Best - Fish house heater

[merkman]

I have a 4'X 5' (very well insulated) fish house I would like to get a heater for so I can keep the heat on 24hrs a day.

The house is very tight I can make my buddy heater trip the 02 sensor in less than 10 min.

What I am looking for is a

Safe, Vented heater, less than 5K BTU's, with a thermostat, that requires no electricity to run.

I would like to keep the shack at 40 or 50 degrees when I am not there.

The heater should be small since I don't have much space to start with.

I would prefer something I can "build in" to the shack so it is harder to steal.

Any ideas?

Thanks

-Merk

[Pooh]

ive got a tin box stove that screws to the floor with a chimney. inside of the box it is a propane stove burner. on the front i have a thermocouple and valve from a sunflower so if the flame goes out the gas shuts off. on top of the valve is the flame adjustment so u cna turn down the flame to low. i have a 4 by 6 and this thing on high would cook me out and have since went to a buddy. would be nice to cut the BTU's down by half and youd have something. i say this cause siting in there a while the low setting is still too warm after the house is warmed up way more than 40-50 that u are looking for.

turning your buddy to pilot doesnt do it?

[pikechaser]

any wall furnace..like a empire,williams,etc. I think the big box stores also sell other brands that are very similiar,,direct vent,,sealed combustion,,require no electricity,,and are run by a thermostat....only problem is ive never seen any that small....10-15k btu probably as small as they run. would take up 1 wall of the house. would take some modification to make a smaller metal box stove type unit run on a thermostat..

[Getanet]

I'm not sure you'll find what you're looking for. Last year my buddy and I were in the market for a wall mounted ventless heater and the lowest they go at the big chain stores is 10,000 BTU, and none of them had a thermostat. Even at the low setting that would cook you out in no time.

When you say a Buddy Heater do you mean the Little Buddy that just mounts on top of a 1lb propane tank?

Otherwise, the Portable Buddy might be something to consider. They have notches in the back to mount to a wall, and are approved for indoor use. You can also purchase a connection hose to run off a 20lb tank. If kept on low that might do the trick.

Many people complain about the Buddy heaters going out, but I think in an enclosed shelter it would stay on just fine.

[merkman]

turning your buddy to pilot doesnt do it?

[Getanet]

Only other idea I've heard kicked around to helps with holes freezing up is cutting thick pieces of styrofoam the size of your hole and stuffing them in there.

I've never tried this, so I don't know if it works or not. I would imagine it would be better than nothing, and might help if you're only gone for a day or two at a time. If you're gone for a week or so it probably won't make a difference.

[merkman]

Only other idea I've heard kicked around to helps with holes freezing up is cutting thick pieces of styrofoam the size of your hole and stuffing them in there.

I've never tried this, so I don't know if it works or not. I would imagine it would be better than nothing, and might help if you're only gone for a day or two at a time. If you're gone for a week or so it probably won't make a difference.

I would love to seal the top of the hole with some type of device then use my portable air pump to push the water to the bottom of the ice.

No water no ice!!!

I am sure that has been tried before but I am not sure how it would work.

As soon as I find some material (plastic or uhmw type) that ice will not stick to I would love to make a sleave that you can just pull out. Then just push the plug under the ice.

Also thought of making an insulated box that will just fit over the hole and only heating that. Less area to heat to get the same results.

I am going to check on a wall mounted propane lantern too.

Not sure how much heat those things throw off?

Lottsa ideas, I am sure very few haven't been tried before.

I will stick to keeping the house heated for now.

[merkman]

Testing out the candle idea right now.

It is working well.

House is in the shade and not much wind today.

With 10 wicks burning:

9:30 AM - Minus 5 Deg outside temp - Started Candles

11:30 AM - inside temp 35 Deg

12:30 AM - inside temp 47 Deg outside temp - 7 Degrees

I am going to see how it goes as the day goes on.

[merkman]

10 wicks burning held it steady at 50 Degrees (6 inches off the floor) for 12 hours.

Now to make a safer way to contain the flame.

[hitthebricks]

how about a small catalytic heater or one for a pop up camper?