Mr Heater Big Buddy

[alex grams]

Does anyone have any experience with this unit?

I have a 2 car garage I want to heat up. It is fairly well insulated, so even when it gets down to around freezing, the garage will stay at 45-50 degrees. During typical days when it is in the 40's outside, the garage is 55, and I would like to heat things up to 65+ for glues/finishing. I figure 18,000 btu would be enough from the below unit:

http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/173635_lg.jpg

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200307957_200307957

Propane is great for convenience, and the unit is listed for indoor use, so two big perks there.

I would need to buy a hose (25$) for hooking up a 20# propane tank, and the fan on it requires an AC adapter (another $15), so price all together is about $175 with tax, and I would avoid having to run another outlet compared to the wall electric units.

Thoughts/Experiences?
Thanks in advance.

[Rod Sheridan]

Alex, my main complaint with non vented fuel burning appliances is the water released into the work space, along with the combustion by products.

You're going to need to provide make up air for the unit.

Electric heaters don't have that problem.

Regards, Rod.

[Lee Schierer]

I'm with Rod, I don't like things that steal the air I need to breathe. Also be aware that any solvent based finishes will release vapors that can potentially ignite from that burner.

[Bob Vallaster]

...and the fine print taketh away.
Check the first paragraph of the General Instructions in the manual on the Northern site (http://www.northerntool.com/downloads/manuals/173635.pdf).
Mr. Heater's notion of indoor use and yours are probably not the same. Looks like using a 20 lb bottle indoors is a no-no.

BobV

[alex grams]

Gotta love their dichotemy between advised use and illustrated use. I went and checked the box out on one during lunch at Northern Tool. They had nice pictures of it sitting on a wooden shelf in a fishing cabin and all other sorts of uses that they seem to specifically advise against.

They do have these models which I am considering that are pure electric heaters:

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200362121_200362121
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/173666_lg.jpg

http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_1049905_1049905
http://www.northerntool.com/images/product/images/177870_lg.jpg

I would like to keep it around $100-$150, but really not sure on the size I require. I would think 4000 watt (13,500btu) would be sufficient, but will probably only find out from buying and using one.

[Rod Sheridan]

Alan, I have one of those electric heaters in my garage in Toronto.

I live in an end unit townhouse so the garage has 2 exposed sides plus an insulated door. (Single garage).

At -20C outside it will bring my garage to about 15C in an hour.............I don't think it gets that cold in Houston so you should be OK........Rod.

P.S. I put mine on the floor, putting a heater at the ceiling seems to defy the laws of physics for me.

[alex grams]

Rod,
Do you have the 4800w or 4000w model? I hear they can be a little loud with the fan, but that won't bother me that much since it is a garage. I concur on the placement, but I will just angle it so the fan blows the heat down a little and no along the ceiling.

[alex grams]

I ended up ordering the smaller 4000Watt unit, and will see how it performs. It got consistently high reviews, so I am optimistic. I would have gotten the 4800watt unit, but that requires a 30amp breaker, which I don't have one to spare. With the 4000watt unit I can just plug it into the plug which was running my AC unit and not rerun wires or put in another breaker.

I will post some reviews when I get it up and running.

[David Hostetler]

I have the smaller model, the "Portable Buddy" and it works fine. I have found though that I like using my Oil Filled Radiator more. The warnings against using the #20 bottles indoors make me nervous... #1 bottles can add up more than electric, and quick. Not to mention you have all those bottles to dispose of. Forget it. Being as you are in H-town, and you have an insulated garage / shop, that 4000 watt heater you picked up is in theory overkill. My doors and ceiling are insulated, but the walls not. And my little 1600 watt radiator will make you sweat in my shop in League City. I suspect you will be turning your heater DOWN a lot...

[alex grams]

Thanks for the info David. My walls are not insulated, but the garage door and ceiling are. One side wall is half insulated due to it being against the house, and the other wall (north side) is not insulated at all.

Thanks again for the info. It stinks when I want to do some work but my garage temperatures are below minimum temperatures for finishes or glueing. I couldn't seem to get much feedback on heat loads required. If it ends up being overkill, I will return it and pick up this 1500watt radiant heater (http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200400920_200400920) and try it.

[Andrew Joiner]

Alex, You could easily use heat bulbs with the temperatures you describe.http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31WPxXgfk2L._SL500_AA300_.jpg

I get radiant heat and light for the same dollar. I have 250watt clear (not red)heat lamps above my benches. It is all the heat I need in Oregon's mild winters. My shop isn't insulated.

This thread has more details of my setup. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?153896-1-vs.-2-heaters-in-long-narrow-shop