Me Heater Buddy

[Penny in Montana]

I just bought a Mr Heater Buddy, the 4000-9000BTU. I just started it up to burn off the initial odors. Works great. I have a 13’ Scamp with bathroom. I live and camp mostly in Montana. I was just wondering if others have used this product and if I need any pointers not in the product information? With my initial start up, I noticed the vinyl floor was hot. Is that a problem? The longest I would have it on would be 15 minutes or less, just for the chill in the morning.
Thank You,
Penny in Montana

[gordon2]

Just be sure to leave a note with the name and phone number of your next of kin somewhere where it can be found.

OK.. just kidding.. sort of. But you might hear from people who expose a similar dire warning about using a non-vented heater because people have died with non-vented heaters that were not properly used, or that malfunctioned. So be ready.

I'm of the school of thought that if you follow the directions TO THE LETTER, and the heater is properly maintained (which many do not do), then its reasonable safe. Esp if you don't use it while sleeping. After all, people have died using vented furnaces also (maybe more often from propane leaks vs toxic gases).

But I do have some concern about the floor being hot.

[Mike Magee]

If concerned, you could get a short piece of wood or something to place underneath it.


For 15 minutes or less you shouldn't have any problems with CO or lack of oxygen, but cracking a window open still can't hurt.

[Penny in Montana]

Thank You. I was surprised when I found this product that is specifically designed for tents, trailers and etc. If there is not enough oxygen, it has a sensor and shuts off automatically. It also shuts off if it is bumped over.

[Glenn Baglo]

Originally Posted by Penny in Montana

If there is not enough oxygen, it has a sensor and shuts off automatically. It also shuts off if it is bumped over.

Nobody has ever demanded a refund when the sensors didn't work.

[Penny in Montana]

Very Funny!! Good Canadian humor��.

[Iowa Dave]

I have this model of little buddy heater and have used it numerous times. I have not used it in a camping tent or camper but in an ice fishing tent. It puts out quite a bit of heat and if you use it as described I’m confident it will work well for you. I always use mine with a small area unzipped at the bottom of my tent and an open vent in the top. You need a constant source of combustion air. Here is my only caveat. Do not be tempted to warn your trailer up before bed and leave it on. The sensor could fail and you could wake up dead if you doze off. Enclosed tight spaces and combustion devices do not work well together. Even a Coleman lantern puts off considerable CO and can be dangerous. There is no dishonor in sleeping with heavy socks on your feet and a stocking hat on your head.
Iowa Dave

[Penny in Montana]

Thank You Dave. I will take your words seriously. The 13 foot Scamp seems to be insulated well and I will only use the Buddy for a few minutes in the morning. With good ventilation. I think using it any longer would get very hot.

[ZachO]

I have one and have used it off & on when my furnace is out of order for some reason. I definitely don't prefer it over my furnace, but it gets the job done.

You definitely need to crack a window, which in cold weather seems like a pretty silly thing to do when you're trying to warm the trailer.

If you camp in cooler weather, like spring or fall and want to run it all night, you'll be changing the propane canister in the middle of the night. Not a huge deal, but a bit annoying. I've definitely done this when the overnight temps are down into the 30s or lower.

[Rzrbrn]

"...wake up dead..." interesting turn of phrase. We used the Mr. Heater connected to a 10 lb propane bottle, inside our 17' Casita. Even on low it was much too hot. The Casita has a furnace, but it is loud and uses a lot of propane.

The Mr. Heater worked best from about 5 degree to 20 degree weather. Even in these low temps we used an UCO Candlelier Deluxe Candle Lantern more often than not. Put a small can of water on top or a solid piece of pottery I found, to store and radiate the heat. Honestly the Uco was more psychological than physiological warmth but my wife swears by it.

We now have a much larger Big Foot but we will take the Uco with us this season.

[Iowa Dave]

“Wake up dead” is certainly not original to me and was used years ago by Country Singer Charley Pride to express his trepidation for boondock camping on a little walkabout he was taking in Texas. Is Anybody Going To San Antone?
Iowa Dave

[Timber Wolf]

Love mine. I run it with an adaptor hose off a 20 pound tank. Tank is outside with hose run through gap at bottom/side of door. I run it a while before bed and turn it off. It will run us out even on low if left on for long anyway. And I do sleep sometimes with thick socks and long handles. I draw the line at a stocking cap though.

[steve dunham]

I have a Mr Buddy heater . I use it to warm my deer stand but the stand only has 3ft walls so there is plenty of ventilation . I do not use it in enclosed spaces . I almost lost two friends to monoxide poisoning after using one in their fish house .I am not willing to risk my life by counting on an 89 cent oxygen sensor to protect me .

[Radar1]

I carry ours as a back up to our propane furnace in winter, just in case the battery dies while boondocking. Sometimes we just use the Mr Heater instead of the furnace to take the chill off since it's so quiet. I also use it in our Gazelle shelter if it's chilly outside. We always have the vent open a bit in winter to help reduce the condensation levels no matter which heat source we use, so I wouldn't be too concerned about leaving it on til the 16oz cylinder ran dry.

[gordon2]

Originally Posted by steve dunham

...I am not willing to risk my life by counting on an 89 cent oxygen sensor to protect me .

Nor should you.. instead you should reply on yourself, and make sure you have appropriate ventilation and that you shut it off at the first signs that it is not working right or you feel any symptoms of Hypoxia . That implies you are not using it while sleeping.

Perhaps the reason that the Wave catalytic heaters do not incorporate a low oxygen sensor is because it might encourage reliance on the device, instead of reliance on following the directions and using good common sense.

Like I have said before on this forum, IMHO these vent-less heaters are not appropriate for everyday use. But they do serve a purpose. The Wave uses very little propane and requires no electric at all, making it a good back up and a better alternative than suffering frostbite or worse if your primary heat source quits or your propane runs low.

[aysstephanie]

We use our Buddy heater to add some quick heat before bed and again in the early morning but always under close supervision and for a short time. We use it more regularly to take the chill out of our add-a-room, which obviously has much more space and ventilation.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Radar1

I carry ours as a back up to our propane furnace in winter, just in case the battery dies while boondocking. Sometimes we just use the Mr Heater instead of the furnace to take the chill off since it's so quiet. I also use it in our Gazelle shelter if it's chilly outside. We always have the vent open a bit in winter to help reduce the condensation levels no matter which heat source we use, so I wouldn't be too concerned about leaving it on til the 16oz cylinder ran dry.

I gave up on running my Mr Buddy heater on 1 lb cylinders , too expensive and the tanks just don’t last long enough . I bought a 15 ft Mr Buddy hose and a 20 lb propanr tank . When hunting at below zero temps I could go through 3 or 4 cylinders per day , with the 20 lb tank I can go 3 or 4 days .
The heater on high produces just enough heat to keep you hands and feet comfortable .

[k corbin]

Protecting the floor is easy. I put a large silicone drying mat under my heaters. They function like a silicone trivet pad does to keep the countertop from burning when you put a hot pot on it. I use it under my electric cube heater as well as the Mr. Heater Buddy.

You can purchase them online or from kitchen stores or places such as Target, Walmart, etc. Just look in the housewares section where they have dish drying racks.

When you are not using it under the heater it works nicely for the original function. I keep mine on top of my stove top metal burner cover, it comes in handy when I am doing the dishes after a meal.

Here is a link to one on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/OXO-Grips-Lar.../dp/B004ZLAG54

[Mike Magee]

A question occurred to me. If you only wanted 10 minutes or so of warming in the morning, why didn't you want to use a propane burner (either your stove top or, if your trailer doesn't have one, a camp stove)? I have been in situations where I lit my stove burner to start heating water for breakfast coffee or tea as soon as I climbed out of bed, and in about 2 minutes the interior was noticeably warmed.

[ARVZ]

Having continuous excellent Indoor Air Quality is critical to good health. Fooling around with unvented heating appliances in small spaces presents CO and other combustion byproduct risks as well as O2 starvation. It's kind of a dance with the devil.


Anyone with any kind of combustion appliances in their indoor spaces should have one of these CO-Experts CO alarms with them. CO Experts – Carbon Monoxide monitors https://www.aeromedix.com/co-experts...oxide-detector This alarm starts going off between 5-10 ppm, which is where permanent neurological damage can start occurring, especially in kids. A lot of private planes have these installed.


Your standard hardware store or RV CO alarm goes off on a time/concentration gradient, usually not until levels are in the 30-70 ppm range. By the time these things go off, you already have CO intoxication and you need to leave the space now.



Try cooking on a gas or propane range with a CO-Experts alarm in your breathing zone; it is pretty scary. Makes you want a powered range hood that actually works.



A real CO alarm helps with CO, but oxygen depletion has health effects also. Be very careful.