Dickinson Marine Fireplace
We live in a tiny house and love our Dickinson Marine fireplace -- it does an excellent job of heating our 105-square-foot space. Watching the flames makes things very cozy on a cold day.
We generally use our fireplace beginning sometime in November through about April, depending on the weather. It uses very little propane; I think it cost us about $40 for heating this past winter. We use the 12v built-in blower when it is particularly cold or when we are trying to heat things up quickly. But forced-air heat blows around dust, which makes me sneeze, and it is a little noisy, too, so I prefer to leave the fan off when it’s not necessary. Without the fan on the heater is very quiet. For our small space and compared with electric space heaters or even central forced-air systems, this little guy takes the cake.
One nice side bonus: When the heater is on, I can place my coffee cup on top next to the flue to keep my coffee warm!
[Heater specs here. Dickinson is based in Coquitlam, BC, Canada, but they have a shipping warehouse across the border in Washington: shipping for this unit should run between $30 and $50 in the continental U.S. -- es]
Manufactured by and available from Dickinson Marine
Favorite (15)
Rob
Cool Tools loves heaters and stoves.
nate
I've got a feeling that "cold days" in sonoma county aren't really comparable to cold days in other parts of the country- but if it's big enough to heat a boat, I suppose it'd heat a 105 ft^2 area. I'm just wondering how much propane you'd go through, and how many BTUs it'd take to keep a more northerly homestead liveable.
I have computer equpment that is rated for more BTUs, upon further reflection. that's kind of scary.
Dave
The specs don't work. If I'm reading them right the heater is > 150% efficient!
;)
Jokey Smurf
105 sq. foot house? Why not just light a match?
It's neat-o.
Steve
If you're on the grid, I'd just get a $20, 1500 watt space heater. Heat output is almost the same as the P-9000 on low, and in many parts of the country it's actually cheaper to heat with electricity than propane these days.
Dave
Steve, even if electricity were 5 times the cost per BTU of propane (which it is a far cry from) you'd still take six years to catch up the cost of this expensive heater. ;)
Chris
I was intrigued with this heater the moment I saw it. I must admit I went back many times and re-read the review. We have some "off the grid" recreational property in the high desert with a 30 ft. trailer on it. It is equipped with a forced heat furnace that works quite well but is pretty noisy. During the winter it can be below freezing and even into the teens occasionally. I hunted around the internet and found this heater for just over $600. I finally decided to take the plunge and buy one for the trailer bedroom. I was very pleased when I received it as it is quality through and through. It comes complete as a kit, with everything except the gas lines. Once installed it functions superbly and appears to even make the whole trailer rather comfortable (on low with fan barely on) when it was in the mid to high 30s. As noted by others, yes it is expensive, yes it has limited output etc. We are sold on it and it seems to keep things rather toasty, doesn't use much propane, is very quiet and the ambiance is unbeatable. Glad we bought it!
dwd
Over a thousand bucks for a space heater sounds kind of pricey. It looks safe, but I think there are cheaper heaters available that are just as safe - at least for dry land. It may be worth the price to be on a boat that pitches and rolls all over the place.