Big Buddy Heater Quality

I have a big buddy which I have used probably less than 20 days in the shack and maybe 20 hours for heating my garage during projects when its particularly cold. When I first got it, it was absolutely impossible to get started in cold conditions (0F or so). The valve got so sticky you just couldn’t turn it to get it to spark the pilot. You could eventually get it to light with a torch or lighter. I called customer service and they gave me the usual about cleaning the pilot lite tube etc. which was a waste of time. Then we got talking about the valve and they eventually agreed to just send me a new valve. When I received it it was completely slathered in a waxy grease that resembled ear wax in texture at room temp conditions. I figured this was the original issue all along and proceeded to tear down the heater, clean up the valve and lightly lube it with a spray lube for guns. It works fine now even down to sub zero starts with no assistance…but the problem I have is all the crappy plastic parts on the heater. Almost every screw had broken the plastic tab and it just falls apart now. Like the plastic had aged and become so brittle it just fell apart. I got it back together but all the plastic bits are falling apart. Most likely due to material selection and the fact its a heater that gets hot and heat cycles frequently, eventually making the plastic brittle.

Is there another brand of heater of similar capability that is made better / higher quality? I don’t need the gimmicky fan either.

I also have the big buddy and have no issues. I did have to clean the line the propane comes in but easy peasy.

It takes a bit to purge the line.

I’ve had both the Buddy and Big Buddy for over ten years and never have had a problem. I maintain them as suggested and they have never failed me. If you treat them well, they will treat you well too.

I have a hunting buddy heater like that. Every screw broke the plastic surrounding it within a month. Must have been a bad run of plastic I guess. I use a bungee around the back hooking the outside of the wire shield to hold it together. Other than that it’s been a great heater.

luckydave wrote:

I’ve had both the Buddy and Big Buddy for over ten years and never have had a problem. I maintain them as suggested and they have never failed me. If you treat them well, they will treat you well too.

I agree. I’ve had my Big Buddy for alot of years without a single issue.

I have not been impressed with the plastics used on them.
I searched for a comparable unit before buying a hunting buddy also this fall.
I would be happy to pay $250 for one made out of metal…
Maybe if I break enough plastic I will just bend my own housing and transplant the guts.

If a guy could special order one I would take the plastic delete option with the exception of the handle for burn risk and then delete the bottle regulators and flip out doors off the sides and make the hose quick disconnect much easier to access. Make the same hardware fit in a much smaller package that way.

Must be a run of bad plastic as I have also had a buddy heater for going on ten years now and it’s been fine. I also have several friends running them and no issues.

Knocked my big buddy down the hole on this years trout opener. Reeled it up from the bottom of the lake and had it working two hours later. Its been good for me for 5 years and still going, amazingly. I’ve never cleaned the lines or done any maintenance. But I’ve only run the 1lb tanks in it.

I just bought an older but near new Big buddy with the fan and love it. It came with the extra hose for 20 pound tanks and heats my garage very nice. I can’t see where any plastic or the screws are or will break but I guess with rough usage on the ice and while bouncing around in travel the plastic could be brittle. I really like the click to start igniter over the battery powered pizio ones they now have.

they may have been around awhile but i just noticed dewalt makes a look alike..dont know if its built better.. also just read a article that if you use a hose from a separate tank they are made with little bit of oil in them and it is recommended to get the filter for heater. dont know if its a gimmick or not

If you buy the correct hose for quick disconnect, you don’t need a filter and no issues. Do some research for the correct hose.

Odd. Have had my regular Buddy for ten years it rides in my shack across the lake and I have never touched the thing except to hit the button to light it.

The only issue I have had with the Buddy Heaters is with the Little Buddy, too sensitive, goes out if I try to move it. The others I have work great…

The correct hose with the quick connect and the external regulator is part number F271803. They list it at $54 but I just saw it at ACME tools for $30. https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/mr-heater-f271803
They also sell the wall electric adapter for the fan if you have the fan model. https://www.acmetools.com/shop/tools/mr-heater-f276127
I know some here think the fan is useless but I disagree, it works fine and does help to circulate the heat around my garage and shanty. The fan was discontinued and from what I can find the reason is because the parts come from China and the tariffs made that option too expensive.

I’ve had many of the same issues with the Big Buddy – works fine until it gets really cold, like around 0 F and then won’t light or if it lights it won’t stay lit. Purchased the right hose, cleaned it from top to bottom, tried propane bottles and tanks…even stopped using full tanks to allow for gas expansion. I finally gave up and bought a Nu-Way – it’s a little clunkier to haul around but lights every time and stays lit. I also seen many plastic tabs cracked or broken – I cobbled the thing back together and now only use it when working in the garage and want a little extra heat.

The fan on my Big Buddy bit the dust this year. Can’t get a replacement until next August. Not having the fan running in the garage made a big difference so I put a small fan behind the unit to try and circulate the heat better. Still not as good as the built in fan.

I tested the components to be sure the fan was toast and it wasn’t a bad switch or wire. What I found was the wall adapter that was labeled 6 volts was putting out 10 volts. I assume that is the reason for the death of the fan.

I used to have trouble starting the Big Buddy and my smaller Buddy Heater as well. I reread the directions and once I followed them they both started much better.

I use a buddy heater on the ice. And got a hose to run of 20lb tanks this year. Do you guys recommend the filter ? I haven’t got one for it yet and had it out just about every weekend this winter. After switching tanks last weekend it gave me a little trouble staying running but then ran fine. I don’t have the hose that don’t require a filter.

Fishbonker wrote:

The fan on my Big Buddy bit the dust this year. Can’t get a replacement until next August. Not having the fan running in the garage made a big difference so I put a small fan behind the unit to try and circulate the heat better. Still not as good as the built in fan.

I tested the components to be sure the fan was toast and it wasn’t a bad switch or wire. What I found was the wall adapter that was labeled 6 volts was putting out 10 volts. I assume that is the reason for the death of the fan.

I used to have trouble starting the Big Buddy and my smaller Buddy Heater as well. I reread the directions and once I followed them they both started much better.

I am NOT the electrical wizard here by any stretch. 4 D cell batteries do equal 6 volts or so we would think. When the batteries are fresh they could actually register up to 7.5 volts and as they drain the voltage could reduce to below 4 volts. At some point the fan will quit running when the battery voltage gets too low. I suspect, but I will be discussing this with an electrical wizard buddy who knows this stuff, motors such as fans are fairly versatile and can run on a range of voltages with more volts running the fan faster and less slower. Whether or not 10 volts from the wall adapter is too much will be my question to my buddy. I will take a wild guess and assume that low voltage from the batteries is more detrimental to the fan than a steady higher voltage but that is just my guess. I did just order the wall adapter and I will check the output voltage when it arrives. Those wall adapters convert 120 AC volts and reduce it down to 6 or more DC volts so any fault in that conversion process could be problematic for the fan.

luckydave wrote:

If you buy the correct hose for quick disconnect, you don’t need a filter and no issues. Do some research for the correct hose.

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I was able to discuss the wall adapter voltage question with my electrical buddy. If the adapter is actually putting out over 9 volts that is a 50% increase for what the fan calls for, 6 volts, and this is too high. As I suspected, fan motors are pretty forgiving of over or under voltage inputs but 50% is pushing it.
I have a box full of old wall adapters and measured all the ones that claim 6V output. WOW are they all different. I found one that registers 6.2V and I had the right size pin plug and it works fine so I don’t expect any overpower issues. I suggest you find an adapter that is closer to the 6V output and splice the right end onto it if you get the fan motor replaced or fixed.

I have the hunting buddy as well. Great little unit but very cold blooded. I usually have to hold the pilot at least 20 seconds or so while igniting to get it going. Yes I turn the gas on for at least a couple minutes.
I used a fuel filter for a few years but then it just would not stay running. Take the filter off and just fine.
I baby this thing because if you get a flake of snow in it or in the hose, forget about it for like 10 minutes.
Oh well, it is what it is and hasn’t failed me yet, just some minor setbacks.

iceager01 wrote:

The only issue I have had with the Buddy Heaters is with the Little Buddy, too sensitive, goes out if I try to move it. The others I have work great…

It’s pretty easy to disable the switch inside the unit.

I had to on mine. The burner wouldn’t light 90% of the time. Now it’s flawless

Seen one survive a trip across almost bare ice at 70mph while still attached to a 20 pounder and spinning with the hose at full stretch like a bola.

The only issue I have had with my big buddy was the pilot light not staying lit. I took a q tip with some rubbing alcohol and rubbed it out now it works like new. I keep a little baggie with q tips and rubbing alcohol with me just incase it doesn’t start though. The fuel line also takes a little while to purge if disconnected as someone else already mentioned.

I guess the moral of the story here is that the plastic bits are really hit or miss on the quality. What I wish I could find would be a heater thats half the size and wasted bulk with the same radiant panels and btu output thats made of metal and preferably fits in a 5gal bucket for easy transport.

I’ve had both regular buddy and big buddy. Only time I ever had an issue was when big buddy got soaked on way to the spot. Otherwise they have always worked great, all the way to -20F. Maybe you just got a bad unit, I wouldn’t give up on them knowing most peoples experiences with them.

I ordered the wall adapter from Acme to run the fan in my garage. The first thing I did was plug it to the wall and check the output voltage. As another mentioned above, this is claimed to have an output voltage of 6V but on my meter it reads 10.5 Volts. It is going right back to Acme as Defective. I did have one here that does put out 6.2 volts so I just found the correct pin plug and spliced it onto that adapter. 10.5 volts is close to twice what these fans are rated for and I bet once you fry the fan there will be no fixing it.