Heat in a cabin
- Thread starter Boone
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Doe Shooter
Active Member
All of the above will work well. It depends on your need for convenience. The safest is electric.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Propane wall heater, and move the air with a ceiling fan. Nothing to ever break or go bad.
I've got a 14x21 and I use less than 1 gallon of LP per day in the extreme cold, based on run time.
I've got a 14x21 and I use less than 1 gallon of LP per day in the extreme cold, based on run time.
Chummer
Active Member
Propane wall heaters are great. I have one in the front and one in the back. Unless it is below 20 I only need one. They heat a 20x30 with poor insulation
MattJK
Member
Add a web enabled switch and you can pre warm it.
Does it require a 100 gallon cylinder? What brand is yours and where is the best place to get one?
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
I wouldn't mess with cylinders. The gas is 5 times more expensive, and infinitely more work. Have a propane supplier put in a 125 or 250 gallon tank and have it topped off once a year in summertime. A good propane outfit will sell and service an Empire direct vent furnace, or one like it.
My whole outfit runs off solar power and propane. So as much as possible is run off propane first (heat, cook, fridge, freezer). The rest is modest things all run off 12 volt (lights, RV ceiling fan, cigarette lighter socket outlets) and a few things you can't get in 12 volt (pc charger, tv, dvd player) require a $40 300 watt pure sine wave inverter.
If you're running a generator now, learn solar and then get it installed. In an hunting shack set up, it blows away grid power on a cost/benefit analysis. The savings of not having an electric bill pay for all my other land expenses for the year (tax, propane, plots, trees, charcoal, booze, tools etc).
Podad
Active Member
I am in the south and don’t have extreme cold weather. We have two of these buddy units. They have built in tip over and carbon monoxide safety equipment. We use the 20 lb cylinders.
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/mr-heater-big-buddy-portable-heater?cm_vc=-10005
https://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/mr-heater-big-buddy-portable-heater?cm_vc=-10005
Elkaddict
Well-Known Member
I’ve stayed in cabins with propane, electric and wood. I always worried about adequate ventilation with the wall propane units. I’d personally go electric and woodstove (the electric is for convenience). For a cabin that size, the woodstove could provide an emergency cooking surface when you don’t have propane. A Honda generator of adequate size would efficiently run base board.
deer patch
Well-Known Member
With your setup with no permanent electricity and convenience I would go propane. I worked in the propane field for 14 years and if it was me I would get a ventless wall mounted heater with thermostat control. They are 99.9% efficient and have an oxygen depletion sensor built into the pilot light, so no worries about that. I will 2nd getting a 125 or 250 gallon propane tank or similar size. Just read the contract if you rent one and make sure there is no hidden clause on minimum usage or the like. I would personally buy the tank and not rent but that's just me. Propane will be instant heat and very convenient if you don't let your tank run out of propane.
How much do you value your time spent at camp? Wood heat is nice but you will spend time to cut and split wood plus you will have wait time for it to build heat but the option of cooking on the wood stove would be something to consider.
How much do you value your time spent at camp? Wood heat is nice but you will spend time to cut and split wood plus you will have wait time for it to build heat but the option of cooking on the wood stove would be something to consider.
MarkDarvin
Well-Known Member
Well said DP. The other thing is the cost and noise of a generator. The serenity of the woods is quickly soiled with the rattling of a generator.
I worked in propane for three years. I never knew those ventless jobbers had an oxygen sensor in them. That is really cool to know! I've got a T in my gas line ready to run 3/8 to my garage another few feet to put a heater in there. I may go with a smaller ventless one like you mentioned given what you just taught me. It would rarely run, but if we're cleaning fish after ice fishing, or cutting up deer, that would be swell to have.
deer patch
Well-Known Member
Thanks Mark. Get one of the infrared wall heaters. They are more efficient than the blue flame style. Just like anything a person buys, do your research on what brands are the best. I've been out of the propane business for 12 years now so brands have changed since then but I do have a real good friend still in the business that I could ask what the best brand is now if anyone is interested.
I'm researching wall mounts and came to the conclusion a blue flame is better suited than an infared model as the blue heats the air rather than objects and is better for heating larger areas. Can you expound on your opinion that infared is the way to go? Please ask what the best brand is too. Thanks
deer patch
Well-Known Member
The infrared heaters are a radiant type heater which is like having a mini fan that pushes heat into the room. Blue flame is more like heat going straight up and not into the room. Both will heat the room but infrared heats the room quicker.
On brands...Empire is the best and American made but expensive. Second is Sun Star but must not be American made because he never stated where they are made from.
Deadeye
Well-Known Member
While the Propane is the best for fast easy heat, you will always enjoy that standing around the Pot Belly Stove after coming in from being out in the cold. No reason to not have both if you can.
They make some great Stove Pipe Products now that are insulated inside. It keeps the heat from reaching the outside pipe. I had it on a stove years ago in a 12x50 Trailer and the walls never got hot where it passed through. That stove would heat that trailer to 80+* sometimes to hot and you could sit in your underwear if you wanted to in the dead of winter.
I use a Mr Heater propane stove in my Hunting Tent now and only need the Low Setting to keep it toasty warm.
They make some great Stove Pipe Products now that are insulated inside. It keeps the heat from reaching the outside pipe. I had it on a stove years ago in a 12x50 Trailer and the walls never got hot where it passed through. That stove would heat that trailer to 80+* sometimes to hot and you could sit in your underwear if you wanted to in the dead of winter.
I use a Mr Heater propane stove in my Hunting Tent now and only need the Low Setting to keep it toasty warm.
TheOldOak
Active Member
No contest, go with a wood stove with a glass front door. There is nothing better than coming back to a warm cabin and enjoying the wood stove with a crackling fire. As someone mentioned, most of these stoves have a flat top and can be used for cooking and coffee via old school percolator. My cabin is 16X24 with an upstairs loft on entire second floor. I can regulate the heat by how much a put in the stove or opening the windows. I bought a used wood stove on craigslist for $200, used an 8 inch culvert for the external chimney, ran black stove pipe out the side and into the culvert. Have to replace the black stove pipe every 4 years or so, but that only takes me an hour or so. If I had to do over again, I would do exactly the same way.
Triple C
Well-Known Member
Love the wood heater. But, down here it's not like we're dealing with sub freezing temps for much of the winter. Common to be in the mid 20s in Jan n Feb but hardly ever get down to single digit. Living quarters inside cabin is 30 x 34. This wood heater will run you out if air flow vents are left open.
