If your patio table is made of wood, you may want to consider getting a small metal table to place the heater on.ĭepending on your local regulations, you'll also want to avoid storing it indoors with the cylinder still attached. Like most propane-powered heaters, the Buddy produces actual flames and the area near the grate gets really hot, so never put it close to flammable objects - including wooden patio furniture. It's safer and more economical to use an electric space heater to warm up your home. Propane-powered heaters are more likely to create carbon monoxide than electric-powered indoor heaters. However, I spoke to Matthew Griffith, prevention chief for the Montreal fire department, who was adamant about never using a gas-propelled appliance inside for heat no matter your location. Because of my location, I wasn't able to test the Buddy Heater for indoor use. In every other state, you can legally use it indoors. Due to region-specific regulations, the heater is not certified for indoor use in Massachusetts and Canada. The key difference is the packaging and safety warnings. There are also two versions of the heater - one that's certified for Canada and Massachusetts, and another that's certified for the other 49 states (including the contiguous states, Alaska, and Hawaii). It also has an oxygen depletion sensor that shuts off the gas if the air level gets too low, usually an indication of high carbon monoxide levels. Because of this feature, make sure you place the heater where you want it before igniting the propane. It's very sensitive, and while I was glad that it worked when I purposely pushed over the heater, it was a bit frustrating that it turned the heater off even when I moved the heater around slightly. The tip-over switch activates whenever you pick up or knock over the unit when it's powered on. The Buddy Heater boasts several safety features. However, if your porch and furniture are made of wood you may want to get a small metal table to sit the heater on. The heater is compact enough to sit on the side table of a gas grill. Heater also makes a 'Big Buddy' heater that packs nearly double the heat (18,000 Btu on max), which might be a good option for larger spaces. That's probably okay for non-pandemic times when folks are more comfortable being closer together, but for now, I'll probably stick to using the Buddy Heater for personal use. I didn't feel much heat when I tried sitting behind the unit, which is to be expected, so most of my guests would have to be sitting close together on one side of the table to stay warm. I tried sitting in various positions away from the heater along the length of my patio table and was able to feel a comfortable level of heat as long as I was facing the front of the heater. The company claims the heater can warm 225 square feet a little less than the size of my 300 square foot patio. While it was more than adequate for solo use, I wouldn't rely on this to keep multiple socially-distanced guests comfortable. Most restaurants, for example, use outdoor heaters that put out 40,000 Btu to keep a lot of guests comfortable over a wide area.īy comparison, the Buddy Heater produces 9,000 Btu on its max setting. The higher the Btu, the more heat a device can produce, though the exact max temperature a heater can reach depends on the starting air temperature, weather conditions, and heater design (a tall dome-top heater will disperse more heat evenly than a tabletop model that points in one direction).

Heating devices like the Buddy Heater advertise their heat output in British thermal units (Btu). The Buddy heater controls operate like the knob on a gas stove you press the knob to ignite the pilot and then turn to your desired heat setting. With the tank attached, it weighs about eight pounds, so it's also very light and easy to move around. It's meant to run on small one-pound propane tanks that you can buy at hardware or outdoor stores, but it doesn't come with one, so I had to take a trip to the store. It fit easily on top of my 5-foot metal patio table, with plenty of room to spare for food and drinks. It's bright red, relatively small, and rectangular, with dimensions of about 14 inches long and 15 inches tall. Instead, it's compact and rugged, like something you'd use to jump-start your car. My first reaction to the Buddy Heater was, 'Gosh, this is ugly.' It's not one of those sleek, upright patio heaters you'd spot at a restaurant. Heater Buddy Heater, I was skeptical that this compact little gadget would do much to warm me against the Canadian chill. As the temperatures hover around freezing at night, it's hard to sit outside and comfortably enjoy the fresh air. My deck, heavily shaded by a large and definitely hundred-year-old maple tree, is chilly even on warm days.

Big buddy heater