Big Buddy Heater troubleshoot

[Davey Crockett]

I'm new to buddy heaters and have a question or two..

First time I used my new big buddy outside in a windbreak with just a slight breeze it wouldn't stay lit. I assumed the breeze was blowing it out because it would light right back up and burn hot until it quit again. After about an hour I finally got tired of lighting it and put it away and endured the cold. Is this normal ?

?#2 Have you ever had one pounders leak ?

A week later I fired it up one morning and it went out right away, tanks were empty.

The tanks were full when I installed them , That I know . My dad tried to learn me the hard way to check for gas leaks with a match , the big buddy instructions said check with soapy water , I passed on both and took a chance.

So far I'm not impressed when I compare buddy to the old milk house heaters I've been using for the last 50 years but maybe I got a lemon buddy.

 

[Kentucky Windage]

I'm new to buddy heaters and have a question or two..

First time I used my new big buddy outside in a windbreak with just a slight breeze it wouldn't stay lit. I assumed the breeze was blowing it out because it would light right back up and burn hot until it quit again. After about an hour I finally got tired of lighting it and put it away and endured the cold. Is this normal ?

?#2 Have you ever had one pounders leak ?

A week later I fired it up one morning and it went out right away, tanks were empty.

The tanks were full when I installed them , That I know . My dad tried to learn me the hard way to check for gas leaks with a match , the big buddy instructions said check with soapy water , I passed on both and took a chance.

So far I'm not impressed when I compare buddy to the old milk house heaters I've been using for the last 50 years but maybe I got a lemon buddy.

A buddy heater doesn’t like a breeze. You need to keep it out of the wind. It shouldn’t leak either. You might have a lemon. I could never go back to a sunflower heater. Buddy heaters burn much cleaner and quieter IME. I’ve been using the same big buddy heater for the last 8 years or so.

 

[guywhofishes]

Buddy intolerance of wind is exactly why I still prefer sunflowers for run and gun ice fishing

 

[Shockwave]

I had an issue where it would stay lit for about a minute then go out. I dipped a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and cleaned out the flame port. I have had to do this a couple times. Saw it on youtube and it worked great.

 

[Fisherman25]

Propane tank was outside, heater was inside.

When we hooked up the sunflower, that worked just fine.

Hose is without regulator.[/Q

The mostly likely cause based on what you're saying is you've plugged you system with debris from the hose. There's a bunch of YouTube videos explaining how to clean them out. If you're running the non regulated hoses, you should run a filter and change them every other year. It wasn't cold enough to freeze anything. That only happens when it gets -10 and colder.

- - - Updated - - -

Damnit! Once again punked by old thread!!

 

[johnr]

My buddy heater would put the pilot light at about half flame, not enough to heat the thermocoupler, so the effn thing wouldn't stay lit. Did the qtip in alcohol thing this morning after watching a YouTube video, and now it runs a nice flame to the coupler, however it isn't a nice bright blue flame, and it seems to be bigger than what I remember. It does however light the burners, so I guess that is all I give a shit about.

 

[johnr]

I had an issue where it would stay lit for about a minute then go out. I dipped a q-tip in rubbing alcohol and cleaned out the flame port. I have had to do this a couple times. Saw it on YouTube and it worked great.

Same

 

[Davey Crockett]

Those buggers are more finicky right out of the box than any old wore out heater or furnace Iv'e ever owned. Only used mine a couple times and it went back in the box and stored inside. During the cold spell Iast week I tried it and it worked good for a few min and quit and wouldn't light again. Watched a few more videos and warmed it up and it lit again and my pilot light had a nice big blue flame hitting the thermocoupler so I thought that can't be my problem and besides, it's brand new. I watch more videos and bypassed the tilt switch. Worked for 1/2 hour and same thing. since it was 30 below I thought lines might have moisture and freezing up so warmed it up tried it again and worked for 1/2 hour and quit. tore it all down again blew air through all the lines . put it together and ran for another 30 min and quit again. About this time I was ready to throw it in the reserve pit but finally thought I better try the qtip trick so I did and hardly any dirt at all on qtip and the pilot flame looked exactly the same afterwards but tried it again and it's been working perfectly every since.

 

[Kurtr]

I have had mine for 10 years no maintenance beat the shit out of it and it fires every time I click the ignitor. I think it was even a refurb when I bought it as it’s yellow.

 

[CatDaddy]

I have had mine for 10 years no maintenance beat the shit out of it and it fires every time I click the ignitor. I think it was even a refurb when I bought it as it’s yellow.

I have the same experience with mine. Beat the shit out of it and it continues to work. Running it off 20 lb with hose that doesn't have regulator built in. Probably 5 years in.....

 

[Prairie Doggin']

They are a bitch to get going with the hose and a 20# tank sometimes, especially if the tank was stored outside. Seems like the propane takes its time getting through the hose.

 

[BRK]

Same experience as @Kurtr for me. The only problems I have is through a 10' line on a 20lb tank but once you figure that out once it's never a problem again.

 

[shorthairsrus]

They are a bitch to get going with the hose and a 20# tank sometimes, especially if the tank was stored outside. Seems like the propane takes its time getting through the hose.

I leave the line on the heater -- or bleed the line before

 

[Davey Crockett]

yep, air in the system isn't a mystery but It doesn't make sense that the pilot light can get the thermocoupler hot enough within 10 seconds and then 1/2 hour later it goes out. I guess the only logical reason would be that in -30 the propane pressure is so low that the heating mode takes propane away from pilot light.

I'm glad I wasn't fishing , I thought 30 below would be a good time to do a test run in the yard.

 

[lunkerslayer]

I have had mine for 10 years no maintenance beat the shit out of it and it fires every time I click the ignitor. I think it was even a refurb when I bought it as it’s yellow.

Same I don't know how many times mine has hit the ice after flipping out of the flip over. This last time my plastic handle broke off, so I put a piece of round wood you use to hang clothes in your closet. The way i get better propane out of my 20# is to bring it inside the basement or in the laundry room when I'm not using it. And I'm cheap that I clean my screen and reuse it.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I read someone mention that closing the bleeder on tank while filling can get more pressure. I filled my bottle and tried that and no difference so brought tank inside overnight and still no difference.

My big fussy heater It burns so nice and clean when it works. I set up one of my old milk house heaters to warm the shack up when I was working in there and it stunk terrible.

 

[guywhofishes]

Same I don't know how many times mine has hit the ice after flipping out of the flip over. This last time my plastic handle broke off, so I put a piece of round wood you use to hang clothes in your closet. The way i get better propane out of my 20# is to bring it inside the basement or in the laundry room when I'm not using it. And I'm cheap that I clean my screen and reuse it.

I used do bring propane tanks inside.

After a while it just started to make that little bell ring in my head.

I'm finally old enough to listen when I hear that bell ring.

 

[Davey Crockett]

I avoid bringing it in at all cost except to work on it. In my head I need to know they work when they are cold or it's junk to me.

 

[guywhofishes]

I avoid bringing it in at all cost except to work on it. In my head I need to know they work when they are cold or it's junk to me.

I was talking propane tanks to be more specific.

I've occasionally smelled "that smell" (mercaptan) and it's a clue as to why it's frowned upon to bring them into an enclosed space.

 

[guywhofishes]

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