While many of us are still sweltering in the heat winter is fast approaching. Part of winter prep’s should be redundancies surrounding alternative heating methods should the power go out. There are several options should the power go out to heat your home including kerosene heaters, in-home fireplaces, and the focus of this article – propane heaters.
The Mr. Heater Buddy portable propane heater has been around for decades and is extremely popular. It has 4.7 stars out of a possible 5 on Amazon. I’ve used the Heater Buddy numerous winter seasons to help heat a small garage and also an old Ford Ranger whose heat stopped working in the dead of winter. Brrrr……..
Here are a few specs:
- 4,000 or 9,000 BTU per hour
- For use with propane gas
- Heats up to 225 sq. ft.
- Single control start knob
- Hi-Low heat settings
- Swivel regulator
- Fold down handle
- Accidental tip-over safety shut-off
- Includes Piezo igniter
- Runs off a 1 lb. cylinder
- Connects directly to a 20 lb. cylinder with optional hose and filter
- The distinctive RED Mr. Heater Buddy that has delivered comfort and safety for decades.
This is a small heater and is NOT meant to heat large areas and certainly not multiple rooms.
Here’s a video filmed by an ice fisherman where he discusses his experience with the Mr. Heater Buddy.
SAFETY: Important to note are a few of the safety features with Mr. Heater Buddy. First – if it gets knocked over it will shut off. Next – it will detect low oxygen levels and shut itself off. Not sure about you but nothing ruins a day or night more than suffocation. Lastly – it is very obvious due to its design when the pilot light is out.
For those living in areas where temps can get down to dangerous levels in the winter, the Heater Buddy would be a great thing to have in the trunk or stored in the backseat along with a few canisters in case of an emergency. As I mentioned just a bit ago I used one daily for an entire winter when the heat went ut in my truck. It made the ride to work every morning so much better.
Running under $100, the Mr. Heater Buddy is affordable and a great value. There are a few models that are bigger and more capable as well as smaller models. Options are good.
Winter is right around the corner. Start prepping now.
Rourke
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During hunting season here in northern Florida I work a game check station and during the winter it can get cold, we have used some of these over the last few years and found them to be very good. The buildings are about 10×10 and after they warm up I set the temp at the half way mark and leave it there. The day can get to be 15 hours long and it may use around 1 and 1/2 16 oz. bottle of propane.
JR,
Great and timely information. Yesterday, knowing I live 100 miles from the Canadian border, I fired up my snow blower, making sure it will serve its purpose. Today, dug out our propane fired Camp Chef stove, were making a boatload of chicken soup in a huge pot on the patio today. Cant use it on the stove, too high and only time I tried, it melted one of the knobs on the stove. Not enough clearance. Anyway, heat here is a big deal, split and stacked 3 cords of wood for the wood stove and fireplace, backup for our gas furnace, just in case. Also, soon time to put sleeping bags in the truck, you never know if you might get stranded on the roads overnight because of weather and such. Always have a standard US army wool blanket there just in case, or need it for an accident victim or such.
JR, you are doing great work here. Keep it up, You deserve a medal.
The Big Buddy is what will be heating my shop for the foreseeable future. One a 20 or 30# bottle.
I have a 12 x 16 greenhouse in SE Texas, as you know we had a unusually hard freeze last winter. I used my My Buddy heater all winter and my temperature didn’t get below 48. He’s a little work horse!