Propane Heaters for cabin

[TNhobbyfarmer]

Your cabin looks large for the only heat to be a gas fireplace! Do you have a blower on it? How long do you get out of a 100lb tank? My cabin is 12' X 20', uninsulated dutch barn style.

My cabin is 28 X 36, one large living room/kitchen area, two bedrooms and one bath. The propane fireplace is in the large living area, pic attached. I have electric space heaters to augment the propane fireplace. I do not leave it on overnight because too much moisture builds up. I probably use only about 1.5-2 100 lb. cylinders per winter. Of course it is only a weekend place, and I probably average being there every other weekend in the winter.

 

[Coyote]

Update: installed the Reddy Heater Outdoorsman and used it the other night....great unit! Warm, quiet, no odor, heat for the cabin. Running on medium, kept my uninsulated cabin 20 degrees above outside temp. Used about 1/3 of a 20lb tank in 12 hours. Have it on a 30lb tank now. Highly recommended. Picture is from web site, not my install, I'll post that later. Really like the blue flame as opposed to red hot infrared type heater that started this thread.

 

[Skyco]

That is exactly the one I have in my cabin, couldn't remember the name.

 

[MikeD74T]

I have a 26 x 26 with 16 x 26 second floor (5 rooms total) in northern NH. Heat it with a Warn Morning vented propane heater. Has a blower but heats by convection if power is out. I probably use 500 gallons of propane a year but heat goes on in Oct & off in mid April. Can get to -50F in Jan & Feb, often -30F. Heat to 68F 7/24 but use wood when we're there every other weekend. It's an older heater, like one on Ebay ending today in NJ, pic attached. Mine has glass front so you can see the flame. Absolutely reliable & virtually maintenance free with or without electricity.
As for kerosene heaters, run a damp cloth around ceilings & woodwork after a few days use & you'll see just how clean they burn. OK for occasional use in a shop but not where you live. MikeD74T

 

[kenmac]

very good choice. That's why I mentioned the blue flame over the radiant. In my opinion, they are safer because of the glass over the flame

 

[Slacker]

Whoa, my cabin is in NC (Caswell co) and 20 deg over outside would not cut it.
Heck, it's been getting down to freezing temps. I have a woodstove in my 16x20 recently insulated cabin, and I'm glad I do. I tried the big buddy and a Kero sun before the woodstove, but they are just too much $ to run and don't give off nearly as much heat. A small woodstove is really the ticket for a cabin. Everything else is just fooling around.

Update: installed the Reddy Heater Outdoorsman and used it the other night....great unit! Warm, quiet, no odor, heat for the cabin. Running on medium, kept my uninsulated cabin 20 degrees above outside temp. Used about 1/3 of a 20lb tank in 12 hours. Have it on a 30lb tank now. Highly recommended. Picture is from web site, not my install, I'll post that later. Really like the blue flame as opposed to red hot infrared type heater that started this thread.

 

[LBrown59]

I am researching propane heaters for a small cabin. There are blue flame models, (convection) and infrared ceramic plaque heaters, same BTU. Anybody have experience with both to compare? Glo-Warm is the manufacturer, sold at Home Depot and on sale right now! Thanks for any input!

I have A Glo-warm 10000 BTU Nat. Gas heater in a 8x16 storage building.

I have A Glo-warm 30000 BTU Nat. Gas heater in a 12x22 garage.

Empire stove also makes heters that look very mich like the Glow-warms.

Tractor supply also sells similar heaters.

 

[LBrown59]

Both heat quite well (depending on btu) The blue flame is a little safer in my opinion because of the glass front over the burner. Thermostat control models work great.

You can't afford to feed manual controled Heaters LP gas.

 

[LBrown59]

I use the blue flame type in my little mountain shack in NC. With no fan the temp stratifies very heavily. Floor area cold and ceiling hot, ok in the middle

Need a fan rigged up to handle this.

 

[LBrown59]

If a fan might be important..........
I am pretty sure there are some blue flame models with integral fans.
*Buy a CO 2 monitor. It could save your life.

The fans for these heaters are more or less usless so I rig up my own themostat controlled fan.
*Wouldn't operate one with out it.

 

[LBrown59]

I have one of the blue flame heaters installed in my garage. Initially I was not happy because all of the heat went straight up the wall, and stayed at ceiling height. I then fashioned a sloping hood out of aluminum flashing which sticks out about 10" from the wall directly above the heater... this helps in directing the heat out into the room. I then hung a 20" box fan above the hood, and run it on low speed, pushing the heated air into the room. This may not be the prettiest setup, but it works very well in keeping the heat distributed well throughout the garage... I am very satisfied.

Here is how I did it
I hung a 20'' Box fan next to the ceiling and angled it down and towards the front of the room.
Below the fan I wired in a thermostat switch from a furnace that controls when the furnace fan kicks on and off.
You can buy these switches at any heating shop for under probably 10 bucks.
Any Brand switch from any brand Furnace will work.
These switches have an adjustment that allows you to set the temperature that they will come on and go off at.
You don't want or need a hood between the heater and the fan because you need the warm air to reach the switch to activate the on and off cycle of the fan.
You need the switch because the air will never be warm enough from the fan and you will just be blowing cold air around.
If the fan never shuts off it will keep on blowing cold air after it's cleared out the warm air between the top if the heater and the ceiling.

 

[Skyco]

I've been using a Ryobi 18V rechargeable battery fan that goes with my drills/saws/sanders/vacuums etc to move hot air around when using my blue flame heater in my "cabin". I don't have AC power available which is why I'm using the propane heater in the first place!
Side note- when first using the blue flame it was pretty cold out and the dogs kept getting in bed with us! When I got down on the floor that was when I realized how cold it was down there with no air movement

 

[Deaf]

Guys,

Been doing more research on heaters and my brother suggested looking at boat cabin heaters. They have models that burn Kerosene, Diesel and solid fuel. They have completely sealed fireboxes and take fresh air from the outside and exhaust. They do this to eliminate condensation and produce a very dry heat. The units be mounted on a wall to minimize space. A little expensive compared to other heaters but might be what I am looking for.

Model 100 Diesel Marine Heaters

Mfr. Sig-Marine $874.38
Sigmar's smallest bulkhead mount diesel heater
Large view window
Burns diesel #1 and kerosene
Width: 8" (20.3 cm)
Depth: 9-1/2" (23.5 cm)
Height: 13-3/8" (34 cm)
Flue Size: 3" (7.6 cm)
BTU: L5,000-H10,000
Weight: 12 lbs (5.5 kg)

 

[Skyco]

Looks like a bargain...7 times the price and half the heat
I haven't had a moisture problem with my propane heater and actually if it didn't make moisture it would be too dry. We have to run a humidifier in the winter at home to keep it from getting too dry....

 

[California]

Google on 'Empire Direct Vent Wall Heater'. They have one hole through the wall with the exhaust concentric inside the cold combustion air intake. They work fine and don't need electricity, but a circulation fan will of course make the room temperature more even.

I have one in the little rental cabin here. It works great.