Portable Propane Water Heater?

[KenRexford]

The despair from fellow reefers in Texas has rekindled my own cold snap fears. I have a generator, as I live in Ohio. However, a thought occurred to me. If the current killer is cold, maybe a solution might be a portable propane water heater apparently used for camping. The specs seem good enough to save many tanks, for about $150. At first, I thought about the saltwater maybe killing the device, but at $150 it seems worth the loss.

I then thought about this idea as generally intriguing. In a power outage, electricity is premium. Heaters use a ton of electricity. Propane as a heater backup just sounds right. This might be the makings of a new product, or a new diy idea. I can imagine a portable propane water heater that I can tie into my return pump, back to the tank, dangling outside my closest window. Maybe a really cool setup might have a solenoid that switches to the propane heater line, pre-set at 80 degrees, when main power ends. Have the return pump on battery backup. Apparently the propane heater starts up on its own when water starts flowing. Tada!
Anyway, seems interesting...

 

[Blue Spot Octopus]

If I lived in a cold state and have natural gas, I would get a wall heater, they come in different sizes and BTU's, the beauty of these I know is a stretch, that they do not need any electricity to run. Ha, rusty toasty or shiver my timbers.

 

[jda]

While there is no substitute to having a generator and staying ahead of any cool down, if you could pump the water outside, then back in and be totally sure that the materials in one of those things was not going to corrode in saltwater and leave metals or other nasty things into your tank, then might be OK. Potable safe would be best, if such a thing exists.

If you are on natural gas, then you can usually just pigtail a natural gas furnace during a cold/long power outage and keep your home warm which keeps your tanks warm. Transfer switch can do this too if you are not into temporary wiring stuff... which I understand if people are not. We had electric strip heat in Missouri and a 10,000w genny could not run it. Here in Colorado, a 100 foot 14g extension cord with the end cut off will run any of our three furnaces... they draw very little wattage, really, to turn the squirrel cage. If you are going to pigtail, then make sure that your main breaker is off and that you are safe - it is not unsafe, but you have to be smart.

 

[HuduVudu]

Natural gas is BIG in TX and Generac makes whole house electrical systems. Gas for heat, Gas for electricity. There are some VERY happy people that spent very large sums of money for their Generacs.

 

[lalesiz]

I have a Camplux portable propane water heater, and it's worked great for my outdoor shower setup. It's pretty straightforward to use, with connections for a propane tank and a water source. The water heats up almost instantly, and the temperature control is quite precise. The main thing to watch out for is ensuring proper ventilation and keeping it away from flammable materials. I've found it to be an efficient and portable solution for hot water needs, perfect for camping or remote locations where electric options aren't feasible.

​