Mr. Heater 9,000 BTU Portable Buddy Radiant Propane Heater (MH9BX)
Product Information, Not A Review
Quick Specs
What Stands Out
What To Check
The Mr. Heater Portable Buddy is a radiant propane heater that screws onto a 1 lb cylinder and throws heat across one room. It is Amazon's best seller in Indoor Propane Space Heaters, and Mr. Heater lists it as indoor safe, which most propane heaters are not.
It is built for the winter outage. Gas furnaces need electricity to run the blower, so when the power drops the house cools fast. A Buddy lets the family pull into one room, close the door to the rest of the house and stay warm while the lights are out.
The Numbers That Matter
4,000 or 9,000 BTU, up to 225 sq ft. That is a bedroom, a den or a small living room. Low stretches the fuel, high warms a cold room faster.
3 hours high, 6 hours low per cylinder. Mr. Heater's own page gives these numbers, and the Amazon listing shows shorter ones, so plan with a margin. A few Coleman 16 oz propane cylinders on the garage shelf is the difference between a warm night and a heater with no fuel.
Oxygen depletion sensor and tip-over shutoff. The heater shuts itself off if the oxygen in the room drops too low or if it gets knocked over. Those two features are why it carries an indoor rating. They do not replace a carbon monoxide alarm.
| Spec | What it decides |
|---|---|
| 9,000 BTU max | How big a room it can warm |
| 3 hr high / 6 hr low | How many cylinders you need |
| ODS and tip-over shutoff | Why it is rated for indoor use |
| 9 sq in fresh air opening | The rule you cannot skip |
Safety rules from the manual. This is an unvented heater, so it burns the oxygen in the room and releases combustion gases into it. Mr. Heater's manual calls for a fresh air opening of at least 9 square inches, such as a window cracked open, whenever it runs. Without enough fresh air, the heater can produce carbon monoxide, which you cannot see or smell. Run a battery carbon monoxide alarm like the Kidde COB in the same room, and if it sounds, get everyone outside to fresh air and call 911.
Keep the heater clear of blankets, curtains, furniture, paper and anything else that can burn. The front grill gets hot, so keep kids and pets away from it. Do not store spare propane cylinders near the heater, change cylinders away from any flame, and do not use accessories Mr. Heater has not approved. Read the full manual before first use, not during the storm.
Who It Is For
The dad in a house with gas heat or no fireplace who wants a plan for a few cold days without power. It works as a system: this heater, a stock of Coleman 16 oz propane cylinders, and a Kidde COB battery carbon monoxide alarm that keeps watching when the wired alarms go quiet. Add Mart Cobra emergency Mylar blankets for the beds and a Jackery Explorer 300 for phones and lights.
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The Short Version
When the power is out and the furnace blower will not run, the Portable Buddy gives the family one warm room to gather in. It only belongs indoors with the fresh air opening from the manual and a battery carbon monoxide alarm in the same room.
MIKE MANNING
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