For my backup heating needs around the house, I went with kerosene. It stores well, has the most BTU’s of pretty much any fuel, and is easily portable. But, years ago, I picked up one of those Mr Heater Buddy heaters as a ‘just in case’ along with a case of 1# propane bottles. I tested the thing out when I got it, put it away, and haven’t touched it since.
Until today.
I was going through some stuff and thought I’d check to make sure this thing actually still worked. I had packed it away in the original box and, surprisingly, I left the purchase receipt in there. So…I can see that I purchased it in December of 2004. (For about $75) Its sat in its box for the last sixteen years.
Okay, lets see if it works. Fished out an equally aged propane container, screwed it into place, turned the switch to Pilot, hit the starter and…*whoompf* it lit right up. Rather nice when something you put away a long time ago works just like it was yesterday.
Interestingly, the Buddy heaters have evolved since I got that one. They have a model that incorporates a battery-powered fan to circulate the hot air. I might get one of those and, since it runs on DC, wire it to run off a large battery.
My go-to backup heat is kerosene and thats one of the reasons I pretty much ignored the Buddy heater for the last four administrations. But, it’s nice to know it stored well. I’ll put it away, pick up a few more propane cylinders (because they have multiple uses and, if you want to carry the idea further, they would have excellent barter value.) Probably my biggest use for the Buddy heater is as a ‘spot heating’ unit for a room or are of the basement where keeping things above freezing is critical.
Pick up one of these and keep it around. I think they are useful.
Interesting. Intellectually I’m okay with it, but viscerally I’m a little unsure about keeping 20# barbecue bomb in the house while using the heater.
A one pound bomb is OK then…lol
:::shrug::: 10 megatons is still less than 200 megatons
Reminds me of the folks who feel scared about keeping a five gallon sealed can of gas in their garage/basement yet have no trouble keeping a full 20+ gallon gas tank in their vehicle parked in their basement garage.
Well, I don’t know about the US, but in Europe, 20-30 kilos propane “portable” tanks are standard for many uses. In old houses that are not linked to a natural gas line, they provide fuel for the kitchen stovetop and are placed most commonly in the cabinet under the kitchen sink.
I have 2 of such tanks in the basement for the purpose of off grid cooking and heating. I can use one with the propane grill in the porch (that has also a gas burner on the side) to cook and the other with a portable propane heater (something like this https://www.homehardware.ca/en/6000-18000-btu-portable-radiant-propane-heater/p/5530315). They last long and accidents are surprisingly rare.
Davide
I bought the Big Buddy heater that takes two 1 pounders, but will run on a single. I also got the hose assembly to connect to a 20 pound tank. It sure came in handy when our gas line needed to be replaced back in late 2019. It has the battery powered fan on it, but I read somewhere that the company discontinued that feature…….
Good to know. I also have one of those I tested and packed up about 8 years ago. Have not had a need or the will to pull it out and try it since. It is nice to have options.
I have a two burner Big Buddy in my garage right now. I use a 60k BTU torpedo heater to bring the garage from below freezing to toasty in about 15 minutes, but it roars like a jet engine. The Big Buddy takes over (8k BTU) and will keep the space warm and is dead silent except for the optional use if its little fan which plugs in with a wall wart. I have both of them on 20lb propane tanks sitting OUTSIDE, with hoses running through the garage wall. The regulators are at the tanks, so the hoses are only running low pressure gas into the interior space. Also absolutely have carbon monoxide/propane gas detectors as well.
I like catalytic propane because it’s about as close to 100% efficient as you can get. Propane plus O2 equals CO2 plus H2O vapor plus heat. The very same gases we exhale with every breath.
We used one of those as a heating source when we lived on a boat. 60×16 and kept the whole thing warmish. It had the fan. We keep one in the house as an emergency heat source. Works so much better than electric heaters. Definitely, buy one with the fan. Absolutely, night and day.
Jdl
Yup. I put the smaller one in my fishing boat for those nasty days on the Columbia. With top and drop curtains, it heats my little 21’ jet sled quite nicely.
Commander, I think mine might be older and very well abused, yet works fine. I did have to bypass/rewire the anti tip over switch long ago. The rocking motion of the boat would too often turn it off. But since it’s mounted to the forward bulkhead it can’t tip over.
If you dont like the hose-big tank option, they make adaptors to refill the 1#ers with from the larger tanks. Dont let the inturweb experts scare you- they do work safely.
Living in FL it would be nice to find a great portable AC unit that I would have to run the generator for….
Home Depot carries a couple versions of roll around A/C units. Stick the window adapter in place, and plug it in. They work well. Might not stock them in the stores this time of year, but you should be able to have it shipped to the store or home.
I have had one of these for over 10 years. It’s the Big Buddy and it is our backup heating. I have the hose and several propane bottles in storage. But it is time to pull it out and check it over. Thanks for the reminder.
i have three. the old one works, even after being abandoned on the porch of my cabin. the two new ones worked about five minutes and quit. tinkered with them but can’t get them to stay lit. warranty expired b4 i tried them out, i keep making that mistake. hope you n your’s are well.
Get one of those termal electric fans used on wood/pellet stoves. you can dremel the base of the termal fan so it slips on to the metal grill on the buddy unit. Bingo you have fan on your heater.
Saw one working in person and I was amazed how much heat that moved very quietly.
Might want to check this out. It works.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07F9LCYRT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I bought a bunch of store return Big Buddies and Lil Buddies. Most worked fine but I did find a couple of problems.
The valve can stick. “Bouncing” the unit once or twice will usually fix that.
The part that seems to fail most often is the thermocouple. I now have a couple of spares. Watch the youtubes about diagnosing and fixing that part. It’s not hard or expensive.
WRT using the hose and a bbq bottle, the consensus is you MUST use the ‘Buddy hose line filter if you don’t want to wreck your ‘buddy. The manf’ says so, and there are plenty of folks on the net that will testify to ruining their ‘buddies. I picked up a couple on clearance along with the hoses. Haven’t had the opportunity to try them out.
It’s a little bit ‘next level’ but take a look at propane camping instant hot water heaters. For a couple hundred bucks, you can have hot water for hygiene and cooking. The main complaint on amazon is damage from freezing while they have water in them. Avoid that and they seem solid. Sure, you can boil water in a big pot with a turkey fryer, but if you’ve done that you know it takes a LONG time and a lot of fuel. Lots of online info about using them semi-permanently in cabins, etc.
nick
NIck: Much the same can be said for the RV parked behind our house. The plumbing is winterized now, drained of H2O and RV (non-toxic) antifreeze installed, but it only takes a good flush to put it into use. The RV water heater is the only appliance that is permitted by code to use 110V power AND propane at the same time–extremely fast recovery times. It is something of an education for preppers to learn how much power is needed to heat water; it’s thermal mass is huge.
A side note: Do not allow a Keurig machine to freeze once it’s been used. They cannot be drained completely, and are not designed to be taken apart. I managed to repair one, found the cracked plastic manifold inside and super-glued it, but they are designed to be non-repairable, no replacement parts available, only meant to be snapped together on an assembly line and scrapped when broken.
Don’t buy anything on Amazon.
Do not support your enemy.
Besides, almost anything that Amazon sells can be bought for less elsewhere.
For Chinese crap you can get it directly from China via Aliexpress.com and Banggood.com.
I’m with you on the kerosene heaters, CDR. They give you the most bang for he buck, and kerosene stores really well. I find kero heaters at yard sales for a few bucks each! I’ve got five of them, and didn’t pay more than $15.00 for any of them. The ones I use most cost $5.00 each! I did, however, discover “ProCom” freestanding, unvented propane/natural gas heaters, designed for use inside the house.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01E0LKECI/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o09_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
The …cool… thing about these heaters is that they have both tip-over and low-oxygen shutoff features. I found one on Craigslist. I liked it so much, I bought another one on Amazon.
I use one in the garage, and one in my ham radio shack, which started life as a tack shed. The instructions call for the use of a minimum of a 100lb propane bottle for some reason, but I use a 40lb bottle in the garage, and a 20lb barbecue bottle in the shack. I haven’t had any issues at all. I’ve simply reached an age where lifting and moving a filled, 100lb propane tank is a non-starter…
Just some personal observations; I’m not a big fan of storing flammables in the house; especially propane bottles… of any size… Neither are most code enforcement people. True, gasoline cans just kinda sit there, vapors only seeping out of them as the can heats and cools. In a temperature-stable environment, this equates to almost no vapors leaving the can. The big dangers with those are when they’re tipped over or spring a leak. THEN you have a PROBLEM. I’ve seen perfectly fine looking metal gas cans rust through and start leaking out. I’ve seen perfectly fine plastic gas cans suddenly split open and dump their contents in a minute’s time! If this happens in your house and you’re unaware, it’s a matter of WHEN and not IF your house will be sent skyward in an explosion. Propane, on the other hand, is under pressure, and being “pushed from behind” to get into the air in your house. If the fuel line is compromised or the valve on a disconnected tank isn’t shut tight, a huge volume of immediately flammable gas escapes, looking for the nearest source of ignition. Also, if the valve neck gets snapped off, that bottle will be an unguided missile! Not only is it releasing explosive gas, it’s a literal “bull in a china shop!” For something like the ProCom heater or a “big tank” adapter for a Buddy Heater, I would recommend coming up with a long fuel line and a way to get it into the house, the tank being stored outside. …If the SHTF, the fire department isn’t coming… Plan accordingly…
I recently purchased one of the larger 18000BTU Mr. Buddy heaters due to an extended ice storm electrical outage. It has the battery powered fan, the ability to screw in two 1# bottles, and I bought a Mr. Buddy 12′ extension hose for 20# bottle as well. It has the ability to run at 4000, 9000, or 18000 BTU. I found that at the 4000 BTU setting it could keep one room nice and toasty overnight off of a single 1# bottle, even with fairly cold weather outside. It’s a well thought out product that works well. Highly recommended.
Propane stores nicely – how have your kerosene stores done? I have stored gas for up to 6 years with no problems (with Stabil in from the beginning) – but I haven’t stored kerosene long term like that.
Kerosene, as I understand it, will store better than I will.
I’ve read that also – I was wondering if you had any data or experience that could back the claims of others.
I love my big buddy heater. It worked great for a small pop up camper when my cousin had his young son with him and the temperatures dipped below freezing, it also works great on my workbench in the garage when I’m just trying to keep where I am working warm enough that I have dexterity in my hands.
CZ, I’ve been a huge proponent of kerosene since Y2K. One thing I’ve learned, though, is that kero heaters aren’t very adjustable and usually burn cleanest at their highest settings. If your SHTF plan is to close off one room with a blanket, then standard size kero heaters are going to be waaay too hot for that one room. So, to give me more flexibility, I discovered Aladdin lamps and railroad-style (think Dietz) kero lanterns. Once you learn how, both types of lamp burn very clean. They have the same issue in terms of burning best at one setting, but the beauty is that you can light only one, two, three or whatever number makes the room comfortable. The lamps do double duty, because they give light as well as heat. In a pinch, you could rig a stand to heat a can of soup over an Aladdin, I suppose.
While Aladdins put out twice the heat and 3-4 times the light of a railroad lantern, they can be finicky and there’s a learning curve. First-time lamp buyers should probably stick with Dietz-style lanterns initially. There’s plenty of info for newbies on YouTube and other Internet sites.
Did I mention the glow of a kero lantern or two can be pretty romantic? Ha!