Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Propane Blue Flame Vent-Free Heater, VF30KBLUELP

3 reviews for Mr. Heater 30,000 BTU Propane Blue Flame Vent-Free Heater, VF30KBLUELP

1. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   blockhed66 – July 23, 2024

   I am in the process of building a home and needed to heat it as my radiant floor heat will not be installed for a while. I currently have close to 1000 square feet finished and am living in it as we build (framing is up with insulation with house wrap to keep the elements out. Basically it’s a giant tent.) The heater I wanted was out of stock so I “settled “ for this one, thinking I could use a couple portable heaters to heat the rooms down the hallway.. (about 40 feet away from the living room where I keep the heater).
   Not only did this unit heat the entire house evenly, but I haven’t had to turn it up past 2.5 (5 being highest). It has kept the house between 68 and 70 degrees for several months now, and the outside temperature has dipped below zero twice. It is ventless but we’ve never seem to notice any unpleasant exhaust smell. The only complaint was from my wife who dislikes the flash of light it creates when it starts up at night. It reminds her of her childhood in Bosnia and I have found her hiding under the bed more than once. I have solved that problem by making her sleep in the garage. It’s cold in there, but heck, it was cold in Bosnia.
   I recommend buying the blower which helps to efficiently distribute the heat evenly around the home. In conclusion, I would definitely recommend this unit for spaces up to 1000 square feet.

2. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   MarkB – August 12, 2024

   I am very pleased with this heater. It has one or two quirks that I didn’t expect (hence the 4.5 stars), but it puts out a terrific amount of heat, looks great and was a real bargain – Amazon is the best.

   What I didn’t expect:

   * It’s much larger than I expected. My impression based on the pictures I could find was that it was much smaller, but be prepared for a sizeable heater;
   * Contrary to the description, it doesn’t have a digital temperature readout. I was a little annoyed at first, but then most temperature gauges don’t work well anyway, and I heat the room to feel comfortable and not to a specific temperature, so this doesn’t matter much to me now;
   * The thermostat works differently than I expected. The unit puts out a constant amount of heat, regardless of the setting, but the higher thermostat settings make the unit run until the room is hotter before it shuts off, which works fine;
   * I run my heater on a 40 lb. propane bottle. If you plan to run on a bottle, be prepared to buy a pressure regulator, hose and some fittings. Oddly, I couldn’t find the right combination from Mr. Heater, but did buy the Red Dragon kit on Amazon, which works well. The only other fitting I needed was an adapter from 3/8″ NPT to 3/8″ flare, which was only $3 at the local hardware store;
   * I read reviews elsewhere that the internal fan is quiet. I like the fact that it has the fan, but find it a bit noisy to my taste. Since I have a vaulted ceiling and ceiling fans, I will rarely use the internal fan. It seems to work fine without it and runs almost silently, which is very nice.

   Overall, a real deal in my opinion that suits my needs almost perfectly.

   August 2011 Update: A few more observations after using the heater for a while:

   * we can smell the byproducts of combustion in the room when we use this heater. This is not surprising since the combustion gases are vented into the room. As a result, we use it sparingly (usually just to warm the room) since the smell can be unpleasant, and undoubtedly isn’t good for your health if used extensively;
   * burning propane relases a fair bit of water vapour into the room, so we get condensation on the windows. Again, this is not a surprise;
   * this heater is certified by the Canadian Standards Association (CSA), which is one of the reasons I bought it. However, the CSA approval is only for use in the USA; these types of unvented heaters are not approved for use in Canada;
   * I did some reading online about unvented heaters (sadly after I bought this unit). Anyone interested in buying unvented heaters would do well to read up about the pros and cons before buying.

3. 

   Rated 5 out of 5

   Amazon Customer – August 19, 2024

   I bought this heater as a “temporary” solution to heat my 800 sq. ft. Great Room and Kitchen, until I could afford to get my 34,000 BTU fireplace completely redone. I was very skeptical at first because I was relying on electric baseboard all last winter. Let me tell you just how completely satisfied we are (the woman and I). This heater puts out A LOT of heat! The great room and the kitchen together can easily reach 80 degrees. Then if I put a fan in the kitchen to extend to the Foyer (approx 400 sq. ft.), I can heat the Foyer to about 65 or 70 degrees. I’m fueling this unit with a 100 lb propane tank. It gets run about 3 – 4 hours a night and so far the tank is still above 50% since Oct of 2015. I’m quite pleased. Also, I’ve installed a CO detector and haven’t heard a peep out of it.

   Now for the cons. I paid $350 for this heater in Oct. I see it’s now (Dec of 2015) down to $229. Grrrrr. Also, the the plumber wanted $360 to install. That included the filled propane tank, gas line, regulator, and labor. So a one time $700+ up front but well my electric bills were exceeding $400/month with just the electric baseboard. I’ve since gone on budget billing and still haven’t had to refill the propane (and only run baseboard in 2 rooms as opposed to 5) so the savings are obvious.

   As per other reviews, the thermostat controls how long the flame is lit, not how high the flame goes. Same concept and works perfectly. Not really a con, just putting it out there.

   Next, some reviews (and the product description) states that there is a fan that come with this. Mine did NOT come with a fan, but has provisions to add one. I’m not totally concerned about this but I would have liked to see how well that fan worked.

   Lastly, (and this may be my own fault) this heater will raise the humidity level in the house. This causes excessive condensation if not vented or dehumidified properly. This isn’t actually a fault of the heater, but in the construction of the building it heats. Namely my Foyer window. I shall insulate it to see if that helps.

   Overall, excellent heater. I just wish I had waited for the price to drop.