Propane heaters can either be an installed and ventilatedparking heater, or a non-ventilated portable heater such as the popular Mr. Buddy brand. The portable propane heaters are relatively inexpensive and easy to obtain and use, but they create a lot of condensation in your living space which can be a significant issue. The ventilated heaters are less popular than other parking heaters, but they may be the right choice in certain places and situations.
Not all propane heaters are rated for indoor use. Be sure to choose one that is.
Note that propane availability is limited in some regions. Also, any forced-air heater will require electrical power to run the fan.
Elevation
Changes in elevation can change the effectiveness of propane heaters (and other fuel-burning heat appliances). If you will spend time at high elevations, be sure that any heater you purchase will perform well. Many heaters have adjustment knobs or other ways to compensate for high elevation.
Ventilated propane heaters
Propane burns cooler than diesel and gasoline/petrol, but it also burns easiest and cleanest. Propane ventilated heaters do not suffer from the soot problems that gasoline and diesel heaters can, and they're usually far less fussy about altitude adjustments. If you're into low/no maintenance and want to use a set-it-and-forget-it thermostat, this is the one for you. Propex is the most popular brand of installed heater.
Since the exhaust is vented outside your vehicle, they do not create the condensation and air quality issues that portable propane heaters do.
Cost is the biggest downside; the heaters cost more than ten times what a cheap Chinese diesel heater does.
Portable propane heaters
Burning propane doesn't produce the poisonous exhaust that diesel and gasoline does, and therefor can sort of safely be run indoors without ventilating the exhaust products. There are a couple of things to remember about this method though:
Burning propane generates water vapor which will increase the humidity in your vehicle. You may require additional ventilation or dehumidification. If you have so much condensation that your bedding or clothing is damp, it will reduce their insulative capacity and will foster mold and mildew growth.
Burning propane generates carbon dioxide. Even clean-burning, low CO2 emission heaters generate much more CO in low oxygen levels. This is the reason you are supposed to ventilate.
The portability is a big advantage for removable build vehicles and small vehicles like cars, and they make a great back-up heat source in case your primary heat source fails or runs out of fuel.
Portable heaters are designed either as open-flame or catalytic heaters:
Propane flame heat
The most common way to heat off-grid is with open flame propane, and the most common non-OEM propane heater for RVers is the Mr.Heater Buddy series:
- Little Buddy - 3,800 BTU (1,113w equivalent). A small round unit that mounts directly to a 1 lb. propane bottle. It's rather tall; compare the size of the bottle it sits on.
- Buddy - 4,000 BTU (1,172w equivalent), 9,000 BTU (2,677w equivalent). This is the most common Buddy heater. Sometimes called Portable Buddy by the manufacturer.[1]
- Big Buddy - 4,000 BTU, 9,000 BTU, 18,000 BTU. Oversized for most camper applications.
Tip: you can turn the Buddy down below the LOW setting by depressing the gas knob like you are turning it off, then slowly easing the setting back to the desired level. The flames will "flutter" a bit if set too low—increase slightly from that point. Check your CO detector to make sure your CO output isn't increased.
Tip: you can run the Buddy on just the pilot light; this will emit a small but noticeable amount of heat (~300-500 BTU).[2]
It is common to run a standard Buddy heater off the camper's large propane cylinder, perhaps teed off the stove line. Unless the line is regulated an inline "filter" (or more properly a "separator"[3]) is required. This keeps oils leached out by high pressure from entering the heater and clogging the orifice.
Propane catalytic heat
Catalytic heaters catalyze (degrade with chemistry and temperature) the fuel rather than burn it with flame. Benefits include somewhat higher efficiency (using less fuel, creating less water vapor) and a softer, less direct heat less likely to catch things on fire. Catalytic heaters require extra care so their catalyzing surfaces don't get contaminated by dust or other particles.
The other major propane heater is the Camco Olympian Wave heater catalytic design, particularly the 3 (3,000 BTU/880w equivalent) and 6 (6,000 BTU/1760w equivalent). Camco says users should cover the heater when not in use, and that the catalytic pad may have to be replaced if contaminated or after a set number of years.[4]
Now discontinued, Coleman made smallish propane catalytic heaters: (ebay links to used ones included below)
- the upright SportCat (1,500 btu)
- the tilted BlackCat (3,000 btu), etc. Note: a clone of the sportcat has appeared.
- fan-forced ProCat (3,000 btu)