Diesel heat in ice shack.

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

So when we built our shack we decided to use an expedition oil heater. I've only spent a few nights there so far and have had issues with it. Does anyone else use oil heat, and, if so, do you happen to have a draft control tool? Last time I was there it was running for 8-10 hrs then rumbled and blew the top off...scared the crap out of us! It's a bit overkill too, we run it on low and always have the windows open or it gets way too hot in the shack. Does anyone have pros and cons about these heaters?? Is wood heat better?

[L J B 7]

We use the Expedition heater in our hunting trailer. It is a 10 by 40 trailer so it is probably quite a bit bigger than your ice shack. They can be temperamental for sure but I really like them once you get to know there quirks. Ours does not like to be run on low. It carbons up very quickly and will not burn as well. If we run ours on low, we have to clean the vaporizing tube which is underneath the diffuser quite often. Otherwise it will become clogged with soot or carbon and give us problems. ( although we've never had the top blow off! ) We have a draft control on our chimney that we adjusted through trial and ere. It has a small weight that can be balanced so that the damper opens or closes more easily depending on outside wind, and burn intensity. It seems to keep the burn more consistent. Also have a chimney cap that swivels in the wind so that strong winds will not downdraft the heater. We used to have a wood stove in our trailer, but, I would not want to go back to that. Constant, even heat with no getting up in the middle of the night to stoke the stove is a big bonus for oil heaters. When you tow your shack, remove the diffuser from the vaporizing tube. Our vaporizing tube broke off because of the diffuser ratting on top of it while towing. It is difficult to weld back on ( but not impossible ). Your biggest problem may be running the heater on low. If I were to build a ice shack I would get the smaller heater ( Trekker? ) and run it on high heat setting. Anyway, I guess the 2 most important points, in my opinion, are keep the heater clean( assuming you have a cleaning rod for your heater ) and run the heat as high as possible, which I know may be difficult given the smaller size of your ice shack.

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

The shack is 8x16, and 11' high to the peak. Even on low we have to have the windows open. We have the draft control and the swivel cap, as well as the proper height of chimney pipe. We have an upper bunk that is completely unusable because of the heat up there, lol.

We went out Xmas eve (around 8pm) and stayed the night, we don't have a fuel tank so we've been gravity feeding from Gerry cans in an upper rafter area where the fuel line can go straight down through the primer bulb and into the carb. So I flipped the reset on the carb, primed it, added the fuel with the baster thing and lit it. Took a bit of playing around and got it running well, however because it was a milder night had it on low.

Fast forward to 7am, it sounds like the stove was angry, rumbling with popping noises. Then boom, fireball and blew the top off! Between rumbles I was able to turn it off and it, after a few more pops, died out. We closed the windows and we were warm for a few hours. Once the stove cooled I changed the Gerry can and I started it back up and only ran it for an hour or so to get the heat back into the shack.

How efficient is your heater? Running on low we went through almost a full 5gal can...to me, wood would be more efficient and easier to control, unless we can make this one work.

I talked to a guy at Mier Hardware, he also said the treckker would be better for our shack. We could run it on high, use less fuel and have less issues.

I hope we can get it sorted out, I like the idea of oil but not waking up to a napalm strike. I feel like after Xmas I have post thematic stress disorder.

[Adrian 132]

For my 2 cents (sorry, 5 cents now-a-days) worth, I have had an oil heater with constant grief. (I grew up with a oil furnace and I can remember my dad steady cleaning and cursing the thing.) I sent my heater off to oil stove heaven and invested in an outside vented propane stove. ten times the heat control with NO soot issues at any temp setting, and no smell. My ice shack was 8 X 12 and a 12000 btu vented wall heater kept it at what ever temp I wanted in any weather with no issues. A 20 lb of propane would last 7 days with cooking on the propane hot plate stove (if it was really cold and windy, maybe 6 days). If you get a non vented propane heater, you will have serious moisture issues as burning propane produces a lot of moisture in the air. With a vented one...no moisture, and clear windows.

Just my thoughts

[Guest Airmech]

I'm not familiar with the Expedition heater,but have used an old colman oil heater in a portable garage hunting shack and it was pretty tempermental... if it was not perfectly level it would burn out of control... just something else to think about? The direct vented propane heater sounds like a winner. But do they sell them in canada or only the states. I've seen them at Northern tools online, but not in canadain retailers.

[naden 131]

x2 on the propane heater. The moisture from the non vented propane heaters can be minimized by using a small fan. I've stayed in a shack with a wood stove and it was way too hot and harder to maintain an even temp in such a small space.

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

Good to know, thanks for the information. The heater is on a layer of tile and our shack is level. Its a 10,000-30,000 BTU heater but with no controls to maintain a comfortable temperature. Also, when we put the shack out there we cleaned out any soot and used the cleaning rod to clean out the tube and everything seemed to work. Maybe would it cause that if there was moisture in the fuel? When it got close to the bottom of the can maybe it was starting to deliver water and cause the heater to malfunction?

As for propane, have those who use the direct vent heaters had any problems with flow when it's below normal cold outside?

I just worry on a safety standpoint as well, especially when I have my family in the shack. We have a ceiling fan but that only runs when the genny is on, looking at getting a small battery powered/solar exhaust fan for the upper bunk that will be ducted to another storage/pooper shack so we don't just exhaust good heat to the outdoors. This duck will be equipped with a backdraft damper....for those concerned about any nauseous gases (ie. Methane) that may be produced in said shack. Try to be as efficient as possible.

With the amount of time and money put into being comfortable we are looking at a solution that will make it so we don't have to babysit the shack and enjoy being on the ice, being with family, and of course, having a few bevies and relaxing.

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

Oh...what about a Mr. Heater MH18B portable heater, has anyone used these indoor safe heaters? Says up to 18,000BTU and 400sqft.

[NorthwestHunter 27]

Vented propane furnaces all the way. I bought an 11000 Btu Eskabe, and I am very happy with it.

Keep in mind that vented heaters are about 80% efficient, so you'll need to size up a bit over non-vented options.

http://www.houseneeds.com/heating/gas-space-heaters/eskabe-heater-direct-vent-gas-wall-furance-liquid-propane-dvel-12-lp

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

So these vented furnaces actually have a thermostat to control a constant temp? What size is your shack?

Ours is 8x16 with vaulted ceilings. 11' high in the center.

[Adrian 132]

This would work fine. With a little looking, you may find something close to town. No electricity needed and direct vented.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Williams-14-000-BTU-Direct-Vent-Natural-Gas-Compact-Console-Heater-Wall-Furnace/291314286952?_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851&_trkparms=aid%3D222007%26algo%3DSIC.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20131003132420%26meid%3D4bdd5bbae49a45bdbcf451124f5412ca%26pid%3D100005%26prg%3D20131003132420%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D6%26sd%3D381106230072&rt=nc

[Adrian 132]

Further to the vented vs non vented heaters..a 12,000 btu heater would produce about 1 lb of water per hour of operation running at max output. That moisture is vented outside in a vented system, and in a non vented system, it is in the building. A fan just blowing air around will not dissipate the moisture. The flame produces Carbon Dioxide. The carbon dioxide mixes with the oxygen in the air and produces water (more water, less oxygen). Unless you have a really well vented shack, I personally would stay away from non vented heaters. This is also the cause of vapor appearing on the ceiling and walls of some of the ice fishing portable shelters heated with a "Buddy" heater.

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

Thanks Adrian! I was going to buy the Buddy heater just as a backup for now, incase we had any other issues. I can also use it in my shed during the winter or for hunting season. I'm sure it will come in handy. I'm sure once the other guys that are in on the shack with me experience the issues that I've had, we'll be selling the oil heater which should supplement most of the cost of the new propane one. I like the fact that it runs on a pilot light and isn't always cranking heat!

Another thing I forgot to mention is the last night we were out there it was really calm all night and then the wind picked up in the morning. Maybe they are better for hunting camps where you are more hidden from the wind in the bush. That way you can set your draft and forget about it. I know when I talked to the guy at Mier Hardware he said to buy a draft tool so we can check and adjust it. Also if we move the shack it will most likely have different wind conditions so we'd have to adjust as well. I don't know...just a thought?

[L J B 7]

I was looking at the manual for this heater online. It says rumbling may be caused by poor fuel or lack of airflow. You may be correct in suggesting that running your fuel low and picking up water caused the problem. Especially since it started and ran fine on a new gerry can of fuel a few hours later. You say your fuel supply was in the rafter area and I wonder if that created a higher gravity situation for the fuel supply than is normal. I know the carburater is supposed to take care of this, but it's just a thought. Our fuel supply is only the minimum 12" in height above the intake on the carb. On about the 3 notch on the carb. our heater will run for about a day and a half on 5 gal. so it sounds like you are using quite a bit of fuel considering you are on the low setting. Cannot say I've heard too many people complain about vented propane heaters and they sound like they are a lot less temperamental than oil. I know that the Buddy heaters are " safe for indoor use " but anything that burns fuel and vents inside makes me nervous, especially if I'm sleeping in the heated area. CO detector recommended if you go that route.

[Adrian 132]

The propane heater I had in my shack had a really good wind deflector on the outside. No issues regardless of where the wind came from. Occasionally there are camper furnaces for sale on kijiji (there is one right now) I used to have an old camper with one that did not need electricity and it worked fine. I had a 12000 btu furnace in my truck camper that had a fan and thermostat just like in your house. It worked great. It would run off my truck battery for several days without killing the battery (mind you that was never real winter conditions, the coldest was about - 10)

[NorthwestHunter 27]

So these vented furnaces actually have a thermostat to control a constant temp? What size is your shack?

Ours is 8x16 with vaulted ceilings. 11' high in the center.

My shack is 6x10, and the 11000 Btu can cook me out of there once the shack gets warmed up.

I would probably go with the next size up for you.

I always keep a small buddy heater in my shack, just for backup.

But, knock on wood, my Eskabe has never let me down.

And yes, some are thermostat control - just like a household furnace.

[Guest DarrenRackShack]

I really like the idea of a thermostat, but I keep thinking wood. I'd you ever get stuck out there an extra day...you can make heat. It may be difficult to regulate but I'm already iffy with using any type of combustible in the shack...since the above noted napalm strike. LOL

I'll talk to the guys that are in on the shack with me and try to sway their minds to an alternate heat source. If anyone is looking for an oil heater...their may be one on the market soon. Haha