, I've seen a few posters in those sort of conditions only got a few years, so maybe just a transient QA issue?

Because those units seem a great solution for coming in out of the snow to the instant Ahh factor of a radiant panel, while (if staying inside) the hydronics get warmed up.

I'd think a strategic wall mounting,  pointed where you'd be making/drinking the hot chocolate would be ideal?

To be fair, mine was used much less than a full time, winter-dwelling, RVer might use. Mine saw use for about 3-5 days, about twice a month, for winter seasons in the Texas Panhandle, so about mid October to about mid March would be a winter 'season' for that area. I supplemented it with electric space heat, but only rarely.

And you know how the internet is...over the entire ownership time, I never posted anywhere that hey, its STILL working!

Hey its working! Its still heating just fine! Nope...none of us ever do that.

If it had failed, I might have then posted something negative!

And yeah, it was always toasty warm for those cold nights arriving after a long motorcycle ride in the cold winter evenings...and I had a microwave for the hot chocolate!



The last winter season in that old Itasca, I replaced the Wave 6 with a small, cheap, 2-brick IR propane heater...and only used that on low (1 brick) most of the time. At that time, my RV furnace was inoperable thru neglect, disuse, and yeah, it was 30 years old by then...and the RV was destined for disposal so no need or desire to 'fix' anything.

Fast forward a few years, and I installed a Wave 3 in my van, and although it does not get a lot of use...it works quite well when I need it.

 

[tx2sturgis]

..along with a CO detector down by the floor is this safe enough? Also, do I turn off and remove the hose to the propane tank...I'm getting a 5 pound one...each time for safety?

The CO (carbon monoxide) detector should be higher than the floor...about eye-level. A propane leak detector DOES need to be near the floor.

All you need to do is close the valve on the propane cylinder...you dont need to disconnect the hose or regulator each time.