Reviews of Mr. Heater 80,000 BTU Propane Convection Heater #MH80CV

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $172.15
Sale Price: $116.33
Today's Bonus: 32% Off

I use the Mr. Heater 30-80K convection heater in my garage, which is roughly 625 SF with high 14 ft. ceilings, CMU block wall, un-insulated ceiling. During winter months of the teens outside, I can bring the inside temp of my garage up to 70 degrees within a short time. However, you may need to hang a box fan up near the ceiling or install a ceiling fan to circulate the heat back down, it puts out a strong trickle of heat in a 360 degree radius that is easy to regulate to keep from alternating between freezing and roasting.

The biggest plus for me with this unit it the lack of objectionable fumes as are produced by forced air kerosene heaters, the propane burns clean and is easy to purchase at my local filling station, no spills or lugging around 5 gallon containers of kerosene.

If massive amounts of heat are what you want, you should consider the forced air propane heater made by Mr. Heater. They put out massive quantities of heat in short order.

I get about 15 hours of use per 25 pound propane tank, the same type my BBQ runs on, by turning this unit on high and then shutting it down to low, alternating this cycle. You can use upwards of a 100 pound propane tank.

The unit is much smaller then I expected which is a plus, it is light and very well made and simple to use.

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First let me say I've had good experience with other Mr Heater products. I own the buddy and big buddy heaters, and I love them and have NEVER had a problem with them (with exception to the brittle plastics).

With that said, I am torn on this product. I had high expectations based on reviews I've read, product literature, features, specs and prior Mr Heater experience.

Why I bought it:

Emergency preparedness. To heat our home in the event of a power failure during the snow storms that have been sweeping the country. I bought this because its efficient, affordable, portable, easy to use, clean heat. I bought this because our kerosene heater is WAY too expensive to operate, because Kerosene is harder to find, and because Kerosene is a dirty heat. Propane is cheap, available every where, stable, long lasting (shelf life), and very efficient. I bought it because it puts out an incredible amount of BTUs.

What went wrong:

I read the manual before using it. After reading the setup and operating instructions, it explains in detail conditions of unsafe operation. It states that the flame inside should be mostly blue with very little yellow. It states there should be NO FLAMES exiting the unit. It states that if any of these conditions are experienced, to shut off the gas supply and heater, and call a service center immediately.

When I turned on the unit, I immediately got an intense jet-like after-burner of a flame that was about 1" of blue and 8" of yellow. The flame reached the top of the unit and began to bow and bubble the top metal piece. The flame was so intense and strong that it began to wick out of the unit and above it. Uh-oh. I was really freaked out. Like fearing for my life and home freaked out.

So I did as the manual stated. And 3 days later I was able to speak with a 'human' (I use that term loosely).

The first two days I called (during hours), I sat on hold for 45 minutes. Then I gave up. I mean really, 45 minutes?? Whats wrong with this place? Do they have THAT many support calls? Is there anyone home? Can they not afford to pay enough agents to take calls? What happened to this company?

So on day 2 I chose the option to get a call back. It took 6 attempts before this option work, before the system assured me I would be called back when my turn came up. No call back.

I called the 3rd day, went through the same experience. Hold for 45 minutes, multiple attempts at getting the call-back system to work. No call back after hours of waiting. So I called back and chose sales. Someone in sales answered fairly quickly (so they like to sell but can't support??), I explained the problem I was having with their phone system, and she said she would transfer me back into the queue at highest priority and I would be the next call answered. 45 minutes later I hung up.

Fast forward eventually someone called me. However, it was like talking to a wall. Or zombie. In fact, I'd rather talk to my dog. At least he smiles at me. This guy sounded like he was asleep. He did not laugh. I was overly cheery and happy to talk to him. I think he hated his job. Or was at a funeral. I'm sorry, he was just so lifeless. I felt like he HATED me for calling.

Long story short, the agent told me he "didn't know why the manual says that, it sounds like its operating fine". I said what about the yellow flame, its suppose to be blue? I said what about the warping metal top? I said what about the flames coming out of it? His answer: "that sounds normal".

So I called Amazon, explained the problem with the product, the company, and my fears; and Amazon happily sent me a second unit to try out within 2 days (my choice). The second unit had the same problem. I call it a problem because the manual does. In the end Amazons excellent Customer Service took care of me, and took both of the units back at their expense. I will be looking for a new propane heater.

I hope you have better luck then me; but honestly I cannot recommend this unit to anyone because I would hate to see someone injured in the process; or loose their home and valuables. Its just not worth the risk, and the manufacturer just couldn't come trough. I personally value my home, my life, my family, and my children more than this this unit just isn't worth the risk.

Report card:

Amazon A++ (Amazon is truly amazing)

Manufacturer F (Fix your phones, your people, your products, your manuals)

Product F (This thing will hurt someone)

Manufacturer Support Agent F (Wake up, find a job you enjoy, and learn how to be a human being with a heart, a mind, and a smile)

Yikes, I know. Trust me, I'm feeling the same way.

[Please Vote!]

I hope this review gives you some insight and help with your choice, and a little knowledge from an unbiased owner. If so, please click on "YES" below this review to vote it as helpful. Thanks!

(Thanks for the questions, comments and votes fellow Amazon shoppers... keep them coming too!)

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This is a great heat generator, and sounds like a jet when running full blast. I love it, but when I use it on the covered patio of a party people think it is too loud. For working around it is good, but for a party situtation I wish I had found one of the short unbrella style heaters instead, the radiat the heat down better and are not loud.

Honest reviews on Mr. Heater 80,000 BTU Propane Convection Heater #MH80CV

I don't work for Mr. Heater, but I do work at a propane company. I've read some reviews of some issues with the flame in the heater. These issues may be caused by propane liquid getting into the hose instead of vapor. This is a problem because propane devices are designed to burn propane gas, not liquid, when you get liquid going through, it burns like a fast burning napalm. Napalm is bad. It also burns much hotter (thus the warping lid). This can be caused by a few things. Most commonly would be extreme cold temperatures. Pure Propane does well at cold temperatures but turns to liquid around -45 degrees, however, because what is in your tank is not pure propane (other things get in there too, no way to avoid that) the other gases cause it to liquefy at warmer temps. Most domestic sale propane liquefies between -20 and -27 degrees Fahrenheit. Another cause could be an over-pressurized tank. Too much pressure could cause the tank to contain more liquid than it's supposed to. A third cause would be the simplest fix: the tank is upside-down or on it's side, this could cause whatever liquid IS in the tank to come out first.

I hope this helps someone!

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I bought this as a supplement to a kerosene jet heater that I also use in my garage. I use the jet for quick heat up in the winter, but the down side is the fumes and lack of thermostat. This (Mr. Heater) heater is great if you are going to be working around it because it's cleaner burning and collapses for storage. It puts off a little bit of black ash if you burn it too low, but turn it up and it goes away.

Cheap Classic Flame Strasburg Vintage Cherry Fireplace with Casters

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List Price: $599.76
Sale Price: $375.99
Today's Bonus: 37% Off

This is our second Classic Flame purchase. We wanted a smaller, portable unit for the bedroom to add warmth on cold nights. We have been very pleased with this unit! Comes with a remote control or, you can use the control panel buttons, both activate the automatic on-screen function indicators (indicators fade out when not in use). The flame is very realistic, there are 5 brightness levels so you can choose the desired flame intensity. The heater has 11 thermostat levels to cycle through (62, 64, 66-82 degrees), or turn the heater off and enjoy the ambiance. Also has a timer ... what a great idea! You can choose from one of ten timer settings: 30 minutes, or 1-9 hours. We turn the fireplace on 70 degrees and set the timer before we head up to bed ... the room heats up very quickly and is warm toasty when we arrive. Because the timer is set, the unit turns itself off after we're asleep. The cabinet is very pretty, too. The top has the look of inlaid wood trim which adds a very nice touch! If you're looking for a smaller, attractive fireplace/heater consider this unit. You'll get a beautiful cabinet, realistic fire (google Classic Flame, they've won awards), remote, temperature levels, and timer!

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Conair Waterfall Foot Spa with Lights, Bubbles, and Heat Review

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List Price: $59.99
Sale Price: $35.99
Today's Bonus: 40% Off

Being disabled with foot pain daily, I did my research first before buying this and it had the best reviews overall, excepting the heater issue, but with the Amazon Return Policy I wasn't worried. This machine has everything you'd ever want in a foot massager like powerful bubbles, shiatsu balls for each foot, light therapy (don't know if it really helps), a waterfall for your foot top, and best of all, it fits my size 13 4E width men's feet! The heater will keep your water from growing completely cold, maintaining it at about 80-85 degrees, definitely not hot but better than nothing. It would be surprising if a manufacturer made a foot massager heater really all that hot, due to the potential liability issues, especially with children. So overall I'm very excited to own this and am not that concerned about the heater. I start the water at about 110 degrees which gives me a 30-45 minute soak, which is all I need. If you are a woman or just concerned about how your feet look, you'll really love this Conair FB-52 since it has all the pedicure attachments you could ever want. I don't even bother with them but now that I've been using this machine for 2 weeks now, I've noticed that all the dead skin and callouses are entirely gone from my feet, just in rubbing the dead skin off while drying after a soak. This machine comes highly recommended from this customer. It would be a great gift for the woman who has everything, and especially helpful for pregnancy foot pain issues at the end of the day. Overall: Great buy for $40 on a product that will get used.

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Unit works well with the blue lights, waterfall, and pumice stone. It's not quite a portable spa, but it is better than a plastic tub with hot water. The instructions say that the heat should last about 20 minutes and it does.

What you should know is that this machine does not heat cold water. You have to put in hot water, about 110 degrees, and the machine will slightly heat the water, but not much. With the bubbles, waterfall, and everything running the temperature drops sharply within about 15 minutes.

If you want a relaxing foot soak with passive massagers, bubbles, and a waterfall, this unit is perfect.

Don't expect too much, though, from a $40 product. Was I happy to have purchased it? Yes. It does everything I want and came at a bargain.

I'll knock it down one star because the marketing builds it up to be more than it is.

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Based on documentation the heater is intended to "maintain temperature of warm water"

First use hinted that it wasn't doing the job, so I ran some tests with a digital thermometer. Hot tap water with the unit not plugged in lost 10-11 degrees in 10 minutes.

Same test with the heat/bubbles ON showed a drop of 28 degrees in 10 minutes. Another test with heat/bubbles plus waterfall shoed a drop of 31 degrees in 10 minutes.

Conclusion: the heater is too feeble to keep up with heat loss from room air being mixed with the water (bubbles or bubbles plus waterfall).

We returned for a refund.

Honest reviews on Conair Waterfall Foot Spa with Lights, Bubbles, and Heat

this unit should be another 4 to five inches wider. It hurts around the ancle area because you have to sit tightly and straight instead of being relaxed!

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I did a lot of product research before adding this particular model to my wish list, where my husband found and purchased it for me. I saw that it got very mixed reviews (as did pretty much all its competitors), but it seemed the best of the lot, and some of the negative comments might be chalked up to product misuse. Unfortunately I must now add mine to the others (I will be returning the product).

Pros:

Lots of bells and whistles. The lighting is pretty (although it serves no other function), and the waterfall is pleasant. While others have complained about excessive splashing, I did not find that to be the case on any setting when filled to the "max" fill line; it did splash out a few drops, but not enough to be any problem. I wonder if some of the complaints about splashing may have been due to over-filling. When the unit is filled to the "max" line, the water does not cover the foot, so it would seem natural to over-fill it. It has several attachments that look like they might have been useful had they been located somewhere accessible to the feet. The massaging rollers might be quite pleasant for someone with very small feet. Aside from the roller usage, the unit is plenty large enough for big feet (mine are size 10, and I believe the unit would even accommodate my husband's size 14 feet, albeit not with much room to move).

Cons:

The unit is horribly uncomfortable. Although I was sitting with my legs in as vertical a position as possible, the narrower width at the heel and straight sides of the unit means that it was quickly causing bruising above my ankles on either side. My feet are too large to make use of the massage rollers, so I removed them; both came out in pieces. The manual said that if the rollers are removed, the feet may be massaged on the gel insert; however, there was no other mention of a gel insert, nor was one included with my unit. The trough that had previously held the massage roller was sharp and painful with it removed.

Not recommended.

Review of Wagan 2577 Personal Fridge/Warmer - 7L Capacity

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List Price: $54.95
Sale Price: $43.50
Today's Bonus: 21% Off

Bought this item through Amazon which they shipped 7 Jun 2012. Today 20 Aug 2012 I phoned the Wagan Corp to let them know that their item was faulty. I went on to explain that the DC adaptor cord was faulty and the fridge would not work, they said the cords that came with the item are not coverd by their warranty. The warranty in the manual did not disqualify any thing being exempt from the warranty. Would suggest not buying from a company which does not stand behind their products as shipped.

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We just used this item on a two week trip. Our purpose was to keep some medication cool and have cool water. It worked on both counts within minutes the inside is cool. Remember to unplug it at night. It apparently only took about six hours to drain an Explorer battery. (It was still cool inside in the morning.) Lesson learned. These things cool to about 40 degrees below ambient, so in an air conditioned car it worked great. During short stops (up to two hours) we left it on and even though the inside car temp got to 100F the cooler was able to maintain a good cool environment. For what it is, and for the power it draws (45 watts or so?) it does the trick. It's not a refrigerator it's a cooler and for that it saved us from having to buy ice on the trip. I'm very happy with it. If the unit had more insulation is world be less useful because it would take up two much room in the car the size was just right for our needs.

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This cooler works very well when you put pre-chilled items in it. It has no problem keeping cold things cold (at least in the moderate temperatures I've used in it, so far).

It works OK with things that are room temperature IF you're willing to wait long enough for it.

I used it on a trip where I put leftovers from a restaurant in the cooler and plugged it in overnight at the hotel. In the morning everything was chilled. Cooled, not icy cold, but definitely a safe temp. It was probably about 7 hours, maybe 8.

When I got it I experimented with putting 6 cans of beer at room temp. in the cooler and leaving it overnight to see how cold they would be in the morning (not that I was planning to DRINK them in the morning, I just figured that beer would be something that is actually important to serve cold, not warm).

For the first test I somehow flipped the switch from "cooler" to "warmer" and didn't notice it. I SHOULD have noticed it because when in "cooler" mode the fan is on, the fan does not run in "warmer" mode. While this test obviously failed the "can it chill room temperature beer test," I did discover a few things. One, the "warmer" mode works really well and will warm up your beer so much that it will explode out of the cans while they are still in the cooler and make a great big mess. Two, it's very easy to accidentally switch into "warmer" mode. Three, whenever it's plugged in and the fan is not on, assume it is in "warmer" mode. Four, hot beer makes a nasty breakfast drink,

For the second "can it chill room temperature beer test" I made sure that it was in "cooler" mode, which is easy to do by ensuring you can hear the fan running. The beer was colder in the morning and certainly drinkable. (Did I drink it in the morning, or did I wait until at least noon?) Was it like the icy sensation depicted in beer commercials? No, but it was way better than the aforementioned hot beer.

Because keeping beer cold is so enjoyable, I also conducted a test where the 6 cans were started at refrigerator temperature and remained nicely so after a night on the "cooler" setting.

Here are some tips to success with this cooler (from my experience, you don't need any tips to make this work well as a warmer).

Most importantly, you have to buy an AC to DC adpater like the Wagan 5 Amp AC to 12V DC Power Adapter or similar. It needs to be 5 amps or more. You can NOT use one of those little wall wart style cigarette lighter adapters. You don't need it if you're ONLY going to use it in your car (with the car running!!!). You will find your car battery completely dead and perhaps damaged from over-discharge in the morning if you try to leave it plugged into your vehicle over-night.

It does seem to help to pre-chill the cooler for 20-30 minutes before putting stuff in it. I don't think this is completely necessary if you will be putting stuff in that is already cold and leaving it powered on while in transport. If you're going to put in room temperature stuff, then I think pre-chilling is a good idea.

The cooling (and I suppose heating) element of the cooler is in the bottom of the storage area. You can easily see it in the product photos. It's the lighter colored area on the inside in the photo where you're looking down into the open cooler from above. It would probably make more sense to have the cooling element on the TOP so that the coldness would come down onto the beer, or food. That wouldn't work so well for warming, but let me remind you how gross it is to drink hot beer. Anyways, that's how it is. To improve the efficiency, I always place a napkin or plastic bag over the top of the beer, or food, to make the cooling area smaller and more isolated. I can't say for certain that this makes a difference, but it probably does help a little. It's also useful to have a napkin around, because by the time you get to finishing that sixth beer, you'll probably have spilled a little on yourself.

The manual says not to use ice in conjunction with the cooler. I don't know why not. I haven't done this yet, but I think it's a good idea. On it's own without power, it is still an insulated, "sealed" container (maybe not super good insulation, but better than a paper bag). Put a bowl of ice on the kitchen counter and a bowl of ice your refrigerator. Which melts first? Right. So using ice (or probably better to use Blue Ice or similar) should help to keep things colder in warmer outside temperatures and/or lengthen the effective cooling time of the ice or ice substitute. I don't care what the manual says here. I'm using some ice packs on my next long usage, even if that means I can only fit in 5 cans of beer at a time (actually, it does hold 9 regular cans just fine, but just in case you want to also have some food).

MAKE SURE IT'S ON "COOLER" MODE!!! If you don't, it won't work as a cooler, and may in fact actually be on "warmer" mode, which might be bad!

Lastly, don't expect miracles from this little thing. Tasking it with cooling a 6 pack from room temperature is not really fair. Liquids can absorb and retain way too much energy before you notice a real change in temperature, especially for drinking. If you can, try to pre-chill your beer in some cold water for a little while, like a stream, or cold water from the tap, or wrapped in wet towels to use evaporative cooling. Then put in the cooler.

I can think of very few instances where you would want to use this as a warmer, but in case you do, it can do it, and do it very well. I guess they include that function because it's just as easy to make it work that way once the thermoelectric system is in place. I dunno. I think it's weird (and annoyingly easy to cook your beer).

The other biggest complaint I've seen in the other reviews is the noise level. All of the noise comes from the fan. The thermoelectric cooling/heating itself is silent. There is no fan for the "warmer" mode and you would never know it's on until you start hearing your beer cans explode in the middle of the night and wonder what the heck that strange sound is and where it is coming from and why your room smells like a dive bar. The "cooler" mode needs the fan to blow the hot air away from the heat sink. Yes, you can hear it in a hotel room. Yes, it's sorta loud. Is it terribly annoyingly loud? Not really. It's white noise. Really bothering you? Put it in the closet and close the door.

I also take advantage of the air discharge from the fan to keep the AC-to-DC adapter cool. Determine where the most air is being blown out and place the little box for the adapter in the air stream. The little adapter box does get warm, especially after several hours and this helps to keep it reasonably cooled off. Also the plug where you connect the adapter to the power cord (the male/female cigarette lighter adapter pieces) gets a little warm, too, so I also place this in the fan discharge area.

The only thing that really concerns me is the hinges for the door appear a little weak, but so far so good and I'll just continue to be careful about them.

Overall, I'd recommend this product as long as you temper your expectations (get it? "temper?") and follow the tips I noted above.

---

Update:

FYI, the CLA power cord is just over 6 feet long. Plenty long enough to reach from the front console to the back seat area (but not the rear cargo area of an SUV).

Another update: Overall it seems pretty durable. I manage to drop it from about waist height, loaded with food, onto a hard surface. It showed no signs of damage and still works just fine. Of course, food weighs less than beer, so I can't say that the results would have been the same had it been loaded with beer. But really, if you make a habit of dropping your beer, you've got different issues.

Honest reviews on Wagan 2577 Personal Fridge/Warmer - 7L Capacity

I bought this cooler for a family road trip. Just before we left I filled it with 6 bottles of orange juice from the fridge the night before and put them inside. They were still nice and cool when we drank them. There was still plenty of room for yogurt, string cheese and apples for the kids. I love how it helps us save money and eat better by bringing our own healthy snacks from home instead of stopping for fast food when the kids get hungry. The cup holders are a nice addition too.

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My wife and I had to make a 5 hour trip to a neighboring state to visit family. We had medication that needs to be kept refrigerated and at the hotel/motel we were staying at over the weekend, they did not offer a fridge in the room. So instead of getting a cooler and playing the "dump and refill the ice" game, I opted to purchase this product. As some other users have pointed out, this is a cooler, not an actual fridge. Perhaps calling the product a "personal fridge" could be misleading. The price was decent, compared to some others out there and it does keep things cool (have not yet tried the warmer). Our jeep had a cigarette lighter plugin that still pumped out power when the jeep was turned off, so in short instances where we had to stop for dinner/lunch, the cooler kept on working. One thing to note in the instructions, it does say not to leave it plugged in that way and make sure you unplug it before starting the vehicle again this little cooler does suck some battery power.

I ended up having to buy a converter to be able to plug the power into the wall socket from a cigarette lighter. DO NOT USE the converters that are used for cell phones! They do not output enough amps. I made this mistake and it melted the converter that was plugged into the wall. Wagan does sell a converter that is made this product. Since I was already in the middle of my trip, I bought a similar converter from the local W-mart and picked up a Coleman branded converter. It worked and the cooler kept the meds cool for the next 2 days without incident. For what I bought it to do, it did the job well. The only cons to this product is that the product looks and feels a little cheaply made and labels that are placed in the front of the switches, looked like it was (crookedly) placed there by a child. Other than that it is a decent product.