# Using Mr Heater propane heaters indoors during a power outage?



## applejax

Hello all,

I am considering purchasing one or more "Mr. Heater Indoor-safe" propane heaters as an emergency heat source. 

The specific model I am considering is on amazon and its exact title is:
Mr. Heater F232000 MH9BX Buddy 4,000-9,000-BTU Indoor-Safe Portable Radiant Heater 

This model is being advertised as "indoor-safe" however I am still unsure of what precautions I need to take to handle any carbon monoxide that may be emitted.

I live in a lower duplex in a major Canadian city that is not equipped with any other way to produce heat, like a wood-burning stove. There is no chimney. 

Should there be a power outage during the winter, my tentative plan is to use one or more of these heaters in a single room inside my duplex, with the window open slightly to ventilate any CO that may be produced.

The room floor is 12ft x 22 ft. The ceiling height is about 10 ft. The room is above ground (not a room in the basement).

The window I would open a crack is a sliding pane window that would create an opening of roughly 40 inches by 1 inch. 

I plan on storing and using 16 oz propane cylinders and battery-operated CO detectors to detect carbon monoxide.

My questions are
1) In your expertise, is this plan even viable? Or a pipe dream?
2) Although the heaters are advertised as "indoor safe" are they truly indoor safe to use in a residential home?
3) Is keeping the window open slightly enough to prevent any dangers posed by carbon monoxide?
4) During the coldest time of the year the temperature can drop to -20 Celsius. With the heaters on indoors, can the carbon monoxide detectors even still work? Or will it be too cold?
5) Is using 16 oz propane cylinders a good idea?
6) I am storing my propane cylinders outdoors but am concerned about the effect of low temperatures on them. Will winter temperatures render them unusable?
7) Would it be preferable to use a room in my basement instead of above ground? 

Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.


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## watchin

We had to do that a few winters ago. There were defiantly concerns for Co2. So we got a Carbon monoxide monator. I think it was around $50. It never did go off, but better safe than dead.

Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk


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## Robie

I just visited their website. It says in bold letters that the product is restricted in Massachusetts and Canada, so.....

I have the Big Buddy and have used it several times in my garage with no problems. All the reviews I have read state that indoor use is no problem. I bought a 12' hose and keep my tank outside.

MH18B Big Buddy Portable Heater | Mr. Heater


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## Targetshooter

I would store everything in your basement , as for ventilation ? I would think you will be ok with a small opening window and you did say you have carbon monoxide detectors , jmho . I would look into solar power kits to run a electric heater , 12 volt to 110 converter is needed .


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## Sonya

*Buy a carbon monoxide/smoke detector* so you don't have to crack windows or worry about it.

I bought a little buddy propane heater for power outages and hated it. Couldn't get it to work and gave it away to my lawn man. Even he said later it doesn't turn out much heat.

I would suggest looking into a kerosun kerosene heater. I have two and absolutely LOVE THEM! Great for power outages or even every day use. They turn out a LOT of heat. Kerosene is safer to store. In Japan kerosene heaters are the main heat source for most homes. so the Japanese know how to design great efficient little heaters.

I have two small ones, they heat my 650 sq foot house up to 80 or 90 degrees during power outages. Plus they have a removable one gal tank for easy and safe outdoor refilling. During a 5 day power outage I had 2 of these heaters burning 24/7, along with propane camp stove in the kitchen. The carbon monoxide detector went of one time during the day and I cracked a window, but other than that I was able to keep the heaters on low at night without worrying about killing us all in our sleep.

This is the 10,000 BTU model, runs about $135 at big box stores.


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## Stick

I've been using that same heater for four years. Have two of them running right now, warming up the place so I can take a shower and head on over to the neighbors' ten miles away for a Thanksgiving get together. They are great. Get bulk tanks and hose. Those little cans go fast and are expensive. These heaters are so good, in fact, that this year, for the first time since 1967, I am not cutting firewood. 16x24 room, attached 8x16 room, seven foot ceilings (why heat all that dead air over your head), 6,000ft elevation. Gets cold here. These heaters work great. I balance a EcoFan on top to help circulate the heat a little. Never had a CO problem. Twice one went out due to CO, I guess. After awhile I was able to light it again.


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## SOCOM42

They are great, I have three big buddy models.

I use them indoors all the time.

Your idea to use 16oz cylinders SUCKS, get 20# cylinders or 10# at the least.

I use them and my third level heat source is a big buddy hooked up to two hundred pounders.

If you store 16oz cylinders anywhere near +10 degrees f. there will not be enough gasification to run the heater, not enough internal volume available.

They will shut off in low o2 conditions, almost no co emissions from them, an occasional door opening is more than enough air inlet to aleve any fear.

I have run them for many years now, with no problems.


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## SOCOM42

Robie said:


> I just visited their website. It says in bold letters that the product is restricted in Massachusetts and Canada, so.....
> 
> I have the Big Buddy and have used it several times in my garage with no problems. All the reviews I have read state that indoor use is no problem. I bought a 12' hose and keep my tank outside.
> 
> MH18B Big Buddy Portable Heater | Mr. Heater


There is a Mass approved model of each.

I bought mine out of state just to index the state.


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## SOCOM42

Sonya said:


> *Buy a carbon monoxide/smoke detector* so you don't have to crack windows or worry about it.
> 
> I bought a little buddy propane heater for power outages and hated it. Couldn't get it to work and gave it away to my lawn man. Even he said later it doesn't turn out much heat.
> 
> I would suggest looking into a kerosun kerosene heater. I have two and absolutely LOVE THEM! Great for power outages or even every day use. They turn out a LOT of heat. Kerosene is safer to store. In Japan kerosene heaters are the main heat source for most homes. so the Japanese know how to design great efficient little heaters.
> 
> I have two small ones, they heat my 650 sq foot house up to 80 or 90 degrees during power outages. Plus they have a removable one gal tank for easy and safe outdoor refilling. During a 5 day power outage I had 2 of these heaters burning 24/7, along with propane camp stove in the kitchen. The carbon monoxide detector went of one time during the day and I cracked a window, but other than that I was able to keep the heaters on low at night without worrying about killing us all in our sleep.
> 
> This is the 10,000 BTU model, runs about $135 at big box stores.
> View attachment 29850


I have several Kerosun heaters and plenty of wicks to go with them.

You need to scrape (aka trim) the top of the wick frequently during the heating season, otherwise they won't burn right.

The largest one I have is a 23,000 BTU.

The big buddy is better to use, less maintenance, no worry about water rusting the tank bottom or screwing up the wick burn.


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## Illini Warrior

if you have a propane BBQ grill you should consider using the larger 20lb tanks with an adapter hose vs the 1lb propane bottles ....

in a long term SHTF you need to prepare to "shrink" that room for energy conservation ... a pop up tent insulated with blankets and sleeping bags should allow for a 50% heat reduction part of the day .... the tent and bags are also advisable for a bug out - even to a gooberment shelter facility ....


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## Sonya

SOCOM42 said:


> I have several Kerosun heaters and plenty of wicks to go with them.
> 
> You need to scrape (aka trim) the top of the wick frequently during the heating season, otherwise they won't burn right.
> 
> The largest one I have is a 23,000 BTU.
> 
> The big buddy is better to use, less maintenance no worry about water rusting the tank bottom.


I couldn't get the little buddy to fire up during an outage, so it wasn't easier fo rme to use.

But yes, for best performance the wicks do need to be dry burned occasionally. I ordered two high quality wicks online when I got my heaters and used those instead of the ones that came with it. Mine burn very well, every 3 or 4 weeks I use a pair of pliers to crush the hard carbon on the wicks, then dry burn them. I use them for every day heating during Jan/Feb when the temps get really cold here, and not just for power outages. They have served well for 3 years now and I expect them to last several more years.

@SOCOM42 which one do you think turns out more heat? I mean comparing heaters that supposedly turn out the same BTUs. The kerosene heaters seem to "heat to the bone" which is why I like them.


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## Slippy

Two thumbs up for the Mr Heater Buddy heaters. Like others have said, ditch the 1lb tanks, buy the long hose attachment and hook up to a larger LP gas tank. We mostly use ours outside on our covered screened porch to take the chill out on cool fall and winter evenings. Heat is our enemy, we only get limited cold here in the US Southeast.


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## A Watchman

SOCOM42 said:


> They are great, I have three big buddy models.
> 
> I use them indoors all the time.
> 
> Your idea to use 16oz cylinders SUCKS, get 20# cylinders or 10# at the least.
> 
> I use them and my third level heat source is a big buddy hooked up to two hundred pounders.
> 
> If you store 16oz cylinders anywhere near +10 degrees f. there will not be enough gasification to run the heater, not enough internal volume available.
> 
> They will shut off in low o2 conditions, almost no co emissions from them, an occasional door opening is more than enough air inlet to aleve any fear.
> 
> I have run them for many years now, with no problems.


I have a couple Big Buddy units and love them. I have used them in my garage, but like Socum agree that you need to move to 20lb cylinders unless you like changing cylinders in the middle of the night and like to waste money.


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## SOCOM42

Sonya said:


> I couldn't get the little buddy to fire up during an outage, so it wasn't easier fo rme to use.
> 
> But yes, for best performance the wicks do need to be dry burned occasionally. I ordered two high quality wicks online when I got my heaters and used those instead of the ones that came with it. Mine burn very well, every 3 or 4 weeks I use a pair of pliers to crush the hard carbon on the wicks, then dry burn them. I use them for every day heating during Jan/Feb when the temps get really cold here, and not just for power outages. They have served well for 3 years now and I expect them to last several more years.


A friend (a woman) had a hard time operating the big buddy I got for her, took me about 10 times going through the lighting cycle before she caught on.

My daughter caught on first shot with the instruction.

I made a tool to scrape the wick when in the off position, much like the Aladdin lamp wick scrapers I use.

As far as heat output is concerned, 10K BTU is 10K BTU, regardless of the fuel.

The reason you perceive a greater heat effect from the kero,

is because of the back reflector focusing the heat into one spot at about 3 feet from the Pyrex.


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## Sonya

SOCOM42 said:


> A friend (a woman) had a hard time operating the big buddy I got for her, took me about 10 times going through the lighting cycle before she caught on.


Yes I will admit it was likely user error. I had bought a 20 lb tank and had the little buddy extension hose and all that, tried for an hour and couldn't get it to light up. Grant it, I had never used any sort of propane device before, but nevertheless I decided it wasn't for me. It shouldn't be that hard to start, in hindsight it wouldn't have turned out enough heat anyway.


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## Illini Warrior

important supplemental Mr Heater option is the propane gas filter - the 20lb bulk propane tanks supposedly contain more contaminants than using the 1lbers - the various Mr Heaters can get plugged and damaged by the contaminants .... just good cheap insurance for any propane device

F273699 Universal Fuel Filter | Mr. Heater

PS .... if you have trouble lighting any propane device off a 20lb tank that needs to be initially tank valve opened - try a slow gradual valve opening and gas line filling vs a full valve turn and an instant rush of gas .... the propane experts are saying the new safety valves can be reactive to that "rush" and flapper close - makes sense - that's how they operate


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## SOCOM42

Sonya said:


> Yes I will admit it was likely user error. I had bought a 20 lb tank and had the little buddy extension hose and all that, tried for an hour and couldn't get it to light up. Grant it, I had never used any sort of propane device before, but nevertheless I decided it wasn't for me. It shouldn't be that hard to start, in hindsight it wouldn't have turned out enough heat anyway.


Read bottom part of my last post.

It takes a while holding down the knob before the fuel gets to the pilot.

That is where friend had a problem to start.

Once purged there is no problem with ignition.

As said I have both, prefer the Big Buddies, but I also have 1,200 gallons of Kero available in my tanks.

The little Buddy is good for smaller spaces or as a supplemental heat source.

All mine are Big buddy models, at times I fire one up while working on the bench in the shop.


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## Sonya

SOCOM42 said:


> Read bottom part of my last post.
> 
> It takes a while holding down the knob before the fuel gets to the pilot.
> 
> That is where friend had a problem to start.
> 
> Once purged there is no problem with ignition.
> 
> As said I have both, prefer the Big Buddies, but I also have 1,200 gallons of Kero available in my tanks.
> 
> The little Buddy is good for smaller spaces or as a supplemental heat source.
> 
> All mine are Big buddy models, at times I fire one up while working on the bench in the shop.


Yeah at the time I thought the fuel may not be reaching the heater because the line was 15' long. I held that button down for ages and tried continually for a long time. It probably was user error, though if the op has a spouse or others that may have to use it that may be something to work through so they don't run into the same issue.

As far as the reflector on the kero heaters, that could have something to do with it. Also during a power outage to maximize heat output for heaters against a wall, putting up a space blanket behind the heater supposedly helps. The heat reflects into the room instead of warming up the wall (mylar has a very high heat tolerance but if it touches an actual flame it supposedly turns into an instant ball of fire in a very bad way).


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## SOCOM42

The funny thing that happened with her to start, the filter was bad right out of the box!!!

It would only allow enough fuel to operate the pilot only, the second you switched to run it went out, THAT had me going.


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## 8301

I've uses a Big Buddy heater occasionally and a friend has used one as a primary indoor heater for his house for years. They are a great choice and here are some thoughts.
They get a little hot on the bottom so put a piece of plywood under them when sitting on linoleum or carpet.
You want the larger 18,000 btu Big Buddy model, the smaller Little Buddy isn't even close to being enough heat for the average size livingroom.
While not listed as being for indoor use they are fine assuming your house isn't super air tight. If you have a super air tight modern home cracking a window 1/2" is plenty of air.
The 1 lb cans work but only last about an hour on high heat so...
Buy the optional 20lb propane hose kit and get the optional $10 filter. With a 20 lb tank like a propane grill uses you can heat for about 24 hrs on high heat.
When using the propane hose kit you want to turn off the heater at the tank, not the heater itself. This is because if you leave the rubber hose pressurized for long periods a tiny amount of oil will separate from the inside of the rubber line and travel towards the heater when you next light it. If you have the optional filter it will catch most of this tiny amount of oil so get the filter but if enough rubbery oil burns on the ceramic over time the heater will become less effective. 
Bottom line is the Big Buddy is the best emergency heater that I've ever run across and is great for daily use. @applejax


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## LunaticFringeInc

SOCOM42 said:


> They are great, I have three big buddy models.
> 
> I use them indoors all the time.
> 
> Your idea to use 16oz cylinders SUCKS, get 20# cylinders or 10# at the least.
> 
> I use them and my third level heat source is a big buddy hooked up to two hundred pounders.
> 
> If you store 16oz cylinders anywhere near +10 degrees f. there will not be enough gasification to run the heater, not enough internal volume available.
> 
> They will shut off in low o2 conditions, almost no co emissions from them, an occasional door opening is more than enough air inlet to aleve any fear.
> 
> I have run them for many years now, with no problems.


Yeah what he said!!!

I got the Little Buddy/portable Buddy...not sure which but the smaller one of the two that can use the 1 lbs disposable bottles or the Tanks. Im tell you now, get the estension hose thats 10ft or so and use 20 lbs bottles. On the low setting in my poorly sealed green house I heated it all winter last year. I got like 130 hours of run time on the low setting on a 20 lbs propane bottle. Propane was costing me 11 bucks a refill here as one of the local filling places sells grills/RV's and runs a special on the 20 lbs propane bottles only. You can usually get the 20 lbs bottles cheaper than you can other sizes per a pound of propane held. I would get a propane/o2 detector just in case if your place is not very well ventilated just for insurances sake. Mount the Propane detector low and you need to place the bottle low and heater higher as propane sinks to lowest level and you don't want flame there!!!


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## toppin

I have two Mr. Heater Buddy's the Little Buddy and the Big Buddy.

The Little Buddy puts out enough heat for a small area and if left on long enough will heat up larger areas. I've used them both in a RV. The Little Buddy I purchased mainly or tent camping, has been used occasionally for short periods of time inside a RV. The Mr Heater Big Buddy would be a better solution for an RV as it come with a port for lower pressure regulated lpg, can potentially be connected directly to a RV's regulated gas supply.

Initially I had problems with the Little Buddy that had problems turning on and staying Lit. I spoke with Mr. Heater Tech Support which listed a number of items to try in order to resolve the problems. After multiple attempts nothing seemed to work to a point where they wanted to send me a new one free of charge (they would pay for shipping both ways).

I was about to send them back the old heater when after further fiddling around and inspection, trial and error I found there to be a problem with their specialized hose I had also purchased, designed not leach any of the rubber into the lpg while under high pressure. This hose has a safety feature using a valve that shuts off the gas if the hose is cut and problems with the heater, leaking gas, etc. The safety valve is cheaply made and it doesn't take much for it not to work correctly. If you turn on the gas too quickly the safety valve activates, sometime the safety valve closes for no reason and shuts off the heater or produces an intermittent operation of the heater.

So I asked them for a new specialized hose with safety valve instead of a new heater. 

Note: though not recommended I took the old defective Mr. Heater hose and removed the safety valve, so it can now be used for other functions in my collection of hoses and lpg adapters, regulators, etc.
______

I think people need to be reminded or aware. Propane gas is delivered under two different pressures, one is a regulated low pressure with the regulator mounted and part of the lpg tank. The second form is under high non-regulated pressure directly from a lpg tank or cylinder. Those 1lb throw-a-way cylinders are high pressure, any regulation is part of the heater. 

Mr. Heater has basically taken the design of an older portable outdoor camping heater that used propane cylinders. Installed a tip-over and ods (oxygen depletion sensor) plus other modifications and turned it into a "portable" gas heater that can also be used indoors when there's enough ventilation.

One problem with this type of heater design is it's mainly for use as a portable heater and shouldn't be used as a permanent installation solution. An example are RV heaters and lpg appliances. No RVs I know of from the factory ever adapts a portable heater into their RV's. RV have been designed and plumbed to use low pressure regulated lpg, where the lpg tank with regulator is on the outside and never inside. 

For safety reasons, any high pressure problems become isolated to the tank and regulator and not the gas appliance and gas delivery system comprised of low pressure lpg hose, tubing, valves, etc.

The Mr. Heater Big Buddy does have a low pressure quick connect port, for connection to low pressure regulated gas. However to install as a permanent heater would require additional indoor and outdoor plumbing in order to bring the regulated gas indoors. Bringing in and using a lpg regulated tank indoors isn't a permanent solution, most permanent lpg tanks are placed outdoors with their own regulator. In RVs the external tank are connected to an inline valve controlled by a CO detector. If the CO detector detects any carbon monoxide it shuts off the external tank near the regulator and produces a loud alarm. All lpg appliances inside the RV no longer have gas to function.

The Mr Heaters have been known to catch fire where any reasons haven't been reported, at least publicly. One new owner Mr Heater caught fire where he connected an external 20lb tank to one of Mr heaters regulators used with the smaller 1lb cylinders. Other people haver reported some sort of problem more than once in this area as high pressure directly from a 20lb tank is being introduced and regulated by MR heater's built-in regulator. I'm uncertain the cause, if solely the fault of heater or the hose connection, user error, etc.

One person reported he could re-produce and readily extinguish the problem but wasn't able to figure out exactly what or where the problem actually existed inside the Mr. heater.

Overall I think Mr Heaters are safe and reliable as a portable gas heater in areas with enough ventilation. Possibly could be adapted as a more permanent solution with the correct plumbing, Co detectors, etc. However their design is primarily for portability and mobility. For more permanent solutions such as inside an RV I might look for a RV cat heater, usually of better quality, cost more but are primarily designed to be used indoors. (though some people have put legs on them for portable use, essentially their designed for a non-portable permanent installation)


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## 8301

While I agree with you Toppin in that there are better choices if the heater is to be used for a permanent installation but we are discussing an emergency heat source here. @toppin


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## Illini Warrior

interesting Mr Heater offering - portable yet more of a permanent type offering .... use the 20lb tanks but they're enclosed in the heater cabinet

MH18CH Cabinet Heater | Mr. Heater


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## 8301

Illini Warrior said:


> interesting Mr Heater offering - portable yet more of a permanent type offering .... use the 20lb tanks but they're enclosed in the heater cabinet
> 
> MH18CH Cabinet Heater | Mr. Heater


That looks really nice, Not only does it cost less you also save because you don't need to buy a propane hose and filter. Very nice.

Update,,, Amazon Reviews show that this heater has an unreliable ignitor system. But you can always light it with a match.


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## toppin

John Galt said:


> While I agree with you Toppin in that there are better choices if the heater is to be used for a permanent installation but we are discussing an emergency heat source here. @toppin


In the previous post I didn't go into problems with Mr Heater catching fire when use as a temporary heat source. There have been issues with some owners using a Mr Heater connected to a fuel source through the inlet designed primarily for a 1 lb high pressure cylinder. As previously commented, any lpg heater designed for an unregulated lpg source, using it's own lpg regulator increases safety factors, making the heater less safe when compared to a heater designed to use regulated lpg.

I also stated Mr. Heater is basically designed from the older outdoor lpg camping heaters that used smaller ~1lb cylinder, some where taller and some shorter. The main difference is outdoor camping heaters aren't designed for indoor use.

After reading articles and watching videos about Mr Heater catching fire I do have concerns about my two Mr heaters, being used as emergency and temporary heating solutions.

A safety feature built into many lpg hoses, may be a requirement for newly manufacture hoses. A shut off-valve theoretically shuts off a fuel supply if the hose or heater starts to expel gas. However this shut off valve potentially doesn't work and sometimes produce problems rather than solve or rectify them. If having heater problems you need to first make certain the hose with shut off valve isn't part of a gas supply problem.

I think some of the more expensive lpg hoses are of a better quality and have shut off safety valves that work as expected. However some cheaper lpg hose are a lesser quality than Mr. Heaters. Usually something wears out and the hoses require replacement more often.

Cheap lpg hose are manufactured cheaply using cheaper parts. I have other Mr. Heater hoses that appear to be better quality than cheaper hoses, however I haven't used them very much to determine how long they will last. One did have a bad shut off safety valve, Mr Heater sent a replacement.

Mr. Heaters Buddys I own and use them but with some caution. I prefer a small wood stove many which can supply heat up to around ~4 hours without being replenished.


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## sideKahr

Good thread. I have a Mr Buddy as part of my back up heating plan. I use the large tanks, hose, and filter, and have never had a problem during testing. I've not yet used it in a emergency, as it is third down on the list of backups behind electric and wood.


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## Illini Warrior

John Galt said:


> That looks really nice, Not only does it cost less you also save because you don't need to buy a propane hose and filter. Very nice.
> 
> Update,,, Amazon Reviews show that this heater has an unreliable ignitor system. But you can always light it with a match.


I think Amazon has the same claim against most of the Mr Heater products - it's user based complaints - people not bothering to read the instructions and not maintaining the units ....


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## Illini Warrior

sideKahr said:


> Good thread. I have a Mr Buddy as part of my back up heating plan. I use the large tanks, hose, and filter, and have never had a problem during testing. I've not yet used it in a emergency, as it is third down on the list of backups behind electric and wood.


could be top of the heating list - if it's grid down and chimney smoke is drawing in the swarms - a few Mr Heaters might be the "grey house" solution for heating ....


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