Mods for a sunflower heater

[Jethro80]

I'm pretty sure this has been thrown around here before.

I somehow need to ditch the tank and keep that outside, with that being said does anyone have any ideas about making a holder for the sunflower so the tank can sit outside?

[polarsusd81]

Easiest way is to buy a Mr. Heater Cooker. Keep the old one for use at home in the garage or whatever, but the Heater Cooker will take care of you nicely. I am not too big on the idea of modifying something that burns propane, just too much risk involved.

[Meatwad]

Yeah, the cooker attaches with a hose that runs under your house, or out your door to leave the tank outside. Just be careful when you cook with it and move it around, as I have burned my way through a hose in the past when the hose touched the sunflower.

[aanderud]

I am not too big on the idea of modifying something that burns propane, just too much risk involved.

You only live once, right?

Joking aside, in case you haven't seen it, here is what the heater/cooker that was recommended looks like - the thin wired metal frame/stand is probably what you would want to emulate:

If you're handy with metal you should be able to put together a frame similar to this for MUCH less than the 50+ bucks a heater/cooker will cost you. Time considerations may be a factor. I would factor in my time and lack of metalworking skills and instead buy the heater/cooker, but I know my dad would build a frame. Everyone has different skills, tools, and time available. This doesn't seem like a hard task at all for anyone who has some metal laying around. I don't know exactly what the fittings behind/below your sunflower look like, but my guess is that you could attach the frame/stand somehow with pipe or hose clamps, if not weld it to the back of the sunflower.

Of course you'll need a hose to go from the tank to the heater, but that's a given whether you buy a heater/cooker or modify your sunflower.

[Jethro80]

That's exactly what I have seen. The picture I seen wasn't the best in quality so I assumed it was the regular sunflower that was fabricated. Many thanks. Just think, you have saved a guy a square foot or 2 in the portie

[polarsusd81]

The other thing I was thinking about after I turned the computer off this morning, is that the fitting on the back of the tank mounted sunflower is a male fitting, and on the heater cooker it is a female fitting. The heater cooker accepts 1 lb tanks for early season comfort and the hose later in the season when you can bring the 20 lber out there.

[Sandmannd]

Easiest way is to buy a Mr. Heater Cooker. Keep the old one for use at home in the garage or whatever, but the Heater Cooker will take care of you nicely. I am not too big on the idea of modifying something that burns propane, just too much risk involved.

I agree with Tom. I don't see a way you could safely modify the Sunflower. With the way the fitings are, you aren't going to find a hose to do that anyway.