Mr Heater MH18B Portable "Big Buddy" Heater
by Mr. Heater
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List Price: Our Price: $99.99 You Save: $84.89 (40%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $98.99 (click here) Category: Home See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of Mr Heater MH18B Portable "Big Buddy" Heater
Customer Review: Great heater when simple precautions followed.
Summary: 5 Stars
I was concerned when I purchased this unit. There are a number of highly negative reviews on it. However, on further research, I have discovered that the circumstances leading to those reviews could have been avoided.
When one uses this heater with a 20 lb propane bottle & accessory hose, it is imperative that you always shut the tank off first & let the heater run until it burns off all the fuel in the lines.
*** IT IS IMPERATIVE TO FOLLOW THIS PROCEDURE ***
If one simply turns the heater knob to the off position, it will trap trap 100 PSI of propane in the accessory hose. When high pressure propane sits in the rubber hose, it will chemically react with the rubber and leetch a light oil. The oil will build up and quickly work its way into the heater, clogging both the regulator & control valve.
Another very important recommendation is to purchase the gas line filter. This will catch the oily residue and protect the combustion components of the heater should one forget to follow the precautions above.
Keeping these precautions in mind, one will be able to enjoy a very well-build and flexible-use portable heater.
Customer Review: Mr Heater MH18B Portable "Big Buddy" Heater
Summary: 5 Stars
Works great for garage so far. Haven't used in house, yet, as power has not gone out. I do not ventilate my garage (480 sq ft) when using the heater and haven't had any problems so far. Heats the garage to a comfortable level quickly on high then I set it to low and it maintains a good temperature and saves on fuel.
I tried the fan with the batteries and it worked quite well.
Great heater for the price. I purchased a 2 stage automatic regulator which has dual ports for using two tanks, when one runs dry the other kicks in automatically. Suggest either a green hose or filter from each tank to regulator. This item is also made by Mr Heater. Works fine with both electrical adapter or batters for the fan. The extension hose with quick connect and regulator is easy and convenient. The length allows the heater to be place further from the tanks. I would suggest the power adapter for use when electricity is on to save on batteries.
Overall a good heater.
HOWEVER!! CUSTOMER SERVICE SUCKS. I WROTE TWO E-MAILS ASKING QUESTIONS AND THEY HAVE YET TO RESPOND, IN OVER THREE WEEKS. HOPE I DON'T NEED SERVICING IF THIS IS THE WAY THEY ARE GOING TO BE.
Customer Review: Quick heat when its needed
Summary: 4 Stars
So far I like it. I would have given it all five stars had it came with all the accessories, but those have to be purchased separately. To get the most out of this heater your really need the optional accessories. In my opinion they are more of a must than accessory and will hike you initial purchase price up a bit, but once everything is in place and you're ready to go this is a nice little heater. It is very easy to operate and the fact that it is portable makes it a winner in my book. It certainly produces heat and feels great when you are sitting in front of it; however, it doesn't seem to warm the room. In all fairness I have not tried it in a smaller confined space such as an RV, Boat, tent or small room. I am certain that it will start to show off a bit more in those settings. I initially wanted to use it in my foyer to warm the drafts and since there are open spaces' going up the stairs the heat dissipates quickly. I have since changed tactics and now use as a personal heater where I sit. This keeps me from having to run my money hungry monster (HVAC) as much and I'm sure that eventually I will get a return on my investment.Customer Review: Great little heater
Summary: 5 Stars
This heater Big Buddy is currently on sale for 99.99 @ Tractor supply and on their web site.
Instead of the red trim it is green.
After a few trials it worked great with the 1 lb tanks but they are very cost ineffective as they cost a lot for a little gas that doesn't last to long.
I have a 100 lb tank outside with a regulator that was used for my gas insert in my fireplace which I have removed to put in an electric 'fake' flame dimplex, btw it's not the cheap little regulator like on a bbq tank, it's the size of a dinner plate and was $60 alone when new and was provided by the gas co.
Although my old gas logs had it's own regulator it worked just fine.
But not so with the MR Big Buddy heater!
It wouldn't simply supply enough gas for it to run in any setting but low and at that it was not working right either.
I removed the Large regulator from the tank and just ran a propane hose directly from the tank to the heater.
Worked like a charm on all settings low, med and High!
If you are having troubles and have a regulator on the tank...remove it.
Customer Review: It's a money pit
Summary: 2 Stars
My wife bought this for me so I could stay warm while working in the garage during the winter months. I also experienced the quick shut-down of running on 1 lb canisters... and it plain just doesn't last long on them. As a person with some sort of environmental conscience, I couldn't keep that up. Yes, I could go for the 20 lb. BBQ tank, but then there's the fuel filter and the special hoses required to hook it up. Did I mention that the AC adapter to run the fan is not included, and will cost $20 at Radio Shack? However, the fan itself is a total joke--a little 80 mm computer case fan moves more air that that! So you'll probably want to run some sort of box fan next to the unit to blow the heat around the room. I feel really bad because I know my wife tried hard to find me something really nice; but this requires too much extra time and money to get it working properly. Sure, I like to "tinker," but not with something as basic as heat. Besides, I want my "tinkering" time to be taken up with my hobbies, not fudging around with the heater just to get the garage warm.