Portable Propane Heater

[Peter1949]

Any suggestions the origo heat pal 5100 did not heat my 25 footer very efficiently
Thanks pete


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[HappyMdRSailor]

I've had a few different heaters, and this is the current one I like the best...

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-MH18...r+heater+buddy

[sailcruiser]

Not propane but I'm wary of carbon monoxide.

I have a 36 ft boat and this heater can make it too hot even in the 30s. It does have a thermostat but take some fine tuning.

http://www.westmarine.com/buy/west-m...eater--7867500







SC

[Pete7]

Pete, that thing claims 1500 watts of heat, you should be opening hatches on a 25ft boat with that amount of heat. What sort of outside temperatures are you dealing with and is the boat insulated in anyway, like cored deck.

We have 2kw of heating and can't run it flat out or we end up with stuffy noses in the morning.

Perhaps you need it mounted low and some form of fan to move the hot air around the cabin?

Pete

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

I've had a few different heaters, and this is the current one I like the best...

Amazon.com - Mr. Heater MH18B, Portable Propane Heater -

I've got one of those. But I'd be reluctant to use anything with a propane canister inside the closed boat. It eats canisters real fast also.

[Steve Olson]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

I've had a few different heaters, and this is the current one I like the best...

http://www.amazon.com/Mr-Heater-MH18...r+heater+buddy

I have this one too and it works like a champ. You'll go through propane canisters pretty quickly though. I installed a Wallas 40DT in my boat. It runs off my diesel tank and gets hot even on the low setting.

[sailorchic34]

Being an engineer, I took a old design Mr. Buddy and turned it into a through deck vented heater and connected to the main propane tank low pressure line, all for $200 ish. Got rid of the moisture problems that way too.

[janice142]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Being an engineer, I took a old design Mr. Buddy and turned it into a through deck vented heater and connected to the main propane tank low pressure line, all for $200 ish. Got rid of the moisture problems that way too.

Pictures please sailorchic, and how did you do it?

I've used the Coleman Catalytic heater aboard Seaweed for the past few years but if there was a way to do it better, I'm interested.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.

J.

[HappyMdRSailor]

Originally Posted by Cheechako

I've got one of those. But I'd be reluctant to use anything with a propane canister inside the closed boat. It eats canisters real fast also.

Yea... On med or high you are definitely right.... I can get the 8hr time out of butt low... I always do my due diligence on venting... Open atmosphere to drafting opening...

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Being an engineer, I took a old design Mr. Buddy and turned it into a through deck vented heater and connected to the main propane tank low pressure line, all for $200 ish. Got rid of the moisture problems that way too.

Of course you did... I suppose that setting 2 butters your toast???

[delmarrey]

Keep a close eye on those Mr. Heater's! The connector is made of aluminum and the threads strip out. I had one that started leaking shooting flames out the joint.

No more screw in canisters for me!

[sailorchic34]

Originally Posted by HappyMdRSailor

Of course you did... I suppose that setting 2 butters your toast???

Don't be silly, low is fine for that...

Below are two photo's for your information of the blonde Mr. heater mods.

First photo shows the heater,where I removed the internal gas pressure regulator and attached a low pressure LP hose to it. The draft hood is a 8"x8" metal baking pan (not teflon coated), a 1-1/2" pipe flange, and 1-1/2 copper pipe found at a salvage yard for $1.50.

I had calculated that a 1-1/2" vent pipe would be adequate for the 9000 BTU's of exhaust gases on high. It was verified that the deaft hood was negative pressure to the space, when the heater was on.

The larger Buddy heater, would need a 2" pipe.

The second photo shows the vent termination, and vent cap. This consists of a 2" pipe flange, a 2" emt coupling for the flashing to rest on, a Cola can painted grey for flashing (not ocean rated BTW) held to the 2" nipple with a hose clamp and a 4" piece of copper as a vent cap with a center cap cover made from a pie plate and pop rivited to the copper cap.

Total cost including heater <$200. It works pretty well and keeps the rain out too

[onestepcsy37]

And now for something completely different.

An infra red heat lamp. You will need some battery power but they run off a small inverter and can heat up a small enclosed area pretty quickly. They take up little space, have no moisture problems, and are relatively cheap. I intend to set one up on a timer, say ten minutes on then ten minutes off, so we dont have to keep turning it on/off during the night. Or maybe a thermostat...

[janice142]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Don't be silly, low is fine for that...

Below are two photo's for your information of the blonde Mr. heater mods.

Thanks sailorchic. That was helpful.

[HappyMdRSailor]

I suppose the bonus is that you can cook a while batch of California brownies while keeping toasty warm... toasted squared?


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[Peter1949]

Thanks pete 7
I will try my portable fan when the temps get 50 degrees at night and see if that helps circulate the heat



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