Mr buddy heater

[HUNTERJEFF]

Has anyone ever used a Mr buddy heater in conjunction with the heater in the tc to conserve battery. I have a 815 with a single battery
Thanks Jeff

[BeatCJ]

OK, I'm not done looking, but I believe I'm going to lose this. From what I have found so far, the portable propane heater deaths ALL attribute to other brands, and it looks like the Mr. Heater is actually a suggested altenate. OTOH, from Mr. Heater's website: Mr. Heater FAQ
Question:
Why can’t I go to sleep while using my Buddy Heaters?

Answer:
Because the heater is a portable device that could be bumped or have something fall on it while it is running, you do not want to let it be used “unattended” this would include going to sleep, leaving the room it is in while on, or putting it in an unoccupied area. This is for safety reasons.

[bobndot]

Being that we have not heard from HunterJeff I think he has been traumatized and is out trying to trap and tame one of those elusive ' Platinum Cats ' .

[devildog1971]

If you do not have a carbon monoxide alarm in your camper then get one that takes care of that

[matt7591]

My Mr. Heater Buddy killed me - when it didn't start at the North Rim. If you buy one, be sure to understand the altitude range it tolerates. The thing cannot run in conditions which would be deadly. I'll bet that most people here have the common sense to use it correctly. If not then they can get a refund on the price charged.

[BeatCJ]

I agree that generators are dangerous, and shouldn't be run as you sleep. I missed where the incident that killed 5 people was a generator issue. I have a generator, and do consider it more dangerous than a heater because it burns a lot more fuel an creates significantly more fumes. I will continue to look for an incident. I will consider any blue flame heater, since they all work the same way. Good point with the oven and stovetop. To me, it's all about what level of risk you are willing to assume with your family, wife, kids, grandkids. I have driven several hundred thousand miles without an accident. I still choose to wear my seatbelt. Mr. Buddy does produce a measurable amount of CO. The response to CO varies with many factors, an is cumulative. I'm really busy this week, but I look forward to the research project.

[therobzilla]

I'm adding my .02 on this, I work for a very large corporation 5 Billion plus, our instruction manuals 15 years ago were thin and did not include many warning, then we got taken to court for a, "Failure to Warn" notice on our instruction manual. That case cost our company millions of dollars to the homeowner that brought the case to court.

Point being:

If Mr. Buddys heaters were even the slightest bit unsafe to use in a closed condition, they would in great detail WARN that it could kill you, and if there were any and I mean the smallest chance that with the ventilation they specify that needs to be opened would cause a single fatality, they WOULD NOT EVEN MENTION IT IN THEIR MANUAL, it would strickly state that the heater has to be used outside and not inside, the small wording of ventilation need to use inside, means they know it works.

Long story short, Mr. Buddy would be out of business if even on person was killed due to faulty use by the operator, the lawers would eat the company alive .

I have been using one with ventilation in my lance 1121 with proper ventilation, and two CO monitors for YEARS, and even during sleeping. No CO monitor going off, and no problems.

To each their own. This is my opinion and experience!

[camper357]

Technicalities are important when we are talking about a life and death situations.

Yes, theoretically, the buddy heater will shut off (due to lack of oxygen)and therefore will not produce CO that will reach a dangerous level.

My point is that the buddy heater does not have have a CO shutout valve and proclaiming that it does could lead someone into dangerous situation thinking that they didn't need a functioning CO alarm because they were using a buddy heater.

Ever thought that there is a possibility that the CO could be coming from another source, or that your camper could have a high CO level before you turned on your buddy?

Lots of technicalities could kill you, but hey don't worry about it because some guy on the internet told me that it had a CO shut off valve and that I don't need to worry about technicalities.

[Francesca_Knowl]

camper357 wrote:
Low oxygen (o2) shut off is not a carbon monoxide (Co) shut-off. Please try again.

Sounds like we're talking purely technical...as a matter of fact, there's no actual "low-oxygen sensor/shutoff", either. The real thing in that department would probably cost more than the price of the heater.

It's really just a flame-based function of the thermocouple: When O levels get low, the flame shrinks...when it reaches a certain size the thermocouple (temp sensitive switch) activates, cutting off the fuel supply.

Is that better? 🙂

[camper357]

Low oxygen (o2) shut off is not a carbon monoxide (Co) shut-off. Please try again.

[SkiingSixPack]

okan-star wrote:

SkiingSixPack wrote:

okan-star wrote:
I use a buddy heater in my garage, no flamable liqids around
Not exactly fuel efficent
Not much diffrent than tuning on the stove in the camper, which does say not for heating
x2 for an olyimpian cat heater in the camper

Compared to the RV furnace, the Mr. Heater is pretty "efficient." LOL

Maybe so if you had the rv furnace on constantly
I have adjusted the heat antisipator in the tee stats of all the campers Ive had so they dont cycle so much , not that that burns less fuel but its less bother some

Great idea ... Can you give details? Does this let the temp range fluctuate more? like -8 to +8 of the set temp or something like that?

Thanks!

[Francesca_Knowl]

camper357 wrote:
Where do you people get your information?

A buddy heater does not have a CO shutoff feature.

:h

It's called an "Oxygen depletion sensor" (more often "low oxygen shutoff"), and the whole Buddy series has it- as do all portable propane heaters labeled "approved for indoor use".

Here quoting from Mr. Heater/ Buddy page:

Buddy's maker wrote:
The Portable Buddy has a low-oxygen shutoff system and a tip over switch that makes it safe for indoor use.

And here quoting the Consumer Products Safety Commission's 2002 announcement detailing this then-new feature:

CPSC wrote:
This summer, as friends, families, and outdoor enthusiasts head out to campsites, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) is announcing that there is a new generation of portable heaters with a safety device that can prevent the tragic loss of life due to carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. The new heaters are equipped with an oxygen depletion sensor (ODS) and are safer to use when camping. If oxygen levels start to fall, this sensing technology automatically shuts down the heater before it can produce serious levels of CO.

Unlike earlier portable heaters that do not have an ODS and are intended for outdoor use only, the new ODS-equipped heaters are specifically designed for indoor use.

[camper357]

Where do you people get your information?

A buddy heater does not have a CO shutoff feature.

Turning the burner on in your rv as a heater is a good way to get a headache, it is not like a buddy heater. One produces radiant heat and the other produces an open flame. Want to guess which one burns more efficient and produces less CO?

[TOOBOLD]

We have one and use it only when awake. Our kids bunk area doesn't produce as much heat at is the furthest from the register. We run the heater before they go to sleep and before we go to sleep run the Mr. Buddy to warm them up. If I get up at night I'll turn in on briefly before going back to sleep. We live to tell the tale.

[S_Davis]

Do you guys really think they would put in the instructions that they need 18 square inches of combustion air opening for no reason, I think most people in this thread are saying just make sure you have adequate ventilation to operate the heater in a confined space. If not thats a decision you can make for your self, but the manufacturer is covered by their installation instructions;-)