Baby,,, It's Cold Outside...
Written: Mar 24 '04
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Light weight, efficient, relatively safe, no flame and little chance of toxic gasses
Cons: still can burn, still needs oxygen
The Bottom Line: excellent heater for small space use providing efficient fuel usage and safety
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| LaFeet's Full Review: Coleman 5033-700 Gas Utility Heater |
NO power due to ice….the generator is not big enough for the heat pump..what do you do? We went to a hotel the first time we suffered in this fashion. But I was prepared for the next and any future outages in the cold months.
I purchased several Coleman BlackCat heaters just to keep the family from freezing to death (anything below 70 is cold, above 74 is sweltering). While the first two were not sufficient to keep the whole house warm, they did make the living room comfortable.
Providing heat via a platinum catalytic converter, this little heater provides a relatively safe quantity of heat. The catalytic process utilizes nearly all of the propane, converting the fuel to heat energy. Propane is brought into contact with oxygen in the air in the presence of the platinum catalyst, resulting in a chemical reaction that generates heat.
One large bottle of propane will provide 3000 British Thermal Units (BTUs) of heat for about eight hours. I have an adapter to allow the use of larger tanks, but rather chose to refill the smaller bottles. I feel funny about having a 20 pound bottle of propane in the house for some reason. I say relatively safe, all flame reactions consume some amount of oxygen. And these heaters do just that, but they do not produce carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide or nitrous oxide in any dangerous quantities. I do recommend that you replenish the air in the room twice daily to ensure sufficient oxygen present for you and yours.
Since there is no flame present, and by providing a large protective screen, the BlackCat heater does not present a significant fire hazard. The head does get hot… enough to warrant a quick release when touched, but not a fire hazard. It has been designed for recreational use in enclosed areas.
So how effective is it? Well, one heater kept a 12 by 14 foot room in the mid sixties throughout the night while it was in the teens outside. I have four of these guys and they keep my garage warm enough to work on a vehicle inside while the snow piles up on the outside. A single unit will keep a four person tent very comfy, just remember to keep that ventilation open.
The one thing that I really love is the availability of fuel. Any department store with an outdoors area will have the necessary propane cylinders. I recommend that you buy a 20 pound tank and a refill adapter to reuse the cylinders.
Being only 3 ¾ pounds in weight, these are excellent for backpacking. You will need additional cylinders for longer hikes. The catalytic converter efficiency will help minimize the use by maintaining optimum fuel usage.
I opted for the non electronic ignition models….matches are cheap and I always have some in hand. Besides, I save enough to warrant buying a forth BlackCat.
Coleman has their Outernet site available on the internet (www.coleman.com/outernet). This site is an excellent location for planning camping or any other outdoor travels. Information is provided on camping spots, scenic drives, rules, limitations and other outdoor info of specified geographic regions within the United States.
The BlackCat is covered under a one year warranty (Coleman at 800-835-3278, consumerservice@coleman.com or P.O. Box 2931, Wichita, KS 67201). But since there are no moving parts, I don’t see myself ever needing to return this great little heater.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
LaFeet
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Member: Paule Patterson
Location: Cushing, Ok
Reviews written: 314
Trusted by: 36 members
About Me:
Retired Submariner, ex Air-Force Brat, current radiation protection tech, hiding in urban Oklahoma
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