Go here: http://www.milesstair.com/ to read up on everything you ever wanted to know about Kero/Oil lanterns, and Kero Heaters/stoves.

He has 'recommended" lists for most everything.

This guy has forgotten more about the subject than most will ever know.

Love my kero for when shit really hits the fan, but propane is just to nice.

Could always get a big unvented radiant propane wall heater, plumb it in, let it sit until needed.

Building a new house now, we have propane furnace for main, generator for if power out, electric heat for if furnace fails (independent room heaters) big buddy heaters after that (with remote tank kits that run to tanks outside), and KERO heaters and enough fuel to run one all winter stored for true emergencies. My family shouldn't freeze to death.

You're trying to keep all 3700 sq ft warm?

Depending on the insulation that's a shit ton of BTU.

In an urgency I just heat and cool the smallest room in my home - about 140 sq ft - because it's in the center of the downstairs and has only a small window but is surrounded on three other sides by the home.

A tiny tent catalyst heater makes the room toasty warm and a 750 watt AC keeps it cool running off of one of those Honda generators.

I have used the Big Buddy heater to heat the living room on extremely cold days.  My experience is that with optional electric fan, the Big Buddy heaters, set on max goes through a pair of 1# propane bottles in about 6-8 hours.

The heater is a radiant type, and while it works very well for intended purpose, is not the ideal choice for heating large volumes/square footage.  For that purpose, I suggest Kero-fueled convection heaters.

As linked above, milesstair has all the answers.  He is to heaters and lamps/lanterns as Arfcom is to ARs.

I have reliable CO detectors mounted near the places where I run such heaters.

Sure, you can run the Big Buddy off a 20# propane tank, but doing so, according to accepted safety protocol, means leaving the tank outdoors, and having long enough hose, with proper filter, to do so.  Some do without filter, and perhaps have 20# propane tank indoors; Both of these practices are specifically warned-against by mfr of Big Buddy.  Your call, and best of luck to you.

I have a few, filled, 20# tanks, a very long hose, and Big Buddy Filter unit available if need be.  I also have a few dozen new 1# propane bottles, and a couple dozen re-filled 1# propane bottles.

Mostly, if things go bad enough for long enough, I will rely on the Kero heaters I have, supplemented by Big Buddy.

To heat my house via Kero heaters for whole heating season would require a great deal more Kero than I have room to store.

It's still a black hose, just low pressure so no oil leeching. Unless they changed the just color recently.

Mr heater does/did. They are low pressure, plug into a low pressure port on the big buddy. They are big buddy specific.

Added benefit of the low pressure hose: if you setup your big buddy in the house, run the house a a tank outside, should you have a leak it's much smaller.

IIRC, every knowledgeable response to such an issue tells the individual to send it back to factory for servicing.  Don't know what such servicing entails, nor the cost.  It's also possible that not using a filter would void the warranty, if such is still in effect.   For a certainty, a filter, used properly, would be far less expensive than the shipping/repair, and the heater would be in use, instead of in-transit or at the repair facility.

I have a Mr Heater-brand 10' hose with attached regulator and QD fitting for my Big Buddy heater.  Regulator threads onto tank, QD fitting of hose onto QD fitting on heater, inside left-side fuel bottle compartment.  This rig leaves hose under low-pressure, so does not require filter, as per manufacturer.  Maybe regulator installed at tank/lo pressure hose is the key.  Maybe somehow green mfr hose is different. Again unknown.

The other way to hook up:

Filter screws onto 1" bottle connection on the heater, then hose screws onto filter, then hose onto tank.  The filter must be used at least with hoses feeding directly from tank without a regulator, which leaves the hose under high pressure, which, in turn, is said to cause oil leaching from the hose.

I don't know if installing a regulator onto tank first, then attaching hose to regulator, then attaching hose to heater gets one off the hook as far as not needing a filter.  Some say oil leaching from hoses left in a high-pressure (unregulated) state are the cause of problems.  Maybe installing the regulator at the tank solves that problem, maybe not.  I have come to believe that people using a simple hose, no regulator, and no filter are the ones who run the most risk of having issues.  It sounds to me as though the filter is cheap insurance when using anything but a mfr-approved connection rig.  Mfr video shows filter being used with unregulated hose, FWIW.

Link showing videos of mfr-approved set-ups and operation as well as maintenance: [http://www.mrheater.com/big-buddy-portable-heater.html[/url]  Note that even with mfr hose, use without regulator requires a filter.

In any event, test it using all connection configurations before you need it.  If you need wrench(es) for connection, pick up exactly what you need for cheap at local flea market, and stow them together with the items that need connecting.  No searching for them, that way.

The accessory power unit for the switched fan already inside the Big Buddy is a nice thing to have.  Moves/projects the heat much better with than without, from my experiments.  Instead of a pure radiant heater, the fan adds a little room-filling convection action.  If no power, 4 (four) D-Cell batts will run the fan for unknown time period.

NEVER, EVER store any batteries inside batt compartment.  Have necessary batts on-hand, and install when you need them.  Remove prior to storage.  Remove without fail, or you risk damage to the unit due to old/discharged batts.

I read about it once, I think that it was a major PITA.

If it wasn't a close-to-new unit, I would personally just replace it and call it lesson learned.

OH, forgot to mention:

DO NOT

EVER

run a radiant panel heater on less than "high". If it is a model that you can turn off a panel, that is fine, but never "turn down" a panel (even if the settings are there for it) when used in an indoor place. I have set off plenty of CO detectors doing this. They don't burn hot enough to burn 99.7% clean.

ETA: Same thing goes for kero heaters with a catalytic system: all out or nothing.

Might be wise to search around for a "friendly" propane person.  I go through a number of 1" bottles (which I re-fill), so I have a number of 20# tanks to fill.  Eventually I found a reasonable vendor, who had no problems with re-certifying GTG tanks, and providing bulk propane at a reasonable price.

I'll guess that both those heaters are non-catalytic heaters, and so require venting for safety's sake.  Retrofitting them with catalytic heaters would result in not requiring venting, and likely vastly more efficiency.  Not to mention zero moisture intrusion due to venting.

Very much yes.