big buddy ?

[Ybone]

Had alot of problems last night with it. Wouldn't stay lit and was very hard to relight the pilot because the gas would shoot out so fast when depressing the control that it would blow the pilot out before it was lit. It seems to be ok in the warmth of my basement but in the cold of a portable it was almost unusable. I wondering if the regulator is freezing and causing the problem.

[BehindtheHead]

i have had problems like that if my tank tips over. when it the tank tips you can get liquid propane in the hose.

i take my heaters apart at the begining of every year. clean all the pipes and stuff out with pipe cleaners. also clean the orphus out.

[goose89]

Northlander, any advice?

I made a New Years resolution not to advice give / comment on "Buddy" heaters this year.

I'm having a tough time keeping it, but I'll just say "good luck" - You know exactly what I mean.

[Hubcat]

Sounds like air in the line. Are you using a 20# tank with a long hose?

I get the same thing when I unhook and rehook my 20# with a 6 foot hose.

I like to use a light and hold down the button and let the air run out while trying light it, sometimes it take more than a minute.

[Northlander]

Northlander, any advice?

I made a New Years resolution not to advice give / comment on "Buddy" heaters this year.

I'm having a tough time keeping it, but I'll just say "good luck" - You know exactly what I mean.

You know my advice on these money pits. Get rid of it and get a sunflower type heater that will start every time and give you reliable heat.

Hows that goose89?

[buzbunni]

A friend of mine was having "problems" with his Big Buddy heater in the portable.

Took it home and gave it a test run in the garage. It worked fine.

Hmmm.....

Turns out it was the low O2 sensor turning off the unit when the O2 became too low in the shack.

He opens a couple of vents in the portable now and Big Buddy doesn't shut off any longer.

Not sure if that's your issue, but I think it's a great feature.

[CaptainMusky]

Seems the usual Big Buddy haters are here already.

My two thoughts are 1) your tank was tipped on its side (as mentioned earlier) or 2)the 02 level is low.

Another thought, and this was something I was noticing with mine was that when the pilot first lights, I would try to turn to low, med or high and it would go out right away. This was actually user error on my part.

When it lights slowly lift the knob and then turn to the desired temp. Mine has been flawless otherwise.

[AndRo]

Here are a few things to run through:

http://www.mrheater.com/troubleshooting.aspx?id=25

[goose89]

Nice! A heater with a problem shooting guide longer than my lowrance depthfinder. May it also R.I.P.

Northlander, I expected nothing less

[fishwater]

My dad's been recently hating on his big buddy too. So funny, I tried it out and got it burning and hot in 5 minutes. It took me that long cause I caught a fish in the process of bleeding gas from the line. Maybe we need to have a how-to clinic for you folks with "problems."

[CaptainMusky]

My dad's been recently hating on his big buddy too. So funny, I tried it out and got it burning and hot in 5 minutes. It took me that long cause I caught a fish in the process of bleeding gas from the line. Maybe we need to have a how-to clinic for you folks with "problems."

amen! As I say in the IT business the problem usually lies between the keyboard and the chair.

[Jim Almquist]

My dad's been recently hating on his big buddy too. So funny, I tried it out and got it burning and hot in 5 minutes. It took me that long cause I caught a fish in the process of bleeding gas from the line. Maybe we need to have a how-to clinic for you folks with "problems."

[goose89]

Most of the complaints, and my experience, as well, center around a product that works initially (nine worked fine, minus pilot blow-outs, for first 6 or 7 outings), and then craps out on you when you need it. All the "fixes" (filters, regulators, 10# tanks need this, 20# tank needs that, 1#'ers need nothing) are laughable, IMO.

A pilot light in a heater meant to be in a portable is questionable at best as well. Fine in a hardside, but very poor idea for someone that moves from time to time, and doesn't bank / block the wind.

Sunflower / Mr Cooker heaters, if you can survive roaring noise &the noxious gases and smells , are simple, reliable, bulletproof heat.

But, if you like wondering if / when ......or like monkeying around with add-ons, good luck............

[Hookey]

THANK YOU !

My name is Ken and I am a reforming Big Buddy Hater.

My woes started out with the first year out of the Big Buddy heater. I bought it late in the season and retired it after three or four outings. Mine was involved in a recall and so I was able to exchange it for a new one.

I decided to give these heaters a second chance but became frustrated with trying to get and keep the pilot light lit.

I had been through the all the filter , regulator , and extension hose posts etc.

Your theory about having to bleed the air out of the line holds true. I did not know that. I have used the heater all this year and have not had a problem. While I do keep a sunflower heater hidden in a brown paper bag under the seat of the truck. I am trying to wean myself off keeping it around as a crutch.

One hint I will offer is that prior to storing the heater for the summer I seal it tightly in a plastic bag to keep spiders and dust out.

While having the local gas company shorten my official Big Buddy heater hose we found out that the hoses designed for these heaters are not your standard rubber gas line. There is a plastic hose inside the rubber hose that carries the gas. I would assume this is to keep rubber particles out of the fine jets of the heater. Knowing this I would avoid buying just any hose and adapter for the Buddy.

I really enjoy the clean burning heater and not breathing the heavy fumes from the sunflower heater but I can tell you this the first time this heater lets me down it is going out to the curb on thursday morning.

[mww24]

I've had a little buddy for 4 years now and it has never failed me once. It rides in my porty in no case and has gotten slush and snow all over it. water spilled on it. I bough a big buddy this year to heat my new hub shelter and to keep my fiance plenty warm. I've used probably 20 times this year allready and have had no problems. When its windy you do have to bank the house on the windblown side to keep it lit, but that should have been a common sense thing when you bought it. Hopefully you find out a solution. I only run the one pound tanks because I rarely drive out and dont want to lug my grill tank around or spend money on a 5 or 10 pound tank.

[DeeJ]

Way to offer solutions, guys. lol.

Just trash it and buy a new one, that's logical.

The "Fixes" are laughable IMO too because you don't need any - They work fine out of the box for anyone who can read.

[goose89]

I only run the one pound tanks because I rarely drive out and dont want to..... spend money on a 5 or 10 pound tank.

Ya, those 1#'rs are way cheaper than a 5 or 10# tank.

1# tanks users don't seem to have issues. I used a 5# tanks for a year w/o issue, but 2nd season, itworked in the garage, but failed on my much anticipated early ice walleye-fest. Back then, I didn't have all the info / advice like we do today after all the failures, problems and recalls / fixes.

[goose89]

Way to offer solutions, guys. lol.

Just trash it and buy a new one, that's logical.

The "Fixes" are laughable IMO too because you don't need any - They work fine out of the box for anyone who can read.

You're right, as long as you run 1# tanks or follow the common problems / fix guidelines. http://www.mrheater.com/troubleshooting.aspx?id=25

[Ybone]

It's definitely not using up the O2 in the portable, it doesn't run long enough to do that. It ran for 2 hours in the basement where it was warm with no problem but get it out in the cold even the garage which is unheated it won't run. As soon as it gets cold and it goes out it's hard to relight because it lets in too much gas when I depress the control on pilot. I'm able too light it with a torch or a match by depressing it and letting up on it and hope it catches but the gas comes in so fast that it blows the match out unless I let up on it quickly. Once I get it into a warm place the gas comes in normally. I wish someone would invent a functional safe heater to give them some competition. I've ruined too many jackets and at least one fishhouse with the sunflower plus the fumes are bad.

[Hookey]

I wish someone would invent a functional safe heater to give them some competition. I've ruined too many jackets and at least one fishhouse with the sunflower plus the fumes are bad.

Agreed, I think most of the problems with the Buddy heaters are a result of all the safety features it has.

The sunflower has a simple thermo couple and that is it. It does not have oxygen sensors or tip over switches yet it is legal.

A ceramic heater that lights with a match and only has a thermo couple would be the ticket for my use and would be much more dependable.

[NCLaker]

My dad's been recently hating on his big buddy too. So funny, I tried it out and got it burning and hot in 5 minutes. It took me that long cause I caught a fish in the process of bleeding gas from the line. Maybe we need to have a how-to clinic for you folks with "problems."

Bleeding gas from the line (external hose) can be a pain ... holding the pilot primer down forever till the gas starts flowing on the business end stinks, especially if you have a longer hose on real cold days. My work around is to install one 1# tank in the Big Buddy before I go out. Before lighting it on the ice I hookup the 11# tank and hose to the buddy and light it up. I let it run for a few minutes then disconnect the 1# so it is only running of the 11# tank. By using the 1#er initially with the 11# attached, it avoids depending on bleeding the gas through the 11# hose to get it started. Instead it uses the 1# immediately until gas is flowing through the external hose.

Sorry for the long winded explanation, but anyone that knows the frustration of trying for what seems forever to start the big buddy using a longer hose and external tank and a very cold day - they will love the workaround!!

When removing the 1# you have to be careful not to trip the tipover sensor. The big buddy 1# hook ups are designed to pivot upward which makes removal while lit very easy.

[fishwater]

A ceramic heater that lights with a match and only has a thermo couple would be the ticket for my use and would be much more dependable.

Cabela's sells a ceramic heater much like the mr. heater cooker.

[mww24]

yes. I know in the long run the 1 pounders are way more expensive than buying a tank. But I can swing 10 bucks from wal mart every couple of weeks to buy 4. I can not swing the 50 a new full tank costs plus the 15 for line and filter. 65 up front is hard for me to do. I'd rather spend the 10 and go fishing then save it to buy a tank . So walk in my shoes before you laugh at my comments goose. Just trying to share a positive opinion from someone who has two buddy heaters.

[foulpole18]

I have a tough buddy heater (I believe its basically the same as the Big buddy but yellow and has a different grill on it) and I have never had trouble with it. To bleed the air out of the line I just push the button in the middle of the quick disconnect till I smell gas (couple seconds most of time). Hook it up and fires right up.

I think my hose is 10' with a quick disconnect on it for connecting to the heater. No filter or anything else. Hook up to tank and bleed the air out and go.

I know some people have problems with the safety switches and I have never experienced any problem with them. I wonder in the tough buddy has different safety switches that aren't as sensitive or something. I picked mine up today and moved it a couple feet and it was still burning when I set it down.

Used to have the Mr. Heater cooker and while it gave off a ton of heat, I don't miss the noise and smell. I would buy another tough buddy heater without a doubt.

[Northlander]

Nice! A heater with a problem shooting guide longer than my lowrance depthfinder. May it also R.I.P.

Northlander, I expected nothing less