Portable heating options.

[N80]

I have a log cabin without central heat or air and with no fireplace. Since we built it we've used one of those can shaped kerosene heaters and several of those electric oil radiator type heaters and this combo has worked well. The kerosene heater puts out a ton of heat. But, last night it went on the fritz. It definitely needs a new wick and has been a bit smokey but last night the dial that raises the element cover (for lighting) broke and wouldn't raise the cover anymore.

This summer we will probably be installing central HVAC and a new kerosene heater costs about $129. So we don't want to spend a bunch of money on a temporary solution. I might be able to fix the old one but that's a big if and we are going to be down there a good bit in the next few weeks.

The question, is there anything better in the sub $200 range that will heat a room of about 700 sq. ft.?

 

[kenmac]

are you are using all these heaters at once to heat this area ??

If so, what is the total of the heaters you are now using ??


Just an estimate ,but you may be able to get by with something in the 30k btu range for a single heater. Hard to say not knowing how well the place is insulated, glass, the temps there, ceiling height,open area, etc,

 

[CurlyDave]

I use a "Big Buddy" propane heater to heat my camper ion hunting trips. Mr. Heater Big Buddy™ Indoor/Outdoor Propane Heater — Model# MH18B | Heaters | Northern Tool + Equipment

If you look around you can get one for about $100, but they are usually $130 or so.

I needed a propane hose ($30) to connect it to a 5-gal propane tank. If you don't already have the tank, this option could cost more than another kerosene heater, although I think it might be a little more safe.

You really need to have the main tank outside and run the hose inside to be legal with one of these.

 

[CurlyDave]

I use a "Big Buddy" propane heater to heat my camper on hunting trips. Mr. Heater Big Buddy Indoor/Outdoor Propane Heater Model# MH18B | Heaters | Northern Tool + Equipment

If you look around you can get one for about $100, but they are usually $130 or so.

I needed a propane hose ($30) to connect it to a 5-gal propane tank. If you don't already have the tank, this option could cost more than another kerosene heater, although I think it might be a little more safe.

You really need to have the main tank outside and run the hose inside to be legal with one of these.

 

[kenmac]

You really need to have the main tank outside and run the hose inside to be legal with one of these.

Good point dave. Never use or store a propane tank inside. I see people using 30 gal. propane tanks with fryers, heaters, etc, inside all the time

 

[N80]

kenmac, these kerosene heaters claim to put out 23,000 BTU. The only insulation is the log walls, windows are double paned but drafty. Anyway, this one heater heats the main room just fine, even when its in the 20s outside. We usually keep the little electric oil heaters in the two bedrooms and one of those works fine in a closed bedroom. We do not run the kerosene heater at night after we go to bed so the great room is cooooold in the mornings, but we can deal with it.

Dave, I'll look into the propane, which is probably cleaner and more efficient, but maybe a bit pricier.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I've got the same exact one as Curly Dave. It works very well.

 

[N80]

Couple of questions regarding the propane heater. First, do you guys really run the hose from outside? How much does a long hose like that cost?

Second, it says it runs 108 hours on one 20 pound tank of propane. I'm assuming that's at the lower BTU settings. How long does it run at max output? Is a 20 pound tank the same as what you use on a grill? The kerosene heater runs about 8-10 ours on a tank full, maybe a gallon, but kerosene isn't cheap.

Third, what are the ventilation requirements? Probably about the same as for the kerosene?

Fourth, how much noise does it make? The kerosene heater is nearly silent.

I have several propane tanks and TSC has the heater on sale for $99. So all I'd need would be a hose.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

Couple of questions regarding the propane heater. First, do you guys really run the hose from outside? How much does a long hose like that cost?

Second, it says it runs 108 hours on one 20 pound tank of propane. I'm assuming that's at the lower BTU settings. How long does it run at max output? Is a 20 pound tank the same as what you use on a grill? The kerosene heater runs about 8-10 ours on a tank full, maybe a gallon, but kerosene isn't cheap.

Third, what are the ventilation requirements? Probably about the same as for the kerosene?

Fourth, how much noise does it make? The kerosene heater is nearly silent.

I have several propane tanks and TSC has the heater on sale for $99. So all I'd need would be a hose.

Unless your cabin is totally airtight, don't worry about it. I have my heater running inside my service vehicle right now. I have it on a 6' hose. This van is like a seive so it's no big deal. Same 20 lb tank as on a grill. I think it's like 40 hours on full output. It should say on the box. This thing is almost completely silent. My inverter makes more noise. I seriously doubt you will be disappointed with this unit. As with any unvented indoor unit, I would without a doubt have a CO detector.

 

[N80]

Cabin is not airtight. I'll give this unit a good look if wife hasn't already bought a new kerosene heater. I had said they were at TSC but Dave's link is from Northern Tool and we do have one here.

Not sure how I'll run a hose in from outside. Maybe through a slightly open window.

 

[Wayne County Hose]

I got mine from Lowes

 

[moeh1]

Doesn't propane put out a lot more water vapor as it burns?

 

[CurlyDave]

Cabin is not airtight. I'll give this unit a good look if wife hasn't already bought a new kerosene heater. I had said they were at TSC but Dave's link is from Northern Tool and we do have one here.

Not sure how I'll run a hose in from outside. Maybe through a slightly open window.

The Northern Tool prices is as low as I have seen in the past 3 or 4 years. Be sure you get the "Big Buddy" they also have a 1/2 size version at a slightly lower price.

A 10' hose was about $30 three years ago. It takes a special hose, generally sold right next to the heaters. Get the longest one they have, you will need it to go through a window.

I run my hose in through a slightly open window. You need about 1 sq. inch of vent for each 1000 BTU.

There are three heat settings, 1/4, 1/2, and full. The 108 hours is on 1/4 heat.

I have never noticed condensation from water vapor put out by the heater.

The only drawback I have found is that the heater puts out an orange glow when operating, which is enough to keep some people up at night.

I have a 50 lb fish scale I got for about $7 that I use to weigh the propane tank to tell if I can get through the night. The tank has a tare weight stamped on it, so you can get a very good indication of how much propane you have left. Don't even have to unhook the hose if you are careful.

The propane consumption rates are 0.8, 0.4 and 0.2 lbs per hour on the three settings. You can convert that to gallons if you want, but I can directly measure how many lbs are left in the tank, and my main concern is how many hours of use do I have left in the tank.

 

[kenmac]

you could get something like this in propane.This 1 is 15 k btu ( they come in larger btu if needed) Keep it around as a back up heat source you ever lost power. Some will claim that they are not healthy to use. But, there are alot of these used around here used as a primary heat source.

 

[mbohuntr]

I have one of those trashcan shaped propane construction heaters that needs no power to run that I'm looking to sell. It heated my basement all winter during construction. I'd sell it cheap. It will probably need an adapter to the newer type of propane fitting, as I cannot ship the old style tank to you. I have a propane salamander, kerosene heater, and generater. I really don't need all those. I would not recommend running it and sleeping, as the fumes may be a safety issue.

 

[SPIKER]

you could get something like this in propane.This 1 is 15 k btu ( they come in larger btu if needed) Keep it around as a back up heat source you ever lost power. Some will claim that they are not healthy to use. But, there are alot of these used around here used as a primary heat source.

I have the blue flame version of these and it heat th e900 sf cabin really well, it has a thermostat to kick on/off and a pilot light. We used the same vers. shown in th epic too which is an infrared version which was nice too with less flickering. but has more LIGHT than the blue flame type... Either type is almost noise less except when the thermostat kicks on/off to light it and clicks off. They need bigger tanks than the 30 lb to run well I suggest 100lb one.. mine is hard piped in from a large outdoor 500 gallon tank. it keeps the cabin warm in ohio temps. SC should be no problem..


Mark

 

[George2615]

Just a thought and not really portable but it would definitely heat the cabin.

If you have a local mobile home dealer or guy who services mobile home furnaces perhaps you could get a used furnace from them. I just picked one up for heating my 1100 sq. ft. of garage. I have less than $300 in it including the flue pipe. It is an 80,000 BTU furnace and I run it on kerosene. Only thing is you have to make a hole in the wall for the flue pipe to go out and another for a fuel line.
I suppose you could remove an upper window pane to pipe the exhaust out then you wouldn't have to make it permanent. Mine is just sitting on the floor, plugged into 110V, 5 gallon kerosene sitting next to it for fuel, I did have to make one hole through the wall for flue pipe.

Monitor heaters are also available but much more than your budget. Maybe you can just get by with a couple of new 20,000 BTU kerosene heaters since the old one died.

 

[Pilot]

The Big Buddy is good. It's one of the few that doesn't require ventilation--the others put out too much carbon monoxide. With the others you could wake up dead one morning.

 

[coobie]

I have a log cabin without central heat or air and with no fireplace. Since we built it we've used one of those can shaped kerosene heaters and several of those electric oil radiator type heaters and this combo has worked well. The kerosene heater puts out a ton of heat. But, last night it went on the fritz. It definitely needs a new wick and has been a bit smokey but last night the dial that raises the element cover (for lighting) broke and wouldn't raise the cover anymore.

This summer we will probably be installing central HVAC and a new kerosene heater costs about $129. So we don't want to spend a bunch of money on a temporary solution. I might be able to fix the old one but that's a big if and we are going to be down there a good bit in the next few weeks.

The question, is there anything better in the sub $200 range that will heat a room of about 700 sq. ft.?

We heated our hunting cabin (13X23)with a unvented LP plaque heater($199) around 28,000 BTU.I ran a flexiable copper tubing with connections to a 100 lbs outside LP cylinder,it heated fine.coobie

 

[Steve C]

The Big Buddy is good. It's one of the few that doesn't require ventilation--the others put out too much carbon monoxide. With the others you could wake up dead one morning.

We heated the 26 x 26 family room in our basement and most of our old farm house with a 28K blue flame type propane heater. The basement stairs were open to the first floor entryway, so the heat would rise and heat the first floor. Carbon monoxide is heavy and will settle to low areas. Because of this I installed a couple of carbon monoxide detectors that plug into the electrical outlets were located 12" above the basement floor. They rarely recorded any carbon monoxide. I never detected any in the breathing zone of air 3 or 4 feet above the floor.