Torpedo heater supply

[dsimatt]

In my quest to have some warmth in my garage i picked up a mr heater 75-125k btu heater but didn't notice till i was home that it requires a 40lb tank and i just have 20lb tanks. I called where i get my tanks filled and was told over $100 for the tank and to fill it so not really wanting to do that, doing some reading i found it will run on a 20lb one but only lower settings.

The main goal is to take the chill out and be able to work in somewhat comfort and i have a big buddy heater i'd place by me to maintain heat longer around my work area.

 

[dave67fd]

Ok, so you answered your own question.

The 20lb tank won't last long even on the lower settings.
Make sure you also have some fresh air entering the building using either heater.

 

[Bubbles]

I use a 20 lb on mine.
It warms up fast. Problem is once I get down to about 7lbs left i can smell propane. It stops working all together with 4 or 5 lbs left in the tank.

 

[Bubbles]

Also I never take mine off the lowest setting.

 

[Thumper68]

Call the local propane company and get a 100lb cylinder, I can get them for free, just the cost of gas. all I had to do is set up an account with them.

 

[dsimatt]

The heater is bigger than i probaly need, i wanted the 85k btu but menards doesn't sell it and it costs more than the one i have now. I'd be okay if it lasted 5-6 hours on the lower settings with my current tanks which would probaly get me thru winter, the store does rent out 100lb tanks to but that is alot of hassle to throw around.

 

[dsimatt]

Call the local propane company and get a 100lb cylinder, I can get them for free, just the cost of gas. all I had to do is set up an account with them.

The place i go told me that i would put down a deposit and when i was done with the tank i'd get refunded my money if it wasn't damaged. I will stop by tomorrow and see what they say but i don't know if i'll be able to muscle it out of my truck.

 

[930dreamer]

Did you compare the LP unit to a kerosene model?

 

[dsimatt]

Did you compare the LP unit to a kerosene model?

I don't really want kerosene, also i figured i already had propane tanks for my grill so i naturally went that way.

I will admit my ignorance to this stuff as growing up my grandpa had the kersoene ones and the few propane ones i saw were running off of 20lb tanks.

Now i really have a quandry because i was looking and the kerosene 75k unit is around $200 and the 40lb tank cost added to the unit is over 250. I also kinda like the idea that if i was to run out of fuel i can just run to the gas station any time versus waiting for the propane place to open and fill me up.

 

[Thumper68]

The place i go told me that i would put down a deposit and when i was done with the tank i'd get refunded my money if it wasn't damaged. I will stop by tomorrow and see what they say but i don't know if i'll be able to muscle it out of my truck.

They really aren't that bad to move around, I usually use a 2 wheel cart and a strap. and this is hauling them around on rough ground. Just the fact that I don't have to refill them very often is worth the effort to me.

We keep them around for if or when one of the big tanks run out. I put one on my parents cabin 3 years ago (they only use it for the stove/oven) and it's still 1/4 full.

 

[jvitez]

I've got a bad back, so a full 40 lb propane tank is as much as I want to carry. But if you've got more than one 20 go tanks, do to a propane supplier/store and buy a "T-block" and extra hose and you can connect as many 20 lb tanks together as you want. Two 20 lb tanks joined together in this way function like one 40 lb tank.

20 lb tanks are not too expensive and readily available, so buy some more to have 4 tanks in total, fill them, and you have two sets of 2x20 lb tanks at the ready, so if you're in the middle of a project and run out you just connect up the next set of tanks.
When you run out of that you can fill all 4 tanks at the same time and save the hassle of filling individual 20 lb tanks.

 

[dsimatt]

I can get tanks and have read about connecting tanks together and i could get a friend to help move the 100 lb tank but then i have a bunch of tanks layin around and fighting the tanks of i need to move it around.

The kerosene heater i've been looking at is a 75k btu unit so i'd lose 50k btu max output from the propane one i have but at that heat its just sucking the fuel down. My biggest plus on the kerosene is it can burn diesel so i can get fuel 24/7 versus having to wait for a store to open, and easier to be mobile with. The only issue is they are all sold out around here and it is a little more expensive but doesn't need any tanks.

 

[namtoh36]

highly recommend not using a torpedo heater....I purchased one last year to knock the chill out of my garage two stall and used it once or twice. The fumes are bad enough to give head aches even with the doors and windows open ( defeats the purpose ) I burn kerosene which is better than diesel and it still stinks.....these heaters are good for football players sitting on the bench outside.....that's it. I went through the hassle and front end expense of putting a used forced air heater in my garage and hooked up to my oil tank with a power vent.....much better and worth my health

 

[ishiboo]

In my quest to have some warmth in my garage i picked up a mr heater 75-125k btu heater but didn't notice till i was home that it requires a 40lb tank and i just have 20lb tanks. I called where i get my tanks filled and was told over $100 for the tank and to fill it so not really wanting to do that, doing some reading i found it will run on a 20lb one but only lower settings.

The main goal is to take the chill out and be able to work in somewhat comfort and i have a big buddy heater i'd place by me to maintain heat longer around my work area.

See if you can lease a 120 gallon tank… propane company will deliver, hook up and fill. Not sure if they will do smaller than a 500 gallon though but worth a shot.

 

[weldtoride]

I have a concrete block shop, thought it wasn't very air tight until I tried a kerosene heater years ago. All was toasty warm and fuzzy until I had to go outside and pee. When the cold air hit, the CO headache suddenly came on like gangbusters and I realized just how fuzzy I had become. I switched to a woodstove right after that.

Back in high school I worked for a nursery farm, we had kerosene salamanders in the equipment shops, but they were wooden sheds, the doors were opened a lot with people/equipment coming/going. Even still, the air got pretty bad by the end of the day.

 

[fitz11]

highly recommend not using a torpedo heater....I purchased one last year to knock the chill out of my garage two stall and used it once or twice. The fumes are bad enough to give head aches even with the doors and windows open ( defeats the purpose ) I burn kerosene which is better than diesel and it still stinks.....these heaters are good for football players sitting on the bench outside.....that's it. I went through the hassle and front end expense of putting a used forced air heater in my garage and hooked up to my oil tank with a power vent.....much better and worth my health

Sounds like something was wrong with you unit. I use one in my single car garage and it has no effects on me running kero or diesel.

 

[dsimatt]

I've pretty much come to the conclusion that i'm gonna return the heater i have, and buy a smaller propane one that will easily run off 20 lb tanks i already have since i mainly just want to use it to keep the area around me tolerable and if i need alot of heat for longer times i can just get one of the monster kerosene heaters my grandpa had.