I did the installation myself, following the instructions which I found adequately detailed. It didn't take more than a few hours and most of that time was spent buying and installing the necessary gas fittings needed to tap into the existing LP line. Note that there are several gas fittings (not included) required to be installed at the heater connection. These include a union, tee, several nipples, a cutoff valve, and a sediment trap, which can be made with a nipple and cap. This is all explained in the instructions. All the gas fittings, pipe dope, and the 12-foot LP supply line needed for my installation ended up costing an extra $62 at the local hardware store.
The installation instructions explain that the propane supply must have a pressure of 11 to 14 inches of water. The regulator (Marshall Model 230) on my existing supply line met this requirement, so tapping into the line downstream from the regulator worked fine.
Although my living space is just 275 sq. ft., I chose this heater over the smaller 10k BTU KWP122 (which is rated for spaces up to 300 sq. ft.), because this is an older dwelling with single pane windows and loses heat fairly rapidly. I wanted to make sure I had enough heating power to keep up with that, as well as thinking this one would warm the space up faster when first turned on than a lower BTU model.
So now to the actual heater usage. I usually sleep with no heat, so when I awake in the morning it can be quite cold, sometimes as low as the upper 30s. It typically takes 1 to 2 hours for this heater to bring the temperature up to 70. As an example, starting at 35 degrees outside and 38 inside, it took one hour and 50 minutes to bring the temperature up to 70. Sometimes I use another portable heater at the same time to speed up this process, turning it off once a comfortable temperature is reached. That cuts the time in half, but it really isn't necessary when it's only moderately cold to start with. For some reason, maybe due to the infrared heat being projected out into the room, it feels more comfortable at a lower temperature with this heater than it did with my conventional forced-air furnace.
One minor complaint is that it is necessary to fool with the thermostat initially to determine what setting is comfortable. It's just a dial with numbers from 1 to 5, so you have to determine what the corresponding temperature is by trial and error. I've found that setting it just barely above 2 is close to 70 degrees. Too bad there isn't a remote, digital thermostat, which would be much more accurate. I still think it's better than having a model without a thermostat, since that would be "on" continuously, even if it was on low.
The piezo ignition is not automatic. You have to push a button on top of the heater to make it spark. It is rather loud when you do this, so if you have to push it repeatedly due to the gas not having reached the heater yet it might be a little annoying to some. It doesn't really bother me but I thought I would mention it.
I also installed a carbon monoxide detector just for peace of mind. It has not alarmed at all with the use of this heater.
I've noticed that some of Amazon's images of the KWP196 are incorrect. The 15k BTU models like this one have three heating panels, not two. The 10k BTU models such as the KWP122 have two panels.
I am keeping track of my propane usage and as soon as I have something to report on that I will update this review.
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UPDATE after 3 weeks of usage Here are the numbers on my propane usage. Area being heated is approximately 275 square feet, single-pane windows, not well insulated. When running I keep one window cracked open about a quarter of an inch, as well as one roof vent cracked open about the same.
Average propane used per hour of usage: 0.11 gallons
28% of the time the heater was burning continuously, bringing the room temp up to 70 degrees.
72% of the time the heater was cycling on and off to maintain the temperature at 70.
The average inside temperature was 49 when the heater was first lit.
The average amount of time it took the heater to raise the inside temperature to 70 (without using the additional portable heater) was 1 hour and 45 minutes.
Average outside temperature when heater was first started was 42.
Average outside temperature when inside temperature reached 70 was 46.
Thirteen gallons of propane lasted 21 days, average usage of almost 6 hours per day.
Conclusion: I really like this little heater. And it appears it's going to save me some money over using the forced-air furnace combined with electric heat, as I did formerly. Although my propane usage has doubled when compared to a similar period last year, propane is now my only heating fuel whereas last year I used it only to bring the room temperature up in the morning, then used electric heat the rest of the time to maintain the temperature. My electric usage has dropped by 64%.
/UPDATE 08-02-2013/ After a year and 9 months of usage the heater is still working fine. No issues. Always fires right up, except when I've had the gas turned off at the source for a long time. Then it takes about 5 minutes for it to reach the heater again when the gas is turned back on. But that's not the heater's fault.
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I bought this heater to save money instead of running the furnace in my motorhome. I hook it to a 5 gal propane tank inside the coach and it keeps the whole coach warm. The thermostat works great. I bought 2 legs that bolt on the bottom to make it free standing. This model radiates heat and is a lot better than the blue flame model. Well worth the money. This size is plenty of heat in a 40' motorhome.Best Deals for Kozy World KWP196 15,000-BTU Vent-Free LP-Gas Infrared Wall Heater
I would not recommend this product. Due the fact,that the write up and product information is not totally correct. Deerso, the seller of this product, after several attempts has yet to return any correspondence that I have tried with them. when contacting World Marketing the distributor they explained to me that The operating pressures stated are not correct. I then had to purchase a second regulator to handle the increased pressure. I then had to pay a second service call charge to have it installed and adjust. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT REPRESENTED VERY WELL. THE SELLER DEERSO HAS NEVER CONTACTED ME AFTER NUMEROUS TRIES, TO BACK UP THEIR PRODUCT. I FEEL THIS COMPANY SHOULD BE BANNED FROM SELLING ANYTHING ON AMAZON.Honest reviews on Kozy World KWP196 15,000-BTU Vent-Free LP-Gas Infrared Wall Heater
This product is fitting the bill in my 600 sq ft space I have it in. Pretty easy to install except that many fittings were needed. I paid about $100 extra to install it...mind you I ran copper pipe over about 12 ft and had to connect it to existing lines using a flaring tool and fasteners, etc. All in all though, the thermostat seems to work good and it does it's job. I'm pleased.Find helpful customer reviews and review ratings for Kozy World KWP196 15,000-BTU Vent-Free LP-Gas Infrared Wall Heater
worked very good love it i would oder it agian good for the price worked fine it gives out a lot of heat
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