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Big Buddy heater problem

Bulldoggr

By Bulldoggr
in Ice Fishing

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Bulldoggr Community Regular

Bulldoggr

Posted
Posted

When the Buddy heater came out years ago I bought one. had lots of problems with it. Mainly the pilot light kept getting blown out. I switched back to the sunflower heater.

After fishing with a friend that owns a Big Buddy heater and saw how well it heated the Otter lodge. I went out and bought one. that was 3 years ago. I think I was able to use it 2 times last year due to not having time to fish. Year before that it worked awesome.

as I was going over my equipment, and making sure everthing worked. I fired up the Big Buddy, it would burn for about 15 minutes and then go out. I would let it cool down. trying the one and two burners. Trying a Hose connect from a 20# tank and also with the 1 # tanks. it burns for 15 to 20 minutes then goes out. won't fire up until it is cooled down.

Any Advice?

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goose89 Mentor

goose89

Posted
Posted

http://www.hotspotoutdoors.com/forum/ubb...or_#Post2409817

Myself, I went back to the sure thing (sunflower / Mr. Cooker). I've had way too much bad luck and ruined outings to every trust a "buddy" again. I'm not into all the add-on fixes either. I prefer reliable and simple.

Good luck...........

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tonkapat Rising Star

tonkapat

Posted
Posted

Where did you run the buddy heater at? The pilot usually does that right before the low oxygen sensor shuts the heater off. If you were running it in the lodge with everything sealed up that is it. Run it in a garage or outside and see if it does the same thing.

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candiru Mentor

candiru

Posted
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I think there should be a sticky at the top for Buddy/Big Buddy heater problems.

Maybe in the spring there should be a get-together. Everyone can bring their finicky Buddy heaters that maybe work/ maybe not and their guns and have a big shoot/ buddy destruction party.

There is an alternative; Heat Plus in Angora MN builds heaters that operate quietly like the buddy heaters but without all the fancy switches. You turn on the valve and the propane flows. heat plus dot com

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servocam Collaborator

servocam

Posted
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From the Manual that you can download from Mr Heater:

If Heater keeps shutting “OFF” during normal operation.

CHECK

• Pilot is blocked – clean pilot, see MAINTENANCE.

• Provide minimum fresh air opening of 18 square inches (example 4 1/4” x 4 1/4” opening).

• Tip over switch activated from bumping heater. Re-light

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slurpie Experienced

slurpie

Posted
Posted

I am having the same problem. Just tore the whole heater apart but still works the same. My brother has one and i can see the pilot when lit is to short on mine. His flame goes out and surrounds the thermocoupler and mine does not. I am thinking it is a gas flow problem possibly the regulator. But the easiest is gonna buy a heater cooker sunflower. Good luck.

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Zoob Collaborator

Zoob

Posted
Posted

I ran my buddy all last year with 1 lb tanks for a few weeks, then switched to a 20 lb tank - and had no problems. No filter on the 20 lb tank, either - just a straight coupling via the hose/cable to the tank.

To me - it sounds like you have an oxygen problem around the sensor, or a regulator issue.

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quijibo Collaborator

quijibo

Posted
Posted

I use a 20#er for my big buddy and it turns off every few minutes too. I use the Mr Heater hose with the regulator on the tank end and a quick disconnect on the other end. There isn't a provision for a filter with this setup. I don't think that it's my pilot going out. Maybe I'll try the 5' hose + filter that I have for my Regular Buddy.

Adam

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cwebs Apprentice

cwebs

Posted
Posted

My Buddy heater was a real pain to keep going UNTILL I fixed the tip switch. Now it runs GREAT every time I use it. The switch was so touchy that you could not move in the camp. I tried a buy pass wire on the switch and found out that was the problem. For what it's worth.

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TyGuy02 Rising Star

TyGuy02

Posted
Posted

Last year I had my trusty sunflower snap off the tank so I splurged and bought the big buddy. Biggest pain, bought a new sunflower last week. I've never had the hose to hookup though, so I'm excited about that. I always just attached the sunflower to the #20 tank. Tons of extra room!

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