Any recommendations on a direct vent propane heater?

[John_M]

Getting ready to start working out at our cabin again and we are thinkig of installing a direct vent propane furnace.  Most likely a wall mounted one.  A little research has given me a wide range of options.

Anybody here have one in their place? 

I have some questions about size and manufacturers.  How many btu's would a 600-800 sq f. cabin need?  Are all bands basically the same (I wouldn't think so).  Any good online sites?

Just looking for everyones input.  Thanks!! 

[MountainDon]

Lots of "depends" on that question.

How many degrees temperature rise?
How well insulated?

I have looked online and have not found much in the way of online calculators that can be used for free. Here's one, but it is very basic; no entries for insulation, windows, etc.

http://www.gas-space-heater.com/heater-sizing.html

I did find one you had to pay for. Sorry I did not bookmark it. I do recall it was very detailed in entry data.

In the end we purchased a direct vent wall heater from Northern Tool. I don't recall the name... "housewarmer" maybe?? It's made by Empire and is less costly. It does not have a remote thermostat like the Empire brand. The venting is also different. The Empire brand has a telescoping concentric pipe arrangement to adjust to differing wall thicknesses. The other must be cut to fit. It saved a hundred dollars or more.

[glenn kangiser]

I haven't used this but Daddymem has a Rinnai of one sort or another and Al's heating recommends them so I think they would be a good bet.

http://www.alsheating.com/RinnaiHeating.htm

We bought from Al - He may sound like a jerk sometimes but he knows his stuff.

We bought the heater that burns diesel - Toyotomi.

[MountainDon]

John_M... a question for you. Is your electrical power from the grid or self generated?

That was one reason I did not go with the highly recommended Rinnai. They use about 2 amps of AC while operating. Some like the ones I mentioned can operate on just convection principles. The blower is one thing that helps Rinnai's achieve their greater efficiency.

[considerations]

I'd like to revitalize this thread as I'm getting ready to take the plunge and purchase a direct vent propane wall heater for the cabin. 

Yes, I'm still in the land of the living.. ..just was temporarily pinned to other responsibilities, Mom had back surgery, etc....

The cabin is 14 x 24 with 10' walls and the area is open to the 12/12 roof.  The walls will be R22 and the ceiling is R30. I've looked at Rinnai, Empire, Housewarmer, and Eskabe. 

Don's right there are so many choices it's hard to know which way to jump.   

What I'm hoping is you can/will tell me what make and model you purchased, how long you have had it and your opinion of how its working for you.

Just purchased the Bosch outdoor on demand water heater.....should be here soon!

[Rover]

I'm also intersted in this topic.  I have a 110 sf cabin with no insulation.  I'm using a 20,000 btu keroscene heater.  Gives off great heat but I don't like the odours.  The packaging showed a mother and daughter sitting happily, drinking hot chocolate, and in a finished home; next to the heater.  What BS.  I stink of keroscene every time I use it even with a window cracked open.

I'm now looking at a different set up.  I don't have 110v power either.  I already have an old Wesbasto heater intended for truck cabs.  It's 12v, vented and runs off diesel.  I could set up a car battery and solar charger to power it.  It should work because I only need a few hours of heat at a time. The blower is a little loud though.

I guess there is no heater that is vented without a blower?

[bayview]

   As MountainDon had suggested . . .

   An Empire heater seems to "fit the bill" . . . Direct vent to outside and can be purchased in gas or propane . . . Doesn't need electricity unless you want the optional blower.

http://www.propaneproducts.com/empire-direct-vent-heater.html

[brian_nj]

The variables involved with picking a heater size are many and complicated at times, but at the same time it is hard to oversize a heater (unlike an air conditioner) For example most homes I work in in SC the furnace is close to double the btu capacity that the home needs for heating to meet the airflow needs for cooling. So basically go a bit on the big side.

I am looking at the heat loss calculation for my 16x34 two story being built in the TN mountains and my heat loss indicates a need for 22,752 btu's to compensate for heat loss. In my case we will be installing a 40k btu unit to meet our needs. We are doing 2x6 walls with r19, r38 ceiling and r25 for the floor. This and decent windows.

As for Rennai they make nice quality equipment. I have worked on a lot of their water heaters and have sampled their direct vent heaters and the construction is good. I will also say that the parts availability is good for them which is important as some of the cheaper off name brands you run into trouble when they break and you cant find the part. A couple $$$ more up front is sometimes worth a lot in the long run.

[MountainDon]

When it comes to the actual installation I have a caveat...

http://countryplans.com/smf/index.php?topic=2335.msg100897#msg100897

[considerations]

"When it comes to the actual installation I have a caveat.."

That looks like the Housewarmer brand Don, did someone say it was made by Empire?

[MountainDon]

"When it comes to the actual installation I have a caveat.."

That looks like the Housewarmer brand Don, did someone say it was made by Empire?

Yes it is made by Empire. I called the customer service number Northern Tool gave me or the Housewarmer when I was looking for a heater. I had a question NT could not answer. They gave me the manufacturer's number to call. I called that number. I asked that service rep about a high altitude orifice. He told me they had the one I needed for above 8000 feet (8800) and he would send it to me free. I told him I hadn't yet bought it. He said he'd send it anyways as it would save me time.

When the orifice arrived it was in an Empire envelope. I also downloaded the heeater manual from NT before ordering and found Empire's name and address in the manual. I D/L'd the manual for the Empire heater as well. Many of the illustrations are the same in the two manuals.

So I concluded there were enough things to establish a connection.

There is no remote thermostat connection like the Empire's have. The concentric air and exhaust tubes have to be cut to length whereas the Empire I looked at had telescoping tubes. For the $75 or so less I paid for the Empire last year I figured I could do without those features. It is not meant to be our cabin main source of heat, just an axillary.

[river place]

When we moved from MN to TX we brought one of the old gas heaters that's free standing and has a vent to plumb to the outside.  Can these be converted to propane as it would perfect for our place in AR and it's like new condition?  I'll have to check on the brand and type the next time I crawl in the attic.

[MountainDon]

Some items, like the Housewarmer wall heater, state in their information that the unit can not be converted rom one fuel to another. Other items like my range come with the parts required to convert. Others like my water heater at home are possible to convert but require the purchase of a parts kit. You would have to check on an individual basis.

[Dave Sparks]

I don't know if vent free heaters are legal in your state (California is the only one that did not allow them last time I looked)

There are lot's of pro / con reasons for them.

The better ones have a CO detector built in that shut down the unit in a failure
They allow an install in an existing fireplace with a closed chimney.
No drafts though the existing vent/chimney
Pretty fire logs or flat screen blue nebula with Tesla lightning.
35 KBtu to around 55K
A remote control thermostat
Run by 9V radio battery. Extremely easy to install !
A decent emergency heater if you fall off the roof and can't cut wood.
Last time I looked years ago they were run by a pilot but they may be piezo spark lit by now.

I have used them even in California........................

[jr1318]

If you do a rescheck on your building if I remember right it will give you the needed btu to heat your cabin.

www.energycodes.gov/rescheck/download.stmu  this the website for free software

[Dustin]

I have two Rinnai's (upstairs and downstairs)to heat my First Day cottage and I have to say that they have worked out great so far. We are not living in the house yet, but it does not take long for them to take off the chill in the morning. However, the house is such a good solar collector that after running the heater for a little while, it shuts off when the house hits the right temp once I open all the blinds and let the sun heat things up. So far, I'm liking what this little house does.

I got the Rinnai vented heaters and an on-demand water heater from a dealer not far from me, mostly because I wanted to make sure I had someone available to service them if there was a problem in the future.