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Regular Buddy vs. Big Buddy?

St_Croix_Banks

By St_Croix_Banks
in Ice Fishing

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Brad B Veteran

Brad B

Posted
Posted

remember the regular buddy heater is designed to heat up to a 200 SQ FT area and the big buddy 400 SQ FT. so 6'X6'X6'= 216 SQ FT. so I would say go with a big buddy but just keep it set on low. this way if low was not enough then you could go higher if needed.

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wolfman-k Community Regular

wolfman-k

Posted
Posted

With the low-oxygen detector for safety & the built-in fan plus the ability to crank it up if needed, the Big Buddy is hard to beat. I would not hesitate to sleep in a fish-house with it as the primary heat source. There may be a couple of small quirks, but easily figured out and corrected, such as the pilot blowing out if the sides of your house aren't banked good enough. I built a small platform for mine to sit on, thus eliminating the pool of melted water under it when it was directly on the ice surface.

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MuskieJunkie Mentor

MuskieJunkie

Posted
Posted

remember the regular buddy heater is designed to heat up to a 200 SQ FT area and the big buddy 400 SQ FT. so 6'X6'X6'= 216 SQ FT. so I would say go with a big buddy but just keep it set on low. this way if low was not enough then you could go higher if needed.

That's not exactely right, 6x6x6 is 216 Cubic Feet (not a comparable measurement to what the heaters are rated for). 200 sqft is about the size of a large bedroom, about 14x14. 400 sqft is the size of a 2 car garage, 20x20.

A 6x6 ice house is 36 sq ft so in theory a regular buddy could heat 6 houses. Of course that's not the case.

The sqft rating on the heaters are WAY over rated. If I use my big buddy in my 500 sgft insulated garage you barely know it's on.

I'm not trying to nit pick your post, just trying to get info out there, hope this helps.

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Northlander Grand Master

Northlander

Posted
Posted

Originally Posted By: Northlander
I just got a Big Buddy at Marine General for $109. I would go Big Buddy. Get the quick adapter hose.

I think **** might have just froze over! shocked

Ya I know. This will be my 3rd and they say all the bugs are worked out. If not it goes back and Ill never mess with them again.

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DrSwiftwater Rookie

DrSwiftwater

Posted
Posted

I was at Fleet Farm this morning, and they had 50-60 Buddy Heaters on the shelves, and not one single Big Buddy...completely sold out.

I've used a Buddy heater for the last few years, and I agree with others, they work fine until the temps drop below 10F. Below this, and they just don't keep up. However, I lined the ceiling of my Clam 5600 with Reflectix just this year, and it's amazing how much warmer it is. Then again...if I had to buy a new heater, I would go with the Big Buddy.

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Brad B Veteran

Brad B

Posted
Posted

Originally Posted By: Brad B
remember the regular buddy heater is designed to heat up to a 200 SQ FT area and the big buddy 400 SQ FT. so 6'X6'X6'= 216 SQ FT. so I would say go with a big buddy but just keep it set on low. this way if low was not enough then you could go higher if needed.

That's not exactely right, 6x6x6 is 216 Cubic Feet (not a comparable measurement to what the heaters are rated for). 200 sqft is about the size of a large bedroom, about 14x14. 400 sqft is the size of a 2 car garage, 20x20.

A 6x6 ice house is 36 sq ft so in theory a regular buddy could heat 6 houses. Of course that's not the case.

The sqft rating on the heaters are WAY over rated. If I use my big buddy in my 500 sgft insulated garage you barely know it's on.

I'm not trying to nit pick your post, just trying to get info out there, hope this helps.

my bad I did figure that wrong. thanks for the correction.

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PurpleHaZe Contributor

PurpleHaZe

Posted
Posted

Ok ive been reading about this big buddy, small buddy post. question? I have a flip over style house and was thinking of putting the big buddy behind me in the sled will this work? i use a mr. heater cooker and I cant put it behind me. Thanks i hope this made sence?

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zamboni Grand Master

zamboni

Posted
Posted

I don't know. I have a Scout, and I don't think I ever put it behind me. You have enough room to put it between the holes and the front bottom support bar, makes adjusting it and keeping an eye on it easier. Put it behind you and you might smell your suit burning before you know it.

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daylate Enthusiast

daylate

Posted
Posted

I use a big buddy with a quick disconnect and a 20 lb tank out side. The key to staying comfortable is to have a small fan up by the ceiling circulating the hot air downward. I use a clam with LED lights that I found at gander. for 10 bucks you will be suprised by the difference it makes.

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bikeoutback Rising Star

bikeoutback

Posted
Posted

I ran without the filter the last couple years till reading about using a filter this year and picked one up. It should run fine they just say they just say you may get contaminants in the heater which would shorten it's life span. If it were me I'd go out use it have a good time and keep an eye out for a filter in the meantime and pick one up as soon as you find one but I'd rather be on the ice shortening the lifespan of my heater than sitting at home if I can help it.

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Jeremy airjer W Grand Master

Jeremy airjer W

Posted
Posted

I ran my big buddy for a couple years without a filter as well. Then I bought the RV quick connect hose with a regulator and still don't have to mess with a filter!

Filters where not an option when I purchased my little buddy and I ran that for a couple years as well.

I think having a new hose might have had something to do with it. I also turn off the propane and let the heater burn off the gas in the hose until it goes out.

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Got A Byte? Explorer

Got A Byte?

Posted
Posted

I have a big buddy and it works well unless its really cold. I was using it in a Eskimo Grand Caravan. Its a pretty big flip over.

When the sun went down and it was below zero I would get a little cold.

I now have a mr. heater double burner for those really cold days.

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Agronomist_at_IA Veteran

Agronomist_at_IA

Posted
Posted

Owned a sunflower/lil buddy/big buddy/heater/cooker. I will never ever ever buy another buddy heater, all I ever had was problems with the dang things. Between trying to light the things & keeping them from blowing out/going out I don't know if you'd ever get any fishing in. A heater cooker is $45-$60 a big buddy is like $100. Save yourself the money & the problems.

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thehawk Contributor

thehawk

Posted
Posted

big buddy all the way. I had a lil buddy and it didnt heat my shack at all, actually returned it. Bought the big buddy at FF for $90, this was marked down to that from $130. I dont have a filter on mine and she fires up everytime. This is funny...so i got a new porty this year and got it all set up and put together and the wife comes out to the garage for a smoke, we are smokers, but never in our house. so she is like this is cool, turn the heater on lets see how warm it gets in here. so i threw my new heater in there and fired it up. well being the freeze baby she is, she loved the heater and the house, so now we smoke in my porty with the heater on. she has gone thru more propane than I have fishin this winter...go figure!!

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