Milwaukee is launching a new M18 cordless forced air propane heater, model 0801-20.
The new Milwaukee heater is advertised as delivering “best-in-class heat output” and is rated at 30,000 to 70,000 BTU.
It’s designed for heating “well-ventilated small to mid-sized spaces.”
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The 0801-20 heater is compact, measuring 21″ long x 18.5″ tall x 10.5″ wide, and has a large carrying handle on top.
It can run for over 8 hours when powered with an M18 XC 5Ah battery.
Milwaukee’s fact sheet says that the heater is suited for providing heat to spaces up to 1,700 square feet.
The user interface is simple, with in-off, ignition, and variable temperature controls. There is also an auto shut-off gas valve to prevent leakage.
For users that prefer it, or are short on charged M18 batteries, the forced air heater can also be powered via AC extension cord.
It comes with a fuel regulator and 10-foot hose.
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Price: $229
ETA: July 2023
This product is NOT for use inside confined spaces, vehicles, or recreational spaces. It MUST be used in a properly ventilated area. Keep the heater no less than 7 feet away from the propane tank and combustibles.
Discussion
Just in time for… summer? It makes sense for cool weather equipment to be announced in warm weather, and warm weather gear when we’re coming out of winter, but I find it amusing nonetheless.
I’m not very familiar with forced air propane heaters, but they’re fairly straightforward. The fuel – propane – provides the thermal energy, and the battery (or AC) power turns the fan to help heat up a room or open space.
Given the combustion-based heat, this, and other heaters like it, can only be used outdoors or in very well-ventilated spaces.
From what I have seen and experienced, heaters like this work well for targeted heating of work spaces. There is some area heating, but you generally aim the heat towards where you want it – generally where you’ll be working.
Milwaukee claims that theirs delivers “best-in-class” heat output, and the 70,000 max BTU specs do support this. Dewalt’s has a 68,000 BTU sticker, and Ridgid’s tops out at 60,000 BTU.
With the heater said to deliver over 8 hours of runtime with a 5Ah battery, the AC power option is a good-to-have feature, just in case.
But if you’re looking primarily for an AC/corded machine, Mr. Heater has a 125,000 BTU model for just under $200 at Amazon.
Adam
I have the DeWalt so I likely won’t join the fray on the Milwaukee but it’s been a super handy tool to have here in the Midwest. I’ve used it on everything from temp heating small pole buildings, shop areas and stuck it in the basement over the winter during a cold spell when we were without power.
I really like that the controls are on the top of this model, DeWalt’s is kind of a pain and I don’t use it enough to have muscle memory when starting it up.
Steve
Could be handy – I plan on getting on for my unheated basement…
Aram
Be very careful, unless your basement is unusually drafty! At minimum get a carbon monoxide alarm, and remember that CO, unlike CO2, is slightly lighter than air.
Stuart
Don’t even joke about that.
Do NOT use this indoors or enclosed spaces.
If you have an unheated basement that you want to warm up, consider a mini split.
Sam
Well they do what’s expected and provide you with a warm area in those cold winter job sites.
I have no idea how this unit is constructed, but if it is like most torpedo heaters it will usually have a use life rated in hours. Off the top of my head I can’t recall the number. However, Long story short there are
typically wearable plastic impeller’s that need replacement after that rated time…breakdowns comes around faster than you want. Typically you can repair it yourself within a half hour after getting replacement parts, but it always leaves you wondering why they don’t have a more durable mechanism…seems unnecessarily dumb as it becomes yet another cost and time vampire to something that should last years.
Jared
I’ve also had my challenges with the impellers – often enough that I feel like they should give you a spare in the box. It’s not a big deal once you’ve swapped it once, but it would be nice to have a user manual with that information too.
Sam
Hahahaha…a spare set and a initial walk through would have been great.
But still a pain when you are in the middle of a job and it fails. You just ball up your fists and yell before you go fix it.
Big Richard
DeWalt also has a 90,000 BTU unit, but it is kerosene fueled, so I guess not technically in the same “class”. Though it is a cordless forced air heater, so same phylum perhaps?
https://www.farmandfleet.com/products/1430059-dewalt-90000-btu-cordless-hybrid-force-air-kerosene-heater.html
Nikk
Isn’t this very similar to the very old now ridgid 18v torpedo heater?
Jason
The Ridgid heater was great….. for about 4 hours of use. Then they would not restart. I had the same problem with three new heaters. I was hoping I got a bad one but I got three bad ones from three different stores. Hopefully Milwaukee worked out the issues the Ridgid had.
Eric
There is also a Ryobi unit that is 60k BTUs. They claim it will heat up to 2500 square feet though.
fred
My experience with these is a bit long in the tooth. We called this sort of item a “salamander”. The ones that we had burned kerosene and/or diesel, came on a wheeled cart and were plugged in. Use required good ventilation and even than you could smell the exhaust fumes. You could also hear them from some distance. Propane and battery power seems like a good fit for warming small spaces.
Jim Felt
We used as many as 4 propane Salamanders during cold weather inside hangers/warehouses/power plants for photo shoots. 250,000+ btu… each.
They always heated 20’ or even 50’ above us just dandy.
But we’d frequently stand maybe 10’ directly in front and try to warm up…
Good times!
fred
We had jobs in rural CT, MA, NY and PA. When we were the GC on new home construction in the winter, the salamanders and portable generators might be the only source of heat for quite a while. The crews would also be seen warming up around burn barrels where wood off-cuts were the fuel. Breaking off backhoe teeth in frozen ground also contributed to the “good times.”
Ben
“It was a pleasure to burn.”
Jeff
What I don’t understand is why this doesn’t have PackOut feet. That would make it perfect for storage up on the wall when not in use.
Randy S
You might be able to bolt a packout plate on one?
Jeff
Of course, you can modify it to make it compatible with PackOut dozens of ways. However, what I’m saying is that Milwaukee is missing it by not making everything compatible with PackOut. Just by having the feet PackOut compatible so it can be hung out of the way would be huge. At this point in the game, there doesn’t seem to be a good reason to release any new product that isn’t PackOut compatible.
Jason
Don’t worry that version will be double the price like the soft cooler and parts organizer
TomD
Because people would use to attached to their pack out stack and complain when it melted it.
Wally
Fumes are really bad with these things hence the well ventilated spot requirments. I have corded power one for years. Rarely use unless neccesary.
Do like the battery option and compact look. As always anything Milwaukee is pricey
And I bleed RED too
Travis
Oh Wally…. You must be thinking of the kerosene heaters. They stink bad but the propane ones smell no different than burning your gas grill. Really nonexistent
Andrew D.
I’d say he’s right on the money, honestly. I run my Ridgid one every winter, and usually the first time or two I don’t remember the fine tuning I had done the previous year to. There is a faint smell that may or may not be from the fuel, but smell or not, the carbon monoxide fumes are still there, and after 15 minutes of not quite enough ventilation, it makes my eyes itch like a bastard.
Stuart
Carbon monoxide is odorless, tasteless, and typically undetectable, which is why it’s so deadly and proper ventilation so vitally important. A faint smell can be from fuel that has not been combusted.
S
Hopefully a vent free option is in the works next.
Stuart
That’s not possible. Carbon monoxide is a product of fuel combustion and must be ventilated to avoid accumulation in an enclosed space. CO is odorless, colorless, and undetectable (unless you have a CO detector), and can kill you.
If it burns fuel, extremely good ventilation or use in an outdoors space is required.
Good ventilation doesn’t just mean open up some windows – you need extremely high airflow, such as a newly framed building that doesn’t have any walls put up yet.
The only vent-free heaters I know of are electric-powered that don’t consume any fuel. Electric heaters are highly inefficient and not a good fit for battery power.
Chris
You could look at indirect fired heaters and vent the exhaust outside
James
Any real world experience with this yet? I have a job in an unheated space coming on Saturday and debating picking this unit up…
James
We’re in freezing temps in Montreal now 🥶
James
Just picked it up after reading the 12 reviews I could find. Hopefully it does the job for years to come.