Born Free Leap'n Lions RV Club Info & Discussion Forum

Has anyone installed a catalytic heater in their BF using a T-connection from the propane tank?

I see no reason why you can't do it. I have used my Mr. Buddy heater in my popup with a 20# tank outside and the hose running inside. If I was to use my Mr. Buddy heater in the BF and wanted to T off somewhere I would do it by the stove so the heater could sit on the counter and the hose wouldn't be too long.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJtqWBy7CXU

I would not trust a catalytic heater in enclosed space. Things like too much CO and even CO2 are scary. JMO
Ralph

We have debated the use of the Mr. Buddy heaters on my other camping website often......it boils down to needing ventilation. You need to crack a window.

I installed a Mr. Heater Buddy and it works well. I removed the regulator from the Buddy and attached a hose. This allowed me to tap into the low pressure side of the propane. I placed a tee near the cook-top and store the Buddy in the cabinet underneath when not in use. Removing the regulator was a bit of a struggle because you have to disassemble the unit. You might want to consider the "Big Buddy". It has a quick disconnect fitting for use with low pressure already installed.

I don't sleep with the heater or furnace on. I just pile on the blankets. If it's really cold in the morning, I turn on the furnace to warm up quickly, then fire up the Buddy and turn the furnace off. I open the kitchen window a crack and open the roof vent a bit for ventilation.

The benefits are:
Uses no coach electricity.
Uses less propane than the furnace.
Silent.

The down side:
Needs ventilation.

Mr. Heater Buddy:

Mr. Heater Big Buddy:

What I am contemplating is the http://www.amazon.com/Camco-57341-Olymp ... B000BV01CK.

Here is an interesting report regarding this topic. http://cs.cpsc.gov/ConceptDemo/SearchCP ... splay=true

Thanks Mel,

The 2003 findings cite oxygen depletion and unreacted propane leading to hypoxia as a danger. The report goes on to say:

The peak CO concentration ranged from 68 ppm to 125 ppm and the steady state CO concentration ranged from 67 ppm to 109 ppm. Assuming a limited exposure time of up to 6.5 hours at these CO concentrations, the catalytic heater does not appear to pose a serious CO hazard to healthy adults when the CO concentration is considered by itself.

And to think all the discussion on this thread has been about CO poisoning.

It appears that venting a catalytic heater is more needed to maintain oxygen levels and insure propane burns fully than to prevent CO buildup although you kill three birds with one stone when you do vent.

I may do my own research to determine if CPSC standards since this report have been revised to better warn comsumers of the hazards or to insure catalytic heaters have been modified to be more safe.

I bought a catalytic heater last year and have been careful to vent it and use it for no more than a couple of hours at a time, but I most likely failed to read the small print warnings that came with it.

Are there any reports of people dying from using a catalytic heater in an RV?

So what is the advantage of a catalytic heater vs. the RV furnace?

I was wondering the same thing as Charles above. Assuming that the existing Born Free furnace and a catalytic heater (both propane powered) are of similiar efficiency, I don't really see the advantage of the catalytic heater. We carry aboard a 1500 watt electric heater that we use rather than the furnace when we are plugged into shore line power. Better to use the campground's AC power then my propane since I am paying the campground for their AC power anyway.

When dry camping, the RV furnace will run the battery down quickly, especially in cold weather.

On a furnace it uses the battery for the fan I know in a popup....obviously not well insulated....a furnace would suck the battery dead in 2 nights set at 50 degrees on a moderate fall night.

How many DC amps does the average BF propane heater use?

I think it is about 6 amps. Depending on how cold it is and where you set the furnace thermostat and how good a condition you coach batteries are, two nights of dry camping will deplete them. Only one night if your coach is equipped with a single battery.

The OEM supplied coach battery is a Interstate SRM-27. The larger capacity Interstate SRM-29 will fit in the battery carrier and will give you a 20% increase in capacity.