Mr. Heater: Heater/Cooker Propane Fire

Need to share a story/experience that happended to me this weekend.

On Saturday night, I was fishing for walleyes on Prior Lake.

I had my Mr. Heater (the type that holds 1 pound cylinders, and you can place it up right as a cooker too)

The propane can went empty. I let it cool down, as directed.

I changed the cylinder and it started right up. As it was warming up, I heard a hissing sound. Just at that moment, the can started on fire, where it screws into the heater.

I’m in a portable suitcase style fish house. Both sides are zippered shut. I’m alone.

I have a ball of fire on my wood floor. In a quick panic, I tried to blow out the fire, but the heater was too hot.

So, in one quick move, I grabbed the heater by the wire frame, unzipped the door, and threw out the ball of fire (propane bottle and heater) unto the ice.

Now, my fire ball is a ticking time-bomb, that is going to explode if I don’t get it out. In my still panic state, I kicked snow on it and it went out. It took about 15 kicks of snow to get it out.

I was alone………..It was probably a good thing, because if there was two of us in the shack, I don’t think it would of gone so well, in a panic state.

My point is this. I’ve never had a problem before. I’m not new around compressed fuel either. I’m an old certified welder.

BE CAREFULL WHEN YOU ARE USING THESE HEATERS.

I only received a small blister on my thumb, and I don’t have any hair on my hand. That is it……………..I got lucky, real lucky, for not taking the necessary precautions, and I know better……..

ALL, PLEASE UNDERSTAND THAT THIS COULD OF HAPPENED ON ANY TYPE OF HEATER. I DON’T THINK IT WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE HEATER AS MUCH AS A PROBLEM WITH THE PROPANE BOTTLE. I HAVEN’T LOOKED AT IT YET, BUT IT COULD OF BEEN SOMETHING AS LITTLE AS A PIECE OF DEBRIS THAT STOPPED THE “SEAL”.

I noticed last night that I had a couple bottles that had the threads messed up on them. I too had a flare up once, when the wife was with. She didn’t like that and neither did I.

Make sure to let your heater cool down before removing a partially filled cylinder – here is why:

One time I was taking off a partially filled propane cylinder after using the heater for a long time. The heater was still warm and there was the hiss of gas as the cylinder was being unscrewed. The gas ignited into flames when it came in contact with the warm heater. I dropped everything and luckily it all went out, but it could have easily kept burning as the cylinder was still screwed in half way. I was lucky that time and have learned to be really careful with those heaters. Now days I tend to dress a lot warmer and don’t use the heater too much. Instead I use the chemical heating pads you put in your boots/gloves when it is cold.

Dave Gulczinski

It is important to keep calm if there is a mishap. A propane cylinder will not explode. There is a pressure valve on them. Even if you toss one into a campfire they will only burn. keep calm and put out the fire.

Gator Hunter

gator’s right..I’ve even went as far as putting one in a fire, then shooting it with a rifle, and it still didn’t explode…it just burnt faster due to the extra hole
In a way it’d be a better deal if you could have a hose hooked up to your appliance and a valve at the end of the hose, so that you could shut the appliance off, shut the valve off on the hose, then switch out bottles…just a thought….
marcus

Gator is correct when he says the cylinders won’t explode. Liquid propane won’t burn. BUT the vapors do burn and can be explosive when mixed with the correct portion of air.

This is the reason the industry went to the “float filling” system on the larger tanks. When they were filled by weight, many times they would be over filled and not allow for expansion. The float system limits the tanks to be filled to 80%.

I had a 20 pounder filled in the winter a few years ago. When spring came and the sun started shining in the garage (and on the tank), the garage filled with gas because of the expansion. (Hence the warning to not store tanks in doors).

The releif valve on the tank was frosty….I’m a lucky guy.

What does this have to do with one pound bottled gas? When not in use replace the plastic cap. Those valves do leak!

Had a simular experience when I was a kid.
Was sitting in a canvas and wood shack when the oil heater that we were useing decided to start flowing faster than the heater could burn it off. the whole heater was on fire in no time. Like you I trough it out the door.
Kind of a hair raising experience. Probably why the hair on the arm took a little while to grow back.
Chock it up to a learning experience

I have the same Mr. Heater/Cooker and had lots of problems with the one pound cylinders. My biggest issue with them is how frosty they got sitting on the ice or floor of the shack. They would get frosty to the point of not working right like you described. Another problem I had when they got cold and frosty, was when I removed them at the end of the day, the valve wouldn’t close and all the rest of the propane would leak out.
Anyway, my friends and I all had enough problems with them, that now we all have 10 lb refillable tanks and hose kits that we use instead. Yes, they are a little bulkier to lug around, but we always have a relatively unlimited supply of propane, and none of the problems stated above. Not to mention that they are a lot cheaper to refill than buying 10 of the 1 lb. bottles.

Good Luck and be safe.

Mike

I know it’s a little more bulky, but I really like the 5lb propane bottles also. I’ve had nothing but bad luck with the 1lb bottles. Plus my Mr Cooker seems to go through them like candy.

Thanks for the info.

I will admit, I’m still a bit shook up over it. I didn’t know that those bottles wouldn’t explode. I still wouldn’t bet my life on it.

Looks like it is time to buy a hose and start lugging aroung a 10lb tank……….

Gary
You can put a 10 LB. tank and your heater into a milk crate and it hauls around pretty nice.

Gator Hunter

Santa just got the 10lb tank for me and I bought the hose to hook up to the Mr. heater. Hope that it works out slick!

One Question though….Marcus, why would you put the cylinder on the fire and then SHOOT IT??
Looking for the BIG BANG theory? We did stuff like that as kids I guess

All I can say about the shooting part was…I was 19, it was a hot summer nite, and there was a bon-fire…..there may have been some beer around too…..(I’m 29 now…older…and wiser by trial and error!)

Hey Marcus,
Been there done that. At 38 putting a aeresol can into the fire to see the explosion seems not to smart, but at 14 it kicked a$$

Quote:

---

Hey Marcus,
Been there done that. At 38 putting a aeresol can into the fire to see the explosion seems not to smart, but at 14 it kicked a$$

---

We used to think it was cool to do that at parties. Young and dumb I guess.

Gator Hunter

I guess my age is showing. Or my common sense is not showing….

Didn’t have 1 pound tanks when I was at the “exploding” age. We used smokeless gun powder (for the fuse) to set off 1 lbs cans of black powder…Actually we used black powder as a fuse twice….the first time and the last time. Lucky I still have my head. (and it also explains alot)

Do not try this at home no matter how old you are!