CAUTION!! Mr Buddy Heater

[wavery]

I saw this posted on another website. I really don't have any comments. We've used our Mr Buddy heater for years with no issue (that I know of). I think that I may be a little more cautious about recommending it though.

http://www.madison.com/archives/read...0710130017.php

Here's an article reporting on the lawsuit

http://www.channel3000.com/news/17681873/detail.html

[Tim5055]

I have never been a fan of using unvented heaters in a living space.  We bought a Coleman Black Cat heater and used it once.  I just couldn't get to sleep while using it.

[mike4947]

According to the article it's an 16 year old heater that I'm betting had not been looked at for cleaning or maintenance since it was bought. There's a big difference between filing a lawsuit and actually winning it.

[tlhdoc]

Is it a Buddy heater, or another heater sold by Mr. Heater?  When I use mine I always keep a window partly open and I also have a carbon monoxide detector in the camper.

[Gracy]

We have one of those heaters too.... :rolleyes: just great... this will make DH even more paranoid about using a heater in the trailer!

[austinado16]

Man that's a terrible loss of a family and so sad to read about.

[CajunCamper]

What a terrible loss.....That is one of the reasons we never run a gas heater in the pop up while sleeping. Instead of running a heater we climb inside our sleeping bags and sleep snug as a bug. To me there's nothing better than sleeping in a sleeping bag on a cold night. That being said, after a cold night in the sleeping bags, I am the first one up to light the Coleman ProCat Catalytic heater to warm the inside of the pop up for my wife. It has the pop up comfortable in no time and once we're up and dressed the heater is turned off.

CajunCamper

[wavery]

Is it a Buddy heater, or another heater sold by Mr. Heater?  When I use mine I always keep a window partly open and I also have a carbon monoxide detector in the camper.

That is a very good question and one of the reasons that I didn't want to comment on the article.

As Mike pointed out, "There's a big difference between filing a lawsuit and actually winning it." We don't have enough facts to make an informed decision on Mr Buddy in the reading of this article. I just thought that people may be interested in the article.

It's true that this is a horrible tragedy but often times carbon monoxide death from space heaters is, at least partially, user error. There are a lot of things that we don't know about this story.

[6Quigs]

We have a Mr. Buddy heater, but having read here on Arvee Club plenty of times of the dangers of using an unvented gas appliance in a trailer, I would NEVER leave the heater running when we were sleeping.
We used it to heat the popup, or HTT when we were awake, but it was always shut off before we went to bed.

I find it strange that they have filed a lawsuit on a heater they bought 16 years ago. That will be a tough one to win.
Why not sue whoever sold them the propane as well, after all it was the CO from the burnt propane that killed them and while they are at it, the makers of the trailer, for not providing enough vents or whatever.

I am sad to see life lost like this, and a lawsuit is not the answer, but making more people aware of the dangers of using a propane heater in a trailer, such as this thread is doing will hopefully stop someone from making the same mistake.

[Keri]

So sorry to hear about this tragity...............  we have a Mr. buddy heater but always keep cross ventalation in the camper and stay nice and warm with no problems.  WE shut off about 6 am when the sun comes up and sleep a few more hours as the canvas gets too warm too sleep.

[wavery]

My opinion is that PUs have so much air leakage (naturally) that there is always warm air escaping from the camper that is replaced by colder air entering (especially in the sleeping areas). This constant introduction of fresh air should be enough to supply our needs.

[JohnandLeann]

I was thinking that also with the pup being no more than a tent on wheels, that there would be adequate fresh air introduced.
However the trailer in this sad story is horse trailer.  It probably had one of those camper areas in the front of it for the people, where total sealing of the sleeping area was possible.
Still this story is tragic none the less.

[miss kathy]

I have a Mr Buddy Heater and I would never leave it running at night - while sleeping--I don't even leave on my electric heater at night, I put it on in the evening and turn it off before going to sleep and turn it on in the morning.
Everyone should be carefully when using and thing that uses propane

[austinado16]

Yep, owner operation and conditions where used are key to this equation.

When used as intended, the product is safe and there are alot of people who sleep with them running and have never had an issue with years and years of repeated use.  

But in the small confines of the travel trailer area of that $60,000+ horse trailer, and with only the roof vent open, it apparently just became a box full of CO.

[ScouterMom]

The newer 'Mr Buddy' and 'Big Buddy' propane heaters that most of us campers use, both have a 'low oxygen sensor' that will automatically shut off the unit if the oxygen is low - and a tip sensor that will shut off the unit if it is bumped, rocked or tipped over.

From the Mr Heater website

"Question:
Why is the Buddy not recommended for above 7000 feet altitude?

Answer:
The Portable Buddy uses an Oxygen Depletion System (ODS) which is a safety device used to light the heater as well as shut it off if Oxygen levels drop to between 18% and 19%. The Buddy should operate without any problems up to 7000 FT above sea level. At higher altitudes, the ODS may cut-off prematurely resulting in what we call a nuisance shut-off. Also, if you have a change in weather and the barometric pressure drops, this could also cause the heater to shut down prematurely.

The ODS is set at the factory and not adjustable. Make sure you have proper ventilation to provide fresh air for the combustion and ODS system. "

When I bought my portable Buddy 2 yrs ago, I looked at any number of other heaters, with an eye to using it not only in my camper (as the camper's furnace was 35 yrs old and I had not tested it, yet) and  primarily using it in my garage workshop to take the chill off the garage while working on the camper  & other projects in early March and late fall in northern IL.  

I looked at permanently installed heaters, portable heaters, all kinds.  I chose the Mr Buddy and Big Buddy  for their safety features, and the advantages of it's portability.  Most of the 'garage' heaters required permanant installation and  most of the other portable ones emphatically warned NOT to use them indoors, or particularly in campers or tents.  They had NO oxygen safety features. A 'Big Buddy' would have cooked us in our large scout (party-type) tent/ shelter, or the PUP- and the little buddy had the advantage of being able to use small 1 lb tanks or the larger 20lb tanks, so I went with the smaller one.  

I do have a combination co2, LP gas, and smoke detector/ alarm in my camper that runs off either battery power or electricity if we have electric power at a site.  I'm pretty sure it cost lesss than $20, and it's one for regular household use - so they're wouldn't cause anyone financial hardship to find and use. I carry the batteries separately and check their charge to make sure they are fresh each time we camp.

All the Mr Heater units I have seen and the other propane heaters I have looked at, all carried warnings about ventilation and using CO2 detectors, and not using a heater larger than the space recommended.  

I am sorry those little girls and their grandparents died, I feel for their families, but I suspect that with a 16 yr old heater, no matter what make it was, it was NOT being used properly with reasonable precautions.  

I still feel very confident of my Mr Heater products, when used safely and with appropriate precautions.

Laura