Mr. heater "Little Buddy" experience?

[grubworm]

Mr. heater "Little Buddy" experience?

ok, hate to tell on myself...BUT maybe if it will help someone else as stupid as me, i'll do it...

it was january 2019, the wife and i were dating at the time when i bought a camp trailer in ohio and was driving from south louisiana to get it. temp here was 60s and nice so we packed a light change of clothes and headed to ohio, planning on a 15 hr drive there and 15 hrs back...a quick turnaround.

got to ohio and it was in the 30s with snow. we got the camp trailer and for some reason decided to go to gatlinberg, tn. on the way there, we stopped and picked up a few things since we had nothing. a little buddy heater was one of the items. we also decided that while we were in gatlinberg, we would get married in a drive thru chapel. we got hitched and decided to honeymoon in our new little 8x5 square drop camp trailer. temps dropped into the 20s and all we had were the seat cushions as a mattress and a sleeping bag and the little buddy heater. i thought i opened the vents, but apparently not. it was really cold and the heat from the little buddy was a welcomed relief. we dozed off and a short while later i woke up and was freezing. the heater was off, so i restarted it and after a few minutes, the little buddy heater cut off. i kept restarting it and changing bottles wondering what the problem was. i'd light the heater and in no time at all, it would go out. we both ended up with a bad headache and dizziness before realizing the vents were closed...

hummm...guess there are TWO lessons to be learned here...

 

[FishinCrzy]

Mr. heater "Little Buddy" experience?

ok, hate to tell on myself...BUT maybe if it will help someone else as stupid as me, i'll do it...

it was january 2019, the wife and i were dating at the time when i bought a camp trailer in ohio and was driving from south louisiana to get it. temp here was 60s and nice so we packed a light change of clothes and headed to ohio, planning on a 15 hr drive there and 15 hrs back...a quick turnaround.

got to ohio and it was in the 30s with snow. we got the camp trailer and for some reason decided to go to gatlinberg, tn. on the way there, we stopped and picked up a few things since we had nothing. a little buddy heater was one of the items. we also decided that while we were in gatlinberg, we would get married in a drive thru chapel. we got hitched and decided to honeymoon in our new little 8x5 square drop camp trailer. temps dropped into the 20s and all we had were the seat cushions as a mattress and a sleeping bag and the little buddy heater. i thought i opened the vents, but apparently not. it was really cold and the heat from the little buddy was a welcomed relief. we dozed off and a short while later i woke up and was freezing. the heater was off, so i restarted it and after a few minutes, the little buddy heater cut off. i kept restarting it and changing bottles wondering what the problem was. i'd light the heater and in no time at all, it would go out. we both ended up with a bad headache and dizziness before realizing the vents were closed...

hummm...guess there are TWO lessons to be learned here...

All that heavy breathing used up the oxygen and clouded your thought processes. Which happened first?

 

[lhoffm4]

Thank goodness you sorted it out. That internal CO monitor/shut-off saved your lives! Now you get to enjoy a lifetime of head-aches with your lovely bride…condolences, er I mean congrats!

 

[Michael]

Great lesson to share! And congrats!

Yeah, the buddy heater has the shutoff, a great thing bug you don’t want to rely on it :)

 

[MOAK]

I’ll only add that we usually warm up the tent, shut it off, sleep. Wake up, warm up the tent, get outta bed, get dressed. Shut it off. There has been a couple of occasions that we left it on all night because temps were near 0-f. With the heater a foot from the tent door zipped open about 4” and widows at the side of our heads cracked about 4” we stayed warm enough and had zero condensation. We’ve had the little buddy heater now for nearly 7 years and never leave home without it.

 

[Kent R]

I’ll only add that we usually warm up the tent, shut it off, sleep. Wake up, warm up the tent, get outta bed, get dressed. Shut it off. There has been a couple of occasions that we left it on all night because temps were near 0-f. With the heater a foot from the tent door zipped open about 4” and widows at the side of our heads cracked about 4” we stayed warm enough and had zero condensation. We’ve had the little buddy heater now for nearly 7 years and never leave home without it.

I never leave on a trip without it also "BUT", it let me down in the middle of Death Valley two weeks ago. Temps where 21deg and it kept shutting off for no reason or at least thats what I thought. Got home and went to the YouTube University and found you need to clean the pilot orifice every once and awhile. ;-)

 

[Ragman]

I have a little Buddy heater, have used in my truck, and for your intended purpose, it's perfect. You'll soon get those that will chime and get off topic and tell you it's dangerous because of the CO. Just use common sense and keep it away from anything flammable.

It's perfect for heating up the truck just before you go to sleep, and right as you wake up to warm up you and truck a bit.

Just toss a detector in for peace of mind and sleep happy.

 

[KAIONE]

I have a little Buddy heater, have used in my truck, and for your intended purpose, it's perfect. You'll soon get those that will chime and get off topic and tell you it's dangerous because of the CO. Just use common sense and keep it away from anything flammable.

It's perfect for heating up the truck just before you go to sleep, and right as you wake up to warm up you and truck a bit.

Just toss a detector in for peace of mind and sleep happy.

Even 2, for extra comfort. You do want to wake up…….

 

[Mike_304]

I have used one for a few years now and really like it. Do yourself a favor and use a line filter if hooking up to a large propane tank. I did not at first and ended up disassembling it 3 times before I got the oil out of the lines.
I have not run it overnight in the tent so can’t comment on condensation.
I added a wood stove fan on top to push the air in our direction. Works great. Here’s the description of the one I bought on Amazon: CRSURE Wood Stove Fan, 8 Blades Double Motors Fireplace Fan.

I have the same Buddy Heater and was planning to get one of those TEG Fans. How has/does the fan move air for you? Does the fan help with condensation? When using my heater in my truck shell, I also used a 12v oscillating fan to move the heat and to help with condensation.

The fan moves air really well. I videoed a test between the stove fan and a USB fan.

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The down side to the stove fan is that it will run for 5 minutes after the heater is turned off.

 

[Kevin108]

I went with the larger Buddy heater just for the increased stability. Sometimes I use it just to knock the chill down and pre-heat my sleeping bag before bed. Sometimes I run it all night and hang out of the sleeping bag. It's way oversized for heating a rooftop tent, but it has been a good item to have. It can cause some condensation, so you'll counterintuitively need some decent ventilation to offset that. In the tent, I have a portable fan that runs on D batteries that I run on low just to circulate the warm air some.

I use it when I'm at home as well. On extra cold nights, I'll let it run in the garage for my outside cat. He has a 40º sleeping bag on a couch for a bed, along with a heating pad under the first layer, so he never gets cold, but if it's getting into the 20s, I let him have the Heater Buddy overnight too. If you lost power in the winter, it would keep an average sized bedroom toasty.

 

[grubworm]

saw an "indoor safe" buddy heater on amazon.
apparently you can use it in a totally enclosed space and be good to go.
wondering if any one has tried it yet and if they are still around to give a review of the accuracy of that claim...

 

[Sonarman]

Perfect for what you are doing.

 

[PNW EXPLR]

I just bought a buddy heater for this winter.
I fabbed up a plate that slides in a little gap. Now I have a shelf to set a stove fan or boil a small pan of water for coffee or a mountain house.
View attachment videocrop_1.mov

 

[HatchetMatt]

Hey everyone, I'm looking to get a little heater for the back of my truck for cold weather camping trips. Being such a small space, I was looking at the small, little buddy heater.

My plan isn't to use this while I'm sleeping in there, but rather to heat up the space for a little while before I crawl in there. So no need to turn this into a "is it safe or not" thread.

More so just looking for user experience with this model, as reviews online seem very mixed, but also majority seem to be coming from people with larger ice fishing shacks, who probably should have been using the next larger sized heater.

So. Has anyone here used the "little buddy" heater in their tent, or back of their truck before? Does it hold up to colder weather? Does it take a long time to take the cold out, etc.

Thanks in advance!

I have had one for years with no problems but you need to keep a window open which defeats the purpose somewhat of course. It will run you out of a small camper pretty quick though.
Have a C02 Alarm in the camper!!!

 

[MOAK]

saw an "indoor safe" buddy heater on amazon.
apparently you can use it in a totally enclosed space and be good to go.
wondering if any one has tried it yet and if they are still around to give a review of the accuracy of that claim...

I’ve been using our little buddy in a hobby room in the basement for the last two winters, with the door open to the unfinished part of the basement. No problems at all, the room is 12x18, about 1/3 of the basement.

 

[lhoffm4]

I e used mine in my truck bed camper shell in 30 F weather, it rained condensation. Tried it in a Coleman 2-room canvas tent, got wet there too. Didn't want my roof tent to have condensation, so got a diesel heater. Best decision ever... Dry heat, exhausts outside, very fuel efficient... Now the buddy heater is used in the fishing boat and under the awning, or even creekside while cat fishing, but not in any tent or enclosed/non ventilated spaces...

 

[Dimitri_Raptis]

I e used mine in my truck bed camper shell in 30 F weather, it rained condensation. Tried it in a Coleman 2-room canvas tent, got wet there too. Didn't want my roof tent to have condensation, so got a diesel heater. Best decision ever... Dry heat, exhausts outside, very fuel efficient... Now the buddy heater is used in the fishing boat and under the awning, or even creekside while cat fishing, but not in any tent or enclosed/non ventilated spaces...

I similarly used mine ones with a slightly open roof top tent window to avoid condensation. It did not hit up adequately and since then I am loyal to my air diesel heater. Fully agree.

 

[Remydog]

I have a somewhat different question. I have a large patio and I am using the high hat infrared patio heaters. They are a pain to move around, light, adjust, etc. And they don't look so great sitting on the patio all year. These Little Buddy heaters look like they could solve a bunch of problems - lightweight and easy to use. BUT - how are they as a heat source for this sort of outdoor gathering space? Do I need to be right on top of the heater to get any appreciable warmth. I was thinking of setting 2 or 3 of these a few feet away from our table and chairs. FYI - we also have a monster fire pit, so this is not the only source of heat.

 

[Kevin108]

A little heat comes from the front, a lot of heat comes from the top. I run a battery-powered fan blowing down on it when I use it in the tent to best disperse the heat.

A kerosene heater may be more useful for the area in question, since you'll get 360° of heat from it, plus the top.

 

[lhoffm4]

I have a somewhat different question. I have a large patio and I am using the high hat infrared patio heaters. They are a pain to move around, light, adjust, etc. And they don't look so great sitting on the patio all year. These Little Buddy heaters look like they could solve a bunch of problems - lightweight and easy to use. BUT - how are they as a heat source for this sort of outdoor gathering space? Do I need to be right on top of the heater to get any appreciable warmth. I was thinking of setting 2 or 3 of these a few feet away from our table and chairs. FYI - we also have a monster fire pit, so this is not the only source of heat.

I like your thinking. I too like options. Depending on the gathering numbers and area layout. The fire pit is my first option due to the intimacy of sitting around it but requires work. Preparing and staging wood is time and space consuming, but rewarding as well. My Son gifted me a Solo Stove Bonfire, wich greatly improved the fire pit experience because it is smokeless. It is also easily portable so can be moved out of the way when not used.

I like the tall patio propane tree heaters as well, especially for gatherings, as they don't really require much monitoring while entertaining guests, they cast heat downwards at least to chest and arm height for standing adults and a couple of them can really maintain an area for dining and entertaining.

I love my buddy heater(s) for outdoor personal spaces like in front of a chair or in the boat/bank side while fishing. They keep the chill off. In your application on a large patio, a couple big buddy heaters would do nicely for portability, convenient and easy to light and operate heat sources. Just be careful with children and pets as they are normally moving around and between at the ground level as well.

Having used both, I am hard pressed to pick a favorite. With the Solo Stove Bonfire accessory of a heat deflector that throws heat downwards and the relative smokeless aspect, I'm leaning towards the fire pit. I usually don't count the wood-prep as an expense and have normally sourced cheap/free wood sources like broken pallets or downed trees/scrub brush. Propane, on the other hand can't be cleaned from nature (readily) so there is a financial cost for the convenience. Once on site it is less time consuming, so more socializing can happen.

Because of this forum, I should give mention of the catalytic Coleman Space Heater as well. A superb option for augmenting a bonfire or patio heater but more suited to personal space, like in front/under a chair at an outdoor gathering, like a sporting event, nite time cat fishing, on a boat early in the morning on the lake, etc. It would surely be the most expensive option, due to fuel cost today.

All this to say fire pits, buddy heaters, even catalytic heaters or diesel heaters definitely have a place in a patio entertainment application. Which ever one chooses would depend on the occasion.... So I guess I'm not very helpful... Good luck choosing!