why is this advertised for in home use when the instructions specifically sate this is a life hazard?

A few factors enter into whether you can use this inside your home. I have been using mine in living room like a fireplace for 4 years now. My house is over 100 years old, with old windows so I get alot of oxygen coming in through them. I use a 20lb tank I bought new with a hose & regulator. Every time I get it refilled I use a gas sniffer I bought to check all the connections. The only time I have it on is when I'm in room watching TV. They have to say don't use it inside in instructions to protect them from lawsuits from people who are careless.

Is this safe to use in a closed up house in case of electric power loss?

I've used the smaller "Buddy" unit for a day in a "power outage drill" and was fine with it. I even put a CO detector nearby just incase, but it never went off. You do need to beware that it burns gas and uses oxygen, yet I think of it like a gas stove burner going. They suggest in the manual to "Open a window at least 8 square inches for ventilation", yet how many people open a window if they'll put the potatoes on to boil for an hour on a gas stove? So it will do the job of heating and you may need to vent after a couple days, yet keeping a window open like that may be extreme (where it's stated more for avoiding law suits than really needed). There's also thing to think about like they say "Floors may have fading from the radiant heat" where there's things like that to consider when choosing where to place it. Also it's against fire codes to bring any tank bigger than 1 pound inside, yet on high this will burn 1 pound in 1.5 hours showing why many want a 20 pound or bigger tank as a supply. I considered kerosene heaters for such, yet didn't like the $8 a gallon price of fuel for them and they have the same burning gas risks etc. Running a generator to run electric heaters can burn near a gallon of gas an hour for a couple space heaters (3000 watt load) showing what it's cost to run will be. So not a lot of choices that make sense.

how long does it last? If I use it in my shop can I leave it running overnight at a low setting so my stuff doesn't freeze? Thanks in advance

With this on "Med" so 1 burner is bright red, you burn 1 pound of gas in 3 hours. Having it on low will burn about 1/2 that, so 2 small tanks could last 12 hours. Connecting a refillable tank may be well worth it since those small tanks are $3 each for 1 pound (or a quart or propane), you can get tanks refilled for $3 a gallon. Hoses like the F271803 or F273704 will connect this up to a refillable tank.

Would this work for a baseball game. Or do you need some sort of enclosure to trap heat?

The Big Buddy id designed to be used in enclosed spaces and won't heat a large space outdoors. However, it could take the chill off those who are sitting reasonably close to the front of it, especially if the built in fan* is used to blow warm air towards the user(s). *The Big Buddy's fan can be run on batteries placed in the back of the unit or with an electrical adaptor that can be purchased separately on Amazon.

Brand	Mr. Heater
Model Number	F274800
Color	Red and Black
Product Dimensions	18.9 x 18.3 x 11.9 cm; 6.53 kg
Auto Shutoff	No
Number of Speeds	1
Special Features	Portable
Item Weight	6.53 Kilograms

Mr Heater MH18B Portable"Big Buddy" Heater [Kitchen & Home] [Kitchen & Home]

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