Mr heater buddy heaters in tents overnight

[robert]

Pros.. Inexpensive and quite safe. Max temperature is self regulating. Within a crowded camper, would hard pressed to catch alight something or seriously burn yourself.
Cons... They use electricity.
Energy only changes form. There is no free lunch.

Also they don't add moisture to the air and can be used to help dry clothes if you hang them on a line above the heater. I tried one of the small ceramic heaters in my VW camper when I had it but went back to a radiant style with the metal heating strip that I have that I liked better; it's a little larger and seemed to do a better job at the time not only keeping the van warmer but helping keep the windows from icing. I have used the small ceramic heater in the back of the truck but have to keep it turned all the way down or it gets too hot.

 

[bathwalter]

Verkstad, thank you for your reply! Electricity is not really a problem, no matter how it sounds

 

[bathwalter]

Also they don't add moisture to the air and can be used to help dry clothes...

Hmm, it would be good for clothes but not good for health... I mean too dry air

 

[billiebob]

the theory is simple
if it burns gas it burns oxygen
the only safe way to do that is if the burner is outside and a heat exchanger brings the heat inside
anything else either consumes oxygen you breath or exhales carbon monoxide which kills

I cannot believe you can still buy heaters designed to kill

 

[billiebob]

I mean too dry air

moisture in the air is more of a problem in a close environment like a camper
tuberculosis thrives in a closed moist environment. think dry for health
the box bed in Scotland 100 years ago is very much like a teardrop camper, tent today.
TB has killed thousands

moist air carries disease....... dry air.... Arizona etc...... known for healthy living

 

[robert]

the theory is simple
if it burns gas it burns oxygen
the only safe way to do that is if the burner is outside and a heat exchanger brings the heat inside
anything else either consumes oxygen you breath or exhales carbon monoxide which kills

I cannot believe you can still buy heaters designed to kill

Well as you say, it's simple- they aren't designed to kill. Man has heated inside his living space for thousands of years, you just have to provide enough ventilation for fresh air and venting of exhaust. Do people die from failure to do so? Sure, some by accident, i.e. snow blocked vent, others by stupidity, i.e. lack of ventilation, but neither is the device's fault- not that it's ever stopped unscrupulous lawyers (is that redundant?) from suing so that companies like Coleman quit producing their excellent little Coleman fuel and propane heaters.

 

[robert]

moisture in the air is more of a problem in a close environment like a camper
tuberculosis thrives in a closed moist environment. think dry for health
the box bed in Scotland 100 years ago is very much like a teardrop camper, tent today.
TB has killed thousands

moist air carries disease....... dry air.... Arizona etc...... known for healthy living

TB is not a problem in most areas unless you're hanging out in a TB ward, an illegal alien detention facility or tight quarters with someone who has an active phase of it, i.e. prison or a family member. Mold is a much bigger problem in campers.

Arizona has a TB rate consistent with the rest of the US (Cases of active TB disease reported in Arizona totaled 198 in 2015. The 2015 TB case rate in Arizona was 2.9 per 100,000 population compared to 3.0 per 100,000 nationally. https://www.azdhs.gov/documents/pre...ntrol/reports/2015-tb-surveillance-report.pdf) Arizona also has hantavirus and plague if you want to highlight uncommon diseases in the US.

 

[calicamper]

The moisture issue is why we only use ours in the tent to warm up the tent before everyone besides me crawls out of their cozy sleeping bags. Then we can air out the tent during the day to dry things out.

Cold. Get a warmer sleeping bag or add a warm throw over your bags. You know its cold when you sleep like the dead, out on the open ground only to wake up in the morning totally covered in snow. Man talk about a trippy waking. I was so ************** confused for a few moments my Dad thought I was having a medical issue. LOL

 

[montt4r]

We have been using the Big Mr Buddy heaters in our deer camp for about five or six seasons in Montana in late November...temps down to minus 15 F

Our tents are Canvas, a wall tent and two Kodiak Canvas Tents....we run the heaters on full during really cold nights, yup burn some propane too, but then when we wake up our water jugs are not frozen and neither are our food coolers....the Mr Buddy heaters have a low oxygen cut off, that does not allow the heater to continue to burn if the oxygen is below 90% or 95% of normal

We also have some venting open and have no issue with condensation

But for the best heat, a wood stove in a canvas wall tent cannot be beat.....

Garo

 

[BuckRugged]

We run a Mr Heater Little Buddy in a T4 Gazelle. Works amazing. Can't even run it on high because it's too hot. We have to crack a window even though the roof is a full vent to fresh air under the rain fly.
NOW--safety precautions. We sit this far away from anything flammable. I have a CO2 and smoke alarm in the over heard right above it. It sits on a fireproof welding blanket and I have a fire extinguisher in the tent with us.
I think that's about as safe as you can make it. Works great. We love it. It's a game changer at 15 degrees.

 

[mcjager]

Great trick: Boil water and pour it into a Nalgene or metal water bottle and hold it in your sleeping bag. It will stay warm for hours.

 

[TwinStick]

Old thread I know. This is actually a very personable topic, at least for us. We had a close friend die of carbon monoxide poisoning. All 3 fail safe's failed IMHO. Every one of them was working properly according to the fire marshal's investigation though ....figure that one out.

So, we have been using our Honda eu2000i generator, at almost idle, to run our Patton PUH4842M-RM electric heater. It works great. Zero fumes, zero carbon monoxide. Generator is placed well away from tent or camper and locked to something substantial, just to keep honest people honest. It has an over heat shutdown and a tip over shutdown. It also has a thermostat. It works fantastic and has been for over 10 years. We liked it so much we bought a 2nd one to keep in our 18' high ground clearance camper. On low, it is enough to drive you out of the camper unless you have the thermostat turned way down. Inside the tent, I usually set it on a cement block or bungee it to one of my stacking Ridgid tool boxes, to avoid tip over in the middle of the night. Generator will idle for 8 hrs or so when it is on low.

I see other types of fuel heaters can sometimes be finicky or need parts periodically. Sometimes when you need them most. I know many have done things differently for years with zero issues but us personally, we just won't take that chance.

Only things I have done to the electric heater is : drill a hole through the back plastic panel, in the center of the fan, so I can put a few drops of electric motor oil onto the backside of motor shaft & then cover hole with a piece of electrical tape, & blow all the dust out of intake and heater coils, every year.

They get used too. One does double duty in our back hallway of our house. We have a unheated back hallway with a half bath. No basement either. Just an unheated crawlspace. Pipes are wrapped in lots of insulation but the electric heater keeps the pipes from freezing where is comes through by the wall.

YMMV

 

[rnArmy]

I use mine just to heat up the tent a bit before retiring for the evening, and then run it a little bit before getting out of my sleeping bag in the morning. I put it on a cookie sheet. I have lots of ventilation/cross-flow in the tent too. It sure makes a difference just the little bit I run it.

I'm not a fan of generators when overlanding - sound travels no matter how "whisper quiet" they might be advertised. When I organize a run, they are not allowed.

 

[BulldoginaJeepwithaColt]

Old thread I know. This is actually a very personable topic, at least for us. We had a close friend die of carbon monoxide poisoning. All 3 fail safe's failed IMHO. Every one of them was working properly according to the fire marshal's investigation though ....figure that one out.

So, we have been using our Honda eu2000i generator, at almost idle, to run our Patton PUH4842M-RM electric heater. It works great. Zero fumes, zero carbon monoxide. Generator is placed well away from tent or camper and locked to something substantial, just to keep honest people honest. It has an over heat shutdown and a tip over shutdown. It also has a thermostat. It works fantastic and has been for over 10 years. We liked it so much we bought a 2nd one to keep in our 18' high ground clearance camper. On low, it is enough to drive you out of the camper unless you have the thermostat turned way down. Inside the tent, I usually set it on a cement block or bungee it to one of my stacking Ridgid tool boxes, to avoid tip over in the middle of the night. Generator will idle for 8 hrs or so when it is on low.

I see other types of fuel heaters can sometimes be finicky or need parts periodically. Sometimes when you need them most. I know many have done things differently for years with zero issues but us personally, we just won't take that chance.

Only things I have done to the electric heater is : drill a hole through the back plastic panel, in the center of the fan, so I can put a few drops of electric motor oil onto the backside of motor shaft & then cover hole with a piece of electrical tape, & blow all the dust out of intake and heater coils, every year.

They get used too. One does double duty in our back hallway of our house. We have a unheated back hallway with a half bath. No basement either. Just an unheated crawlspace. Pipes are wrapped in lots of insulation but the electric heater keeps the pipes from freezing where is comes through by the wall.

YMMV

Was your friend using the Mr Heater Buddy?

Sent from my SM-G981V using Tapatalk

 

[ITTOG]

I use mine just to heat up the tent a bit before retiring for the evening, and then run it a little bit before getting out of my sleeping bag in the morning. I put it on a cookie sheet. I have lots of ventilation/cross-flow in the tent too. It sure makes a difference just the little bit I run it.

I'm not a fan of generators when overlanding - sound travels no matter how "whisper quiet" they might be advertised. When I organize a run, they are not allowed.
View attachment 702902

That is exactly how I do it too. No need to run all day or night. I want to pile into my bag with the only thing exposed is my face. That is the best way to sleep for me.