Mr. Heaters’ Buddy heaters are a popular choice for people looking to stay warm and cozy in winter conditions. For people out camping, Buddy heaters present an ideal solution. However, there’s always the question of whether you can use the heater in a tent or not.
You can sleep with a Mr. Heater Buddy Heater in a tent as it doesn’t produce carbon monoxide. Mr. Buddy heaters have an in-built automatic safety shut-off system that activates when oxygen is getting too low.
Being radiant heaters, Buddy heaters quickly and efficiently provide heat during cold weather. This heater’s portability is one reason behind its popularity, and it can also save you money.
Is A Mr. Heater Buddy Heater Safe In A Tent?
Camping in cold weather tends to be an uncomfortable and frosty affair. You find out that you can’t feel your toes and fingers. But a Buddy heater will provide you with all the warmth you need when camping. So the question is, ‘Is a Buddy heater safe in a tent?’
People’s most apparent and deadliest concern when using a propane heater in their tent is death by carbon monoxide. The manufacturers of Mr. Heater are well aware of this concern.
Automatic Shut-off
As a result, this heater has an automatic safety shut-off feature. This safety shut feature detects when oxygen is too low and shuts off the heater.
Automatic Timer & Tip-over Protection
The automatic timer cut offer feature also allows you to set the heater to turn off once you are asleep. I also like the tipping safety feature, which will turn off Buddy heaters if knocked over, which is an excellent feature.
Should your heater become too hot, an overheating safety feature will turn it off, making this heater perfect for tent use.
As you can see, several safety measures allow you to use this heater in your tent. I’ll also advise you to get an additional carbon monoxide monitor with an alarm.
Place this monitor close to your heater, and the monitor will notify you if the carbon monoxide level starts to build up. The truth is that this is highly unlikely with Buddy heaters, but it’s still a safety precaution nonetheless. And you should regularly check connections and hoses for gas leaks.
Portable & Convient
You’ll also find that this heater is very portable and convenient. There is also the piezo ignition switch, which works like magic when the heater sits flat.
However, it would help if you did not lean the heater backward when trying to ignite it, as it won’t work due to the angle of the ceramic tiles inside the grill.
Can You Sleep With a Mr. Heater Buddy Heater in a Tent?
Yes, you can sleep with your eyes closed with a Buddy heater when you take the necessary steps. As we said earlier, carbon monoxide poisoning is the biggest concern for most people, and rightly so.
The gas is the silent killer as it is colorless and odorless, which is very difficult to detect. Apart from feeling dizzy when inhaling too much carbon monoxide, there’s no way for one to see it.
This is where the automatic safety shut of the system we discussed earlier comes in. The Buddy heater produces carbon dioxide (CO2) at harmless levels and water vapor under normal circumstances instead of carbon monoxide (CO).
Under normal circumstances, your heater will not produce toxic CO. However, if there isn’t enough oxygen for combustion in your tent, your heater may produce CO., which we don’t want.
Thanks to the automatic safety shut-off system, your heater can detect the low oxygen level via a sensor and shut it off. This is enough on its own.
One can never be too careful, right? And that’s why we recommended a sensitive CO detector with an alarm as a backup safety.
You should also ensure you have enough space in your tent as you shouldn’t place your heater too close to other items. Allow at least three feet of clearance.
The overheating safety feature dramatically minimizes the risk of fire outbreaks. But you should still not place it too close to objects. Luckily, this heater is very portable and won’t take up much space in your tent.
Warming Up The Tent With A Mr. Heater Buddy Heater
While you can safely use your Mr. Buddy heater while sleeping, some people use their heaters differently. They use their heaters to warm up their tent before sleeping and set it to turn itself off after some time.
The heater will warm up the tent during midnight potty runs and finally wake up in the morning. This is excellent to do if the weather isn’t too cold or you are running low on gas.
Should A Tent Be Ventilated When Using Mr. Buddy Heater?
A Mr. Heater Buddy Heater would not produce CO due to insufficient oxygen caused by poor ventilation. This makes proper ventilation of your tent paramount if you’ll be using this heater in your tent.
Fortunately, many tents come with vents on the bottoms of the walls. And this is the tent you should go for if you intend to bring this heater when camping. Several nylon tents feature fairly well-ventilated mesh ceilings underneath the rainfly.
If your tent is a canvas tent designed for cold conditions, you may not get the ventilation level needed when using a Mr. Buddy heater in the room.
This means you’ll have to consciously leave the front door or window slightly ajar so the oxygen levels inside the tent don’t get too low. Also, always place your heater on a flat and level surface to prevent it from tipping over.
It would be best if you didn’t trap yourself with a propane heater inside your tent without proper ventilation.
Do You Need a Permit to Use a Propane Heater When Camping?
Depending on your location, there will be different distributors for propane heaters, which the local government will regulate.
For convenience, you can also get your heater online. Emphasis is always placed on the quality of gas distributed across the different available platforms, and organizations may monitor this.
Should your area have regulations concerning propane heaters outside residential areas, be sure to follow them.
Overview of the Features of Mr. Heater Buddy Heaters
You’ll love the folding handle as it folds neatly when not in use. However, it also allows you to comfortably grab the heater and quickly move it from one place to another. The lightweight design also adds to the ease of transport.
The Buddy Heater is a radiant heater that makes your space warm and cozy. The fact that it doesn’t produce toxic CO is why it is so popular. And should there be a low oxygen supply that may lead to CO production, the automatic shut-off system kicks in.
You can also set the temperature of this heater to suit your needs. The weather may not be that cold, meaning you need a small amount of heat.
Should the weather be so cold, you need more heat, and you can easily set it for this. You save energy when you don’t need much heat. Overall, you have total freedom over how warm and cozy your tent will be.
Don’t be misled by the size of this heater, as it is lightweight. I like that it can heat a space of up to 200 square feet, which is more than enough for your tent and most rooms.
This heater burns efficiently as most energy used to power this device gets converted to heat without significant wastage.
Final Thought
Overall, Mr. Buddy’s heater is an excellent one to keep around when you need warmth throughout your camping adventures. Always use safety precautions while using it and ensure your tent has ventilation.
