Propane heater suggestions

Bigshizza

So, winter is around the corner and I've got got no smoking den like some lucky individuals here. So, I will need to have a good size heater out on the deck so the '20's can be tolerable smoking weather. Any suggestions on make, brand or price point I should be looking at? Thanks for the help!

roland_7707

There are some that connect to the top of regular propane bottles. You can look at propane tank heaters in amazom and get a pretty good idea. They have different settings to allow for saving gas or more heat. The one i was looking at puts out 8,000 to 14,000 btu for like $50. That might keep you toasty.

macs-smokes

Have you looked at the infa-red heaters... economical to operate.. have seen them on sale at Lowes for under $100 and they heat a nice area if you can get out of the wind.

perkinke

I've been looking at this model, has the advantage of being rated safe for indoors as well.
http://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200307957_200307957

curtpick

Jim if your outside find one with a blower.
Otherwise no heater will heat with any type of efficiency .
The one above looks nice but may not be large enough.

jgibv

Jim --- my father in law uses one of these in the winter when he's out in the (uninsulated) barn working on machinery...
http://m.mcsworld.com/master-xl-9-sr-infrared-heater,111.html

I've been in the barn with him when it's 20 degrees outside and 30 mph winds and this heater warms you right up. It's a kick ass machine and definitely does the trick.
might have too much of an "industrial" look for you but they (MCS) make other units that may be more in line with what you want.

I Would love to have one at home for the garage...

perkinke

curtpick:

Jim if your outside find one with a blower.
Otherwise no heater will heat with any type of efficiency .
The one above looks nice but may not be large enough.

Yup, I'm looking to use it in a tent/greenhouse type structure rather than for just sitting on my deck in the open, but on the east side of the Cascades overhead coverage isn't as big a deal.

curtpick

perkinke:

curtpick:

Jim if your outside find one with a blower.
Otherwise no heater will heat with any type of efficiency .
The one above looks nice but may not be large enough.

Yup, I'm looking to use it in a tent/greenhouse type structure rather than for just sitting on my deck in the open, but on the east side of the Cascades overhead coverage isn't as big a deal.

Most tents are nylon firetraps and greenhouses poly plastic gooie napalm when set to fire.
So be very careful doing so.

jadelt

Here is what you need Jim........

http://www.amazon.com/Outdoor-Portable-Changing-Privacy-Included/dp/B005I4S0Z0

ddubridge

The heaters that Gibby mentioned are good heater but if they are kerosene, they put off a smell that could taint the experience. I have not bought one yet but would like to go this route when I can afford it.



There are a lot of restaurants it the area that have these around their smoking areas and they seem to work well.

curtpick

They do work if your right underneath them.

ddubridge

curtpick:

They do work if your right underneath them.

Where else would you sit???

It would work if it wasn't windy. For those times I would have to go back to the garage and Mr. Heater.

Bigshizza

ddubridge:

The heaters that Gibby mentioned are good heater but if they are kerosene, they put off a smell that could taint the experience. I have not bought one yet but would like to go this route when I can afford it.



There are a lot of restaurants it the area that have these around their smoking areas and they seem to work well.

I'd park my gnawed off A$$ under that!!

onestrangeone

Bigshizza:

ddubridge:

The heaters that Gibby mentioned are good heater but if they are kerosene, they put off a smell that could taint the experience. I have not bought one yet but would like to go this route when I can afford it.



There are a lot of restaurants it the area that have these around their smoking areas and they seem to work well.

I'd park my gnawed off A$$ under that!!

A friend of mine has several of these, they work really well IMO.

jgibv

Bumpity bump ...

Jimbo, did you pick up heater yet?
If not, I just got an email deal --- these are selling for $119. I've seen similar ones at the big box stores in town for close to $200, this seems like a good price. Thinking about picking one up for the front porch.

Deal Here: http://tools.woot.com/offers/az-patio-heaters-your-choice

Bigshizza

Thanks John herfing at 28 degrees last night.. Not very fun

Yakster

I thought I'd post this here for reference for other members.

Santa brought me an AmazonBasics Stainless Steel Commercial Patio Heater this year for my Man Patio and a cover for the offseason.  I discovered and the instructions back this up, that the heater loses efficiency around +40 F so I ended up also buying a Powerblanket PBL20 propane tank heater which keeps the tank from getting cold and losing pressure (but plugs into a 120V AC receptacle and consumes about 100 Watts).  Also, the patio heater is a bit of an overkill if you're out smoking solo, it's great for a small group but I have to think that a Mr. Heater mentioned earlier in the thread would be all I would need to keep me and my dog warm.  Wind can blow the heat away and if it gets too windy prevent you from using this heater at all.  Even with all these drawbacks, I'm enjoying the patio heater which is allowing me to enjoy a cigar on a cold(ish) California winter evening.

I started tracking the propane tank usage to see how many hours I get out of a tank.  it costs about $17 for me to refill a 20# tank, so far on this tank I've gotten about eight and a half hours over four nights averaging two hours usage each night.  This tank's not spent yet but it's no longer running at full heat capacity even with the Powerblanket on.

My old dog Earl thinks that Santa brought him the heater and on nights when it's not quite cold enough to justify firing it up he'll throw me shade implying that I should get off the dime and light it up.

Yakster

Ran the heater again last night, putting a total of about 11 hours on this 20 # propane tank.  The heater started out strong but after turning it down to go inside to pick out a second stick and then coming outside again it was again anemic.  The temps had dropped to the 40s by then and I hadn't turned on the Powerblanket earlier.  It looks like the claims of 12 hours on a tank are pretty realistic, so far I've used this tank over five nights.