Mr. Heater Buddy Do's & Don'ts

[Still Hunter]

We use two in our 10 x 20 tent at 10,400 on 20 lb tanks and 12 ft hoses & never have had a problem with them working in 7 years. It has been as cold as 14 degrees on us.

 

[eddielasvegas]

We use two in our 10 x 20 tent at 10,400 on 20 lb tanks and 12 ft hoses & never have had a problem with them working in 7 years. It has been as cold as 14 degrees on us.

Interesting and good to know. What state was this in?

I've read (and heard from hunters) that these heaters struggle to burn above 7,500 feet elevation so your experience is good news.


Eddie

 

[browning2480]

We use in one of those thermal fans on our wood stove in a 16x20 Davis tent. They work well. When they get real hot, it will spin and bounce its way off the top of the stove.

 

[Still Hunter]

Interesting and good to know. What state was this in?

I've read (and heard from hunters) that these heaters struggle to burn above 7,500 feet elevation so your experience is good news.


Eddie

Colorado. On a side note, the Bernzomatic Propane Torches work great for starting Propane Cook Stoves and Propane Lanterns. No need to mess with matches or Bic lighters! I keep one in my Truck tool box all the time and it comes in handy to have for all sorts of situations.

TS4000T - DuraCast® 4000 Torch

The Bernzomatic@ DuraCast@ 4000 Torch is designed for high-intensity heat, making it ideal for soldering, brazing, woodworking and cooking.

www.bernzomatic.com

 

[SaltySailor]

Last winter we were camping in Arctic Ovens and had Buddy heaters with hoses to propane tanks outside. -30 was the projected lowest temp, but that was for the closest town which was 36 miles away. The remote camp we were at had the temp drop to -60, my regular buddy heater wasn't cutting it warmth wise. After a nice cold day of letting the heaters go out until night time, my brother in law moved my buddy heater set up and hose/bottle to his tent to get 2 heaters going in there for more warmth. He fired my heater up and his and walked out, only to see the light of flame from his vestibule a few seconds later! He ran in and the floor next to the rubber hose appeared on fire, he grabbed the whole ensemble and tossed it outside and patted the flame out. Apparently, the rubber hoses get brittle as hell at -60, mine cracked when he moved it over, and the propane gas expelling from the crack caught on fire once it reached the light of the buddy heater! Could have been really expensive and a bummer day for sure.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

^This, no need to sleep with it on.

unless you sleep with them in -30 degree weather like we do while ice fishing for the weekend on remote lakes.

Just make sure you got some windows cracked. we have spent many nights with 2 big buddies burning in our 6 man eskimo ice shack in -40 degree temps (one between the holes are our feet and one between the cots by our heads). no matter how well its vented you will run into condensation, just part of the deal. if you want to get rid of some condensation one thing we have been doing is to put a tarp tied down tight on top of our ice shack on the out side. as long as its tight to the top of the tent or ice shack you wont have condensation on the roof. Some one else told me to try it and it worked out perfect. No more raining down condensation when your sleeping or ice forming on the inside of the roof.

 

[Swamp Donkey]

What CO2 sensors do you guys recommend? Looking at the big buddy to heat a kodiak tent for upcoming Colorado hunt.

 

[eddielasvegas]

What CO2 sensors do you guys recommend? Looking at the big buddy to heat a kodiak tent for upcoming Colorado hunt.

This the one I use. Many, many nights in my Kodiak tent running my BH all night long while hunting solo with nary a problem.


Eddie

 

[bccowboy]

I have the smallest one where the heater sits directly on top of the smaller propane bottles. I use a 2 person tent at base camp and last year I just set it in the vestibule for a while to help knock the chill off. I kept the vestibule unzipped as well-was never worried and it worked well.

 

[TroutTail]

Need to be super super careful if the Mr Buddy goes out. Without knowing how long it was out, I make sure to air out the tent before relighting. have heard of a friend who had one explode with his son while ice fishing that way.

 

[eddielasvegas]

Just an update on my post from September on my thermal fan: Don't use that one.

See below for an update as I had problems with the single blade fan. The below fan moves more air and and is easier to attach, but is pricier.

Attachment is much easier by creating a "U" shape piece of metal and sliding it into the opening on the fan and then the grate on the heater. The "U" should be about an inch wide and each side about 4".

I tested this for at least 30 mins in my lab with nary a problem. I also cut a 2" x 6" piece of old sheet metal to rest on the vents on top of the heater so that heat rising won't melt the fan wires.

It'll get the real test next month on my elk hunt.


Eddie

 

[cuerro viejo]

Interesting and good to know. What state was this in?

I've read (and heard from hunters) that these heaters struggle to burn above 7,500 feet elevation so your experience is good news.


Eddie

Look at the mr buddy flex model, it has a higher elevation rating

 

[fmyth]

Need to be super super careful if the Mr Buddy goes out. Without knowing how long it was out, I make sure to air out the tent before relighting. have heard of a friend who had one explode with his son while ice fishing that way.

I don't see how that would be possible. The Mr. Heater Buddy heaters have a thermocouple. If there is no flame there is no flow of propane.

 

[jblam]

Just an update on my post from September on my thermal fan: Don't use that one.

See below for an update as I had problems with the single blade fan. The below fan moves more air and and is easier to attach, but is pricier.

Attachment is much easier by creating a "U" shape piece of metal and sliding it into the opening on the fan and then the grate on the heater. The "U" should be about an inch wide and each side about 4".

I tested this for at least 30 mins in my lab with nary a problem. I also cut a 2" x 6" piece of old sheet metal to rest on the vents on top of the heater so that heat rising won't melt the fan wires.

It'll get the real test next month on my elk hunt.


Eddie

Excited to see how this works!!I always forget extra D batteries for my big buddy fan, this might just solve that problem permanently!

 

[*zap*]

 

[dla]

Need to be super super careful if the Mr Buddy goes out. Without knowing how long it was out, I make sure to air out the tent before relighting. have heard of a friend who had one explode with his son while ice fishing that way.

Thank you for posting something you overheard while driving through the neighborhood of your friend's cousin's brother's garage sale.

 

[*zap*]

I think soapy water to check connections is a very good idea especially if your using a large propane tank.

 

[eddielasvegas]

An update on the dual thermal fan I mentioned in my October post as I was able to put it to the test on my elk hunt this past weekend.

Well, IMO, this is a game changer for moving warm air around the tent without batteries or electricity. The lows were mid 30's F and I was never cold even once. And I was able to keep the heater on low (4,000 BTUs) which means the a 20lb. tank will run > 100 hours. On high, the tanks lasts 45 hours. Such a big difference, and certainly makes taking one tank a viable option for a 5-7 day hunt. I had the heater on 10-14 hours a day over 4 days with nary a problem. I can see this providing ample heat in the tent down to the teens with no problem and maybe even lower.

Also, it's very quiet with the only down side is cost as I think this fan was $80. It does have a two year warranty.

Here's a pic of it showing the heat shield I made. There is no noticeable heat a few inches above the shield.



Eddie


P.S. Elk - 1, Eddie - 0. Back in December so my TF setup will get a good test then.

 

[Eric Arbanasin]

I purchased a the flex system 2nd hand. I now know why previous owner sold it. Worked great when I pulled it out of cab of warm truck. Not so much waking up to 10 degrees. New bottle and would not hold pilot.

 

[Coopsdaddy]

Does the built in battery power fan not work in these?