Softopper and Mr. Buddy Heater

I have the buddy heater but have never ended up using it even down into the 20s

 

https://youtu.be/VwAC5ZcRRkA

 

I used one of these in my Softopper last February, all night overnight at around 40 deg F. The low setting, which I assume is around half of the rated 3000 BTU, was plenty to keep me toasty. I think I had to turn it off at one point.

Flame King portable catalytic heater: https://flameking.com/product/ysn-ad03-2/

 

wonder if you can leave this running while you sleep. or does it let off carbon monoxide like the Mr. Heater buddy?

 

I did run it overnight. Catalytic heaters produce very little CO. What they do produce is water vapor. They also consume oxygen in the environment, which increases CO2. Prober ventilation is vitally important; the consumed oxygen must be replenished. It is common misconception that Buddy heaters are catalytic heaters. They are not and the pilot light that continuously runs them is a clue to this. I don't know what the CO output of a Buddy is but the pilot flame at the very least produces a tiny amount.

I also have a Camco Olympian Wave 3 catalytic hard-plumbed in my Runaway Rangerunner squaredrop camper. I've used that overnight for many chilly winter nights in the Mojave Desert. Optional leg stands are available for these, so they can be portable as well. The Camco heaters are bit pricey these days, though.



With both heaters, I used a very sensitive CO detector made for automotive and light aircraft use. The household type CO detectors are not sensitive enough for small contained environments like a truck bed camper or small camper trailer: Forensics Detectors Car Aircraft Carbon Monoxide Detector