does using your buddy heater ever give you a headache?

[JSK76]

I have only used my buddy heater a few times this year and I noticed 3 out of 5 times I have had a headache after fishing and no, I'm not boozing and I keep the vents on the portable open. The heater it self seems to burn great and I haven't had any problems with it like so many others have. The strange part is it seems to take a while to get the headache like yesterday I stopped fishing at 6PM and at 5am I had a headache, kinda like a fishing hangover. I would say it totally coincidental but I'm not getting headaches any other times.

[CJH]

No. Never had a problem with it. This is the first I have ever heard of it with a Buddy, especially if your vents are open.

[jwhjr]

No I haven't ever gotten a headache from my buddy heater. I used to get them all the time with the sunflower, but never with the buddy.

[jwmiller33]

ive never got a headache from using my buddy either.. like jw said, i have gotten them before from a sunflower tho... sunflowers just kick out so much more heat and burn so much more propane that i think it is dangerous if you dont have sufficient ventilation. my buddy uses a sunflower sometimes in his pop up style portable and sometimes it just gets way too hot and i get a headache from the co2, even tho the portable has 2 small little vents built in on two of the sides, i dont think it is enough.. you need to make sure to have one of the windows open in order to avoid co2 headaches or other problems

[GatorBait]

Hmm, The buddies have a sensor that shuts it off if the o2 level becomes to low. I would have thought that would have kicked in if the fumes were actually bad enough to give you a headache afterwards. I've never had that issue yet, it's definately 100x better than the sunflowers though in that aspect. Maybe try a buddies buddy and see if the same thing happens. If you are getting 02 depletion even with your vents open and it's not shutting off correctly, I would get in touch with Mr.Heater. It can only save your life, bud.

[eurolarva]

My head feels weird after a long time but not a headache. The smell of burnt propane I think is what it is. I use my buddy all winter. Lack of oxygen may not be the problem it could be Carbon Monoxide (CO not CO2) but if your shack is vented this should not be a problem. Do you smoke when you fish?

[elkrivermn]

Use a battery carbon monoxide detector. I purchased one at Home Depot, they run of of AA batteries I believe. Better to be cautious.

[Neiko]

Are you using bottle propane or a tank with a hose? Is the tank outside? If there is a leak of the propane this may be causing it.

[boatfixer]

ive never got a headache from using my buddy either.. like jw said, i have gotten them before from a sunflower tho... sunflowers just kick out so much more heat and burn so much more propane that i think it is dangerous if you dont have sufficient ventilation. my buddy uses a sunflower sometimes in his pop up style portable and sometimes it just gets way too hot and i get a headache from the co2, even tho the portable has 2 small little vents built in on two of the sides, i dont think it is enough.. you need to make sure to have one of the windows open in order to avoid co2 headaches or other problems

Sunflowers actually burn less. 9000-14000 Btus and the big buddies burn up to 18000 btus. The over all design of the 2 are different in the way they burn.

[USDA3]

I get headaches fairly often after/during ice fishing, and I think its most likely from the heater. I have a small propane heater, and have used the big and buddy heaters as well. With my small heater I usually don't get anything, but if I have a friends buddy or big buddy in there, I usually have to get out of the portable (clam yukon or X2) every hour or so for a few minutes, that seems to help considerably. Even with the windows open, I need to get out. The only good thing is it makes me stay mobile, not good on the days its windy and below zero though.

[jwmiller33]

Sunflowers actually burn less. 9000-14000 Btus and the big buddies burn up to 18000 btus. The over all design of the 2 are different in the way they burn.

it depends what kind of sunflower you have.. and i have a mr buddy heater, not the big buddy heater.. the mr buddy burns 4000 btu's, up to 9k max according to their HSOforum... also buddy heaters have the built in co2 detector and sunflowers do not.

when we are in the pop up portable with the sunflower going, after about an hour or so, it is impossible to light a lighter. when you try to light the lighter, the flame goes about 2-4 inches above the actual lighter itself and then goes out, which is something i never saw before fishing with a sunflower. i think it is due to the lack of oxygen in the shack.. as soon as we open the door and get some fresh air in, you are able to light a lighter and the flame sits right on top of the lighter how it is supposed to.

i have felt light headed before while using the sunflower and it has given me a headache a couple times... the buddy heater never has

[JSK76]

I don't smoke, and I also get up and go out side every couple hours and the tank is out side with no smells of propane. I had my girlfriend with me yesterday and she didn't get a headache so either I'm highly sensitive to something about it, or it's completely coincidental, more then likely the second of the two.

[minnbowhunter]

My son has a ceramic ventless heater in his wheelhouse. I get headaches from it as well as a real iritated throat. other people say they are fine, I guess we are just sensitive to it.

[BriGuy88]

I've been using my buddy heater for years and haven't had any issues with headaches. I'm definitely more sensitive to the sunflower heaters though... can't spend more than an hour or so with them before I need a break. Can be like hanging out with the in-laws at Christmas!

[jwmiller33]

I'm definitely more sensitive to the sunflower heaters though... can't spend more than an hour or so with them before I need a break.

im in the exact same boat as you briguy88

[CAMAN]

I've had my Buddy for about 4 years now and never had a problem....until last week.

I started it up and within a few minutes my eyes started to burn got a headache and slightly dizzy. I shut it down and got some fresh air. I was confused because that had never happened before. I decided to try it again and after it got fully warmed up I could smell the faint smell of propane coming out of the actual ceramic heating element. I shut it down to make sure nothing was leaking and the smell went away. I tried to figure out what was going on and then I remembered...before I left the house I installed a half empty bottle that I had found stuffed back in the corner in my garage, I figured it had been there for a few years because it was pretty dusty.

I don't know if the propane went bad and wasn't burning cleanly, if some contaminants dropped into the fitting or what may have happened, but I changed out the bottle and it worked fine the rest of the day.

[MNice]

Ventilation is VERY important. I have a mr heater/cooker & an otter sled. I do not worry about banking the bottom flap,except if really windy, and I leave a flap of the door hang open at the top. Ya, I burn more fuel, but I get a constant change of air, and more importantly, no headaches. Dress warmer, and Ventilate.

[GoneFish'n71]

I get a headache if I don't have enough water. Is it possible that you are getting dehydrated?

[Zoob]

I don't smoke, and I also get up and go out side every couple hours and the tank is out side with no smells of propane. I had my girlfriend with me yesterday and she didn't get a headache so either I'm highly sensitive to something about it, or it's completely coincidental, more then likely the second of the two.

It's probably likely that you're sensitive to the smell of propane or burned propane or sensitive to lower oxygen levels.

Buddy's have a low-O2 sensor, and will kick off long before you run the risk of suffocating. CO is heavier than air, so if your portable is airtight at the bottom, it will fill up with CO at the bottom; which will shut off the Buddy before it reaches up to your head level (either the low-O2 or just not having O2 to burn fuel).

I'm going to venture a guess that you're simply sensitive to the normal-to-lower-to-normal air mixtures over the day.

I use the little Buddy with a Clam Expedition, and bank up the sides. It gets plenty toasty in there with the vents open up top - and leave one door flap opened a bit (about 6-12 inches at the bottom) to allow cool air to circulate back in (although it's not terribly needed, since the stitching is so poor, it breathes just fine).

[Red Cabin]

I used a buddy heater in my 8x12 perm for a few years. I would leave it run for the entire season, almost every time I spent an evening there I would have a headache the next day!

[Fishinguy40]

GET A BATTERY OPERATED CO DETECTOR AND USE IT!

Don't count on the low oxygen feature of the buddy heater. CO can be present in the atmosphere even if there is sufficient oxygen.

Any device that combusts fuel will produce carbon monoxide. Some are designed to burn more efficient than others and produce less CO but the smallest hiccup in the combustion process can change that.

I posted on here a couple years ago about an experience I had. Long story short.......I got carbon monoxide poisoning from a propane lantern that I was using in my portable. I was also using a buddy heater at the same time and it kept running. Opening the flaps didn't help either, as I did this when I first started to get a headache.

I verified it was the propane lantern by setting up the portable in my garage with the house CO detector, which has a LED read out. The detector pegged out at 999 ppm in less than a minute when I put the propane lantern inside.

I had used this lantern for years without any problems.

Get a CO detector and use it. Don't count on air flaps or ventillation. If a device puts out enough CO, the flaps in a portable do not allow enough air exchange.

[rcatcherman]

Fishingguy40 hit the nail on the head. It is such an inexpensive product to buy for your safety. CO detector, It could save your life!!!!

[Fishman11]

I also have a buddy heater, and when it does get a little too toasty in there I feel kind of light headed. So, now I just keep some ventilation in my shack. I suggest you leave some flaps open so there is air circulation, heat rises and collects at the top. This may contribute in you experiencing headaches also. Try it and see how it works. Good Luck!

[Tom7227]

Ive bin useng a sunflower fer yers and aint had no problums wit hedackes

[DaSwede]

Last year I got headaches all the time in my buddy's fish house using a Buddy Heater. Not sure why. Part of the problem is that I'm leaning over quite a bit and was getting a sore neck...tension headache. So not sure if it was the heater or just posture. Haven't had a problem this year though running my own Buddy.

[NCLaker]

Good advice USDA ... I try to get out of the shack periodically to get some fresh air. Also open the door periodically to get enought fresh air inside, don't trust the vents to get enough into the shack.