heater options

[minnesotathorn]

anyone have a better heater option other than a sunflower or the big buddy?

can't handle the fumes & noise of the sunflower & big buddy is too unreliable.

[magnum mike]

I have used Buddy heaters since they came on the amrket. They had a few issues years ago but they have fixed the problems. They are quiet, adjustable, put out good heat, the fan on the Big Buddy is great and safe. If you don't bump or move them after they are lit, no problems.

[Northlander]

I was probably the most criticle of the buddies. I got a big buddie at the begining of the season because everyone said the issues were fixed. To my surprise my Big Buddy has been great so far. Both with 1#ers and the 20# hooked up with 12' hose witth regulator and quick disconect. Knock on wood.

[cavalierowner]

I'm with you on the fumes of the sunflower, I just couldn't take it either. Is your comment on the Big Buddy based on recent history? I am on my 5th season with my Big Buddy and no problems other than one small glitch last winter. I had trouble with the pilot going out one day. I e-mailed the manufacturer, they sent me detailed cleaning instructions, I spent about 15 minutes cleaning the pilot tube and no problems since. I will be interested to see what others use for an unvented heater.

I should add that I use a 20# tank with mine. And a filter, even if it may not be needed.

[fishwater]

anyone have a better heater option other than a sunflower or the big buddy?

can't handle the fumes & noise of the sunflower & big buddy is too unreliable.

I've been tempted to pick-up a Cabela's Quiet Blind Heater.

[DTro]

That looks like a decent option other than the fact that it doesn't have any heat adjustments. It is either on or off.

[NKLCOLT1911]

i usr the mr heater heater cooker which is almost the same as the one pictured above except it is round and has 3 heat settings, i like mine so far very low odor and puts out more than enough heat for my 6x6 hub. for the most part i run it on hi to get the temp up the turn it to low for the rest of the day.

[OnAFly]

We did that in a Denali II as well. The cooker worked great as we just set it on the opposite side and had a tone of fishing room. It kept us pleny warm on low. The cooking part was nice too.

[Jim Uran]

I have a cooker too, but I never use it anymore. The Big Buddy works great for me.

[fishwater]

That looks like a decent option other than the fact that it doesn't have any heat adjustments. It is either on or off.

Thanks for pointing that out, I almost just ordered one! On/off only is not going to work at all..

[Hawg]

Sunflowers and that blind heater are basically the same thing, dangerous and fumey. The answer to the question is no, Buddy heaters are the best option for a portable,direct vent in a permanant.

[OnIce]

I have read about people having issues with the Buddy heaters, but add me to the trouble free list. I have both sizes, and they have been great for me.

[ozzie]

I have 3 buddy heaters...1 big buddy and 2 regular buddies and no problems really with them. The only time I have trouble starting them is the first time every year and if it takes more than a minute or 2 I just end up buying a new filter and am back in business or I have had my propane tank (1lber) be to cold and had to warm it up to get the heater going.

[Reservoir Dawg]

I have 3 buddy heaters...1 big buddy and 2 regular buddies and no problems really with them. The only time I have trouble starting them is the first time every year and if it takes more than a minute or 2 I just end up buying a new filter and am back in business or I have had my propane tank (1lber) be to cold and had to warm it up to get the heater going.

I was having some problems with mine staying lit so I changed the filter and it's running great again. If you are using a larger than 1 pound tank put a filter on or you might have problems down the road.

[dan z]

BIG buddy heater works the best but I have other options if need be,

I have a direct hook-up sunflower which works very well

- and have two Mr. Heater/cookers those are starting to wear out and if remeber right they are very fumy(sp) I also had one go boom in the house, kinda scary

[Jacob]

I'm a big fan of the buddy heaters, my original buddy is super old and it takes a lickin and keeps on tickin! I just got a big buddy this year and so far it's sweet. I had 2 of the blind heater cookers and the problem I have with those is they can't take any abuse, way too fragile...the little gas line you have to be careful of and the on off plastic switch breaks off right away.

[MNice]

Not many options at all for a unvented heater in a portable, basically those 2. I've had both and prefer the heater cooker and run it on low. I fishing an otter house and 99% of the time I have the door at least 50% open, for ventilation as well as gawking around the lake.

[Tom7227]

I'm curious on why you need a filter for a device that uses propane. It's a gas and I don't understand what you would be filtering.

[bobbymalone]

I'm curious on why you need a filter for a device that uses propane. It's a gas and I don't understand what you would be filtering.

dirt and other debris that can get in through the fill line.

[pathogen]

Also, the pressure squeezes out impurities from the hose itself which can cause clogging issues.

[ozzie]

hey Pathogen shoot me a PM trying to see what is new up in Crosslake area...thanks

[hovermn]

I've been using the buddy heater for more years than I can remember, before they had issues with the internal regulator. So far it's been 99% trouble free. The only issue I had was my own fault. I dropped the portable from the truck harder than expected which jarred some junk loose, clogging the pilot tube. 10 minutes of cleaning later and it's back to perfect. I've used the 1 lbers, 11 lb and 20 lb tanks with it with no issues. My buddy and I have even used it in the hard sided fish house sleeping several times with great results. Of coure, a cracked window and CO detector is used. I would NOT do that with a Sunflower.

If you use the quick connect hose made specifically for the Big Buddy, no filter is needed. It's worth the cash IMO.

On a side note, I recently burned a hole in my new bibs on a friends Mr. Heater shortly after walking into his pop up. That's NEVER happened with the buddy heater!

[hovermn]

Another side note: It's rated for indoor use. Completely non-vented indoor use. The Sunflower or Cooker can't say that. I just can't stand the fumes and noise from the Sunflower. Go for the buddy with confidence