Best way to vent Buddy and Big Buddy propane heaters?

fieldgrade

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I might be setting up one or two at the grandbaby’s house tomorrow “just in case”.

I’ve had these for years and never used them (yet)

They say they are safe indoors with the built in low O2 shutoff but require “proper ventilation”, and a proper CO detector installed nearby.

Since venting a room with freezing outdoor air seems somewhat self defeating it is my understanding that the ventilation is primarily to provide proper O2 to the heater for optimal combustion, therefore cleaner burning, and less CO. At least that is the info I culled and assembled as a conclusion.

So, is it best to place the heater/s near a cracked window? Am I understanding this right? And don’t sleep with it running?
 
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@fieldgrade - I have a 12x24 finished shed that I got from @Armed4defense . It is insulated, paneled inside, etc - it’s really a tiny house rather than a shed. Right after we got it, it needed heat in it for one day (long story), so I ran a Buddy Heater. I had to slightly crack a window. Without cracking the window, you could smell “fumes”, not like a propane leak, but like exhaust. I think it was especially noticeable because it was a small space, well insulated/sealed.
Similar - my father-in-law lives in a small like 650 sq ft house in Newland. He has ventless gas logs. You can “smell them” a little bit when he runs them, I assume because it’s such a tiny living room he’s using them in.
And last - we used a buddy heater in our house about two years ago when the power was out. It was fine. Had it in the living room, not closed off/sealed up in a tiny space. A window near it was barely cracked open just enough to have extension cords coming in from the generator for the fridge and stuff. No smell. CO detectors did not go off.
 
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DangerRuss said:
@fieldgrade - I have a 12x24 finished shed that I got from @Armed4defense . It is insulated, paneled inside, etc - it’s really a tiny house rather than a shed. Right after we got it, it needed heat in it for one day (long story), so I ran a Buddy Heater. I had to slightly crack a window. Without cracking the window, you could smell “fumes”, not like a propane leak, but like exhaust. I think it was especially noticeable because it was a small space, well insulated/sealed.
Similar - my father-in-law lives in a small like 650 sq ft house in Newland. He has ventless gas logs. You can “smell them” a little bit when he runs them, I assume because it’s such a tiny living room he’s using them in.
And last - we used a buddy heater in our house about two years ago when the power was out. It was fine. Had it in the living room, not closed off/sealed up in a tiny space. A window near it was barely cracked open just enough to have extension cords coming in from the generator for the fridge and stuff. No smell. CO detectors did not go off.
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Thanks. That’s what I’m thinking. Cracked window near the heater. With a nine month old in the house I just want to be sure they/we don’t get it wrong.
 
Slacker said:
Fyi, it's "low 02 shut-off" is simply the pilot light not staying lit due to low O2.
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A mechanical canary!

I've only used mine indoors once, and it was fine. Space was the small but open plan main floor of my house, call it 675 ft^2 with a cathedral ceiling to 11'. No windows open.
 
Forgot to mention,
I hacked mine for the built in fan to run off M18 Milwaukee batteries, cost $20 in parts.
Cheaper than the AC adaptor and running the Genny, they last forever and I have a good supply of them. Happy to share parts list if your heater has the fan.

The new big buddies apparently no longer have a fan but you can buy the fan aftermarket on ebay.
It makes a big difference.

I see on Utube where folks are using the thermocouple Woodstove type fans on them. Excellent idea. Just takes a Dremel and a few beers. Not the best setup if toddlers around but it's already hot as hell, hard to make it less safe. It's in this video.

 
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Slacker said:
Forgot to mention,
I hacked mine for the built in fan to run off M18 Milwaukee batteries, cost $20 in parts.
Cheaper than the AC adaptor. The new big buddies apparently no longer have a fan but you can buy the fan aftermarket.
It makes a big difference.

I see on Utube where folks are using the thermocouple type fans on them. Excellent idea. You can Google it, just takes a Dremel and a few beers.
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I’ve got two Big Buddies, and a Buddy, maybe five years old and they have the fans, at least the big ones do. I think they take D cells. Batteries wouldn’t last long I expect. These would be used in a power outage so the ac adapter wouldn’t be needed.
 
fieldgrade said:
I’ve got two Big Buddies, and a Buddy, maybe five years old and they have the fans, at least the big ones do. I think they take D cells. Batteries wouldn’t last long I expect. These would be used in a power outage so the ac adapter wouldn’t be needed.
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The Milwaukee battery fan hack was a good one.
They last a long time and recharge fast.
This item, plus a cheap 12v to 6v step down and your all set. The step down fits inside the heater, it's a clean setup.



 
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Even though these heaters are five years old they are NIB. Hopefully they’ll behave. I’ve got a collection of 1lb Coleman bottles and a 10’ hose that requires no filter for a 20lb bottle.
 
There was a large batch of BB heaters (older units) that the thermocouple was in the wrong notch (assembled wrong). The tip wasn't close enough to the pilot and it would go out over and over.
My BB was one of these. I nearly set it on the berm downrange in frustration.

If the tip of the thermocouple isn't touching the pilot flame, your in for a fun teardown to Correct it.
Better to know now. I'd fire them up to check.
 
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Dont remember how old my bb is, but i use it pretty often to take off the chill in the garage when im working out there. I usually throw a box fan behind it, but i really like that stove fan idea.
 
fieldgrade said:
I might be setting up one or two at the grandbaby’s house tomorrow “just in case”.

I’ve had these for years and never used them (yet)

They say they are safe indoors with the built in low O2 shutoff but require “proper ventilation”, and a proper CO detector installed nearby.

Since venting a room with freezing outdoor air seems somewhat self defeating it is my understanding that the ventilation is primarily to provide proper O2 to the heater for optimal combustion, therefore cleaner burning, and less CO. At least that is the info I culled and assembled as a conclusion.

So, is it best to place the heater/s near a cracked window? Am I understanding this right? And don’t sleep with it running?
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We have one that we used in our horse trailer. Dad always kept the window cracked open a bit to let some air in. I’ve actually seen him wake up and his beard and mustache be full of ice from sleeping too close to the window. We never had a problem with it. I’ve got it now since he passed, and I use it at the barn quite a bit. I was going to use it on the pontoon boat during our Lake Christmas parade but it was too sensitive to wind.
 
In a large space like a house I wouldn't be too concerned with venting one. Although, I also wouldn't be too concerned with heat loss through a window slightly opened. One heater kept me and my hunting buddy warm in a 10x10 canvas tent with a million gaps in it down to single digits with snow blowing in Wyoming this year. Just have to make sure the tank stays warm enough in that situation.
 
Whoa. That’s a wake up right there.

The ones I have are exclusively tucked away for power outages of close-by relatives, since I’ve got a gas fireplace now. (and gen set).

To point out one other thing that I just posted in my earlier thread on the life of 1lb propane bottles.

"My collection of 1lb bottles are all about seven years old. None ever opened. All have caps. Some feel very light. I put one on a new Buddy heater today. Run time was less than five minutes. I probably have at least 4-5 more like that.

Check your stash if you’ve got them tucked away, and you are depending on them for anything in the future.
 
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np307 said:
In a large space like a house I wouldn't be too concerned with venting one. Although, I also wouldn't be too concerned with heat loss through a window slightly opened. One heater kept me and my hunting buddy warm in a 10x10 canvas tent with a million gaps in it down to single digits with snow blowing in Wyoming this year. Just have to make sure the tank stays warm enough in that situation.
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fieldgrade said:
Whoa. That’s a wake up right there.
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I will add that it had been giving him some issues. It had become increasingly hard to light and stay lit. I guess it's a good idea to replace them when they get finicky.

We've used them in tents for years with no problems, until now.
 
That tent fire is something I have always worried about when I bought my two units. A tent will burn fast and ugly.

I wouldn’t fear the CO2 in any room 12x12 or larger over a 8 hour or less period. But a battery CO2 detector backup is a good idea.

Personally I’m not cracking a window in a place I need heat. If I’m not mistaken high is only 8k Btu. Manufacturers put those suggestions to open a window for legal reasons. You could refresh a small room in 30 seconds after hours of run time by opening a door or window once.
 
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BBD280 said:
I will add that it had been giving him some issues. It had become increasingly hard to light and stay lit. I guess it's a good idea to replace them when they get finicky.

We've used them in tents for years with no problems, until now.
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Wow! Pretty scary thing to see. Especially given I’ve used mine many times for a few years in my tent. Even let my teenage boys take one out a couple times for camping.
 
Thanks @fieldgrade for posting this.

As a follow-up to the venting, we have a 20-lb propane tank and the Buddy Heater. I presumed that the better approach would be to have the tank outside; run the hose under a cracked window; heater unit inside (house, so 12' x 12' rooms more or less); and use towels and/or tape to seal the window opening somewhat.

Guess my thinking here was to have the tank outside, not inside. Anyone have experience with this sort of approach (vs. the 1-lb propane containers that fit into the heating units "slots") or otherwise suggestions for safe use in this context?
 
GreatGazoo said:
Thanks @fieldgrade for posting this.

As a follow-up to the venting, we have a 20-lb propane tank and the Buddy Heater. I presumed that the better approach would be to have the tank outside; run the hose under a cracked window; heater unit inside (house, so 12' x 12' rooms more or less); and use towels and/or tape to seal the window opening somewhat.

Guess my thinking here was to have the tank outside, not inside. Anyone have experience with this sort of approach (vs. the 1-lb propane containers that fit into the heating units "slots") or otherwise suggestions for safe use in this context?
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I also have the fuel line for a 20lb bottle. I personally would put the bottle outside.
 
I use a big buddy in my 3 car garage when i plan to spend a lot of time out there this time of year. Takes it from 45 to 65 in about 30 min. Never had any issues or concerns about co2, and have used it indoors a couple times for emergency purposes.

Sent from my SM-G781U using Tapatalk
 
I didn’t know, but properly burning a propane appliance produces negligible amounts of CO. They need venting to provide oxygen, if they don’t get it they produce CO instead of CO2.
 
BBD280 said:
Not a vent issue, but still an issue. The regulator failed on a friend's Buddy Heater this weekend on a camping trip. He received 2nd degree burns getting 4 kids out of the tent. They were not injured.

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this is why the boy scouts dont allow them to be used on scout events. when im on winter camp outs with them i put hand warmers in my sleeping bag (not that i really need to) for a little extra warmth
 
fieldgrade said:
Even though these heaters are five years old they are NIB. Hopefully they’ll behave. I’ve got a collection of 1lb Coleman bottles and a 10’ hose that requires no filter for a 20lb bottle.
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Got anymore info on that hose?

.
 
Apparently some hoses give off some oily residue that requires filtering. Why they would make a hose like that that requires a filter i don’t understand. The two I posted say they don’t require a filter.
 
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I found this, why some hoses need a filter on the buddy heater. My manual says the only hoses that does not need a filter is p/n F273704. The fuel filter is p/n F273699 and usually $8-10.

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That 5’ 273701 hose I posted up thread apparently needs a filter.
The 10’ does not.
They have the filters for under $10 at Amazon, plus shipping.
 
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Dang hose posted above was close to what I paid for the heater. I bought my heaters from a lead posted on this forum at I think $55. That hose with tax is slightly under that.
 
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