Little Buddy Heater problem!

Havent used this heater that much but the last time I did there was something definitely wrong! Pilot light goes on fine and the flame ignites the heater disc for lack of a better term. A short while later the heater makes a big poof noise and smells almost like burning plastic?! The heater disc goes out after this noise but the pilot flame stays on. I even think i seen a burning flame inside the housing of the heater head. Seems kind of dangerous at this point! Anybody have some experience with this?

No experience with this but YES this sounds dangerous. I suspect a leak somewhere.

I would NOT use your heater until the problem has been fixed.

this weekend in the shack my big buddy heater the pilot would ignite and then the heater would turn off when I went to low or high it would fizzle out quick. thought I was out of gas but the tank seemed to still have some. disconnected both ends from the heater and the tank reconnected them and worked fine. not sure if similar issue but might be worth a shot. does everything seem tight on the hose?

Not to be a Debbie downer, but there seems to be alot of issues with the buddy heaters, both sizes. From pilot lights going out to gas lines plugging. I understand that they are manufactured to be as safe as they can be inside a fish house, but they sound like they are more trouble than they are worth. I still use a sunflower heater and the only issue I have had is replacing the thermocouple after it was bent beyond recondition.

I had this problem last year with my big Buddy it’s the only issue I have ever had, mine was a simple fix and has worked fine since.Remove the back panel, to remove the orifice you’ll need 11&12 mm wrenches remove the orifice and soak it in rubbing alcohol, I let mine soak for 45 minutes, let it air dry and reinstall.Do Not poke anything threw the orifice as there’s a thin film on it, if you poke it you will ruin it

Your symptoms are identical to mine. I took it apart and found the gasket behind the tile was falling apart. The tech at mr heater diagnosed my problem exactly after describing the symptoms.

Mine was the regular buddy heater so that may change things some.

Mine had a plugged line, I had to take it apart and clean it as Outdraft detailed. I have since added an inline filter and it hasn’t had a problem since.