Mister Heater/cheap heating options?

Dave Cole · 12-13-2002, 02:33 PM

Thinking about getting one of these little $100 heaters.

heading south for the winter, and need a little something (on the cheap) to take the chill off while i boondock my way there.

Experiences? Comments? Snide remarks from purists?

davidz71 · 12-13-2002, 03:56 PM

Dave,
What is the BTU rating for that heater. If you see my post on "furnace/catalytic stuff", I ran my Wave 6 on the low setting which is around 2,000 BTU and it kept the front and middle of my trailer in the 50's while the outside was in the 30's. I also have an old Coleman propane catalytic heater that puts out 5,000 BTU on high and around 2,000 BTU on low that was worked wonders for me for at least 17 yrs. Before I installed my Wave 6, I closed the bathroom off and the front kitchen / lounge area and ran the Coleman on low in the 30's outside last year. It kept me warm in the center twin bed area. I don't see why you couldn't try the unit but be sure to provide a source of fresh air (crack a window or open a vent).

**Pick** · 12-13-2002, 06:57 PM

That is a neat heater, if you are not going to use it frequently. Why? Those little propane cylinders are $2.00-$4.50 a pop. I don't think they last but a couple of hours. I can run my 6000 btu cat heater for 107 hours with a full 30# bottle, or about 8 cents an hour if I fill up at Flying J, or 17 cents an hour if I have the hardware store fill the tanks. That heater is going to cost about a buck an hour to run, which is fine if you only use it infrequently. If you are going to do a lot of cold weather camping, I would look into buying a new cat heater for installation into the Airstream.

davidz71 · 12-13-2002, 09:28 PM

Pick,
You're right about the cost of individual bottles. My Coleman 5,000 BTU catalytic unit held 2 tall bottles but only one could be hooked up at a time. I bought a 12' hose that connected to an 11 lb. propane bottle and it has worked fine for 17 yrs. in tents and trailers. If all Dave wants to do is knock off the morning chill then that portable unit may be the ticket. He could cut the cost of his cylinders by buying an adapter that fills his small cylinders from larger tanks. I like my mounted Wave 6 but will appreciate my portable Coleman unit in addition to my Suburban furnace should it ever get really cold while boondocking.

Dave,
The other option, although more expensive, is to purchase a Wave 3 or Wave 6 and buy the portable feet and hose so that you could move the unit around. You "T" into a main propane gas line and then mount a quick disconnect unit through a bulkhead or up through the floor. Check www.rvsolarelectric.com for their discussion on the subject.

Sav'h Steve · 12-13-2002, 11:07 PM

Dave and Craig,

I did some research on the two heaters:

Thanks,
Steve in Sav'h
still in quandary

Duggg replies:
Well, actually both heaters produce radiant heat. They both emit infrared radiation, which tends to warm objects faster than it warms the air.

The main difference is that the Wave 6 is a catalytic heater, and it has a platinum pad, which explains part of the cost difference.

Regarding efficiency, a pound of propane has the same BTU or heat content regardless of how it is burned.

The Buddy produces an open flame at 2100° F., which heats the metal and causes it to radiate heat. But some of the heat escapes as superheated exhaust gas and rises quickly to the ceiling.

The Olympians don't produce an open flame. Instead, the platinum catalyst causes oxygen and propane to chemically combine at around 720° F., producing heat more in the form of infrared energy, which can be better directed.

For occasional use, it's hard to beat the Buddy's price. But for daily use, I would think the Wave would be a superior heater.

.... I think the *take home* is that One is an Open Flame and the Cat is Not! So... the choice is important. And the cost is significant.

I would think the nod would go to the Wave 3 or 6.. Some say the Wave 6 is a little too much for their trailer and opt for the "3"

Craig since you use the Wave 6, would you opt for the 3 if you were buying new? BTW, the 3 new is under $300.

Steve in Sav'h

davidz71 · 12-14-2002, 03:03 PM

Steve,
If I were in an 18-25' trailer, I think the Wave 3 would work. I chose to go with the Wave 6 for the extra heat if I needed it in my 31' trailer. If just using the Wave 6 I had also considered that I could close the bathroom off and if it really got down to single digits I could close the bedroom off and sleep in the front area. This was worse case scenario and no use of Suburban furnace.