From now until the lakes freeze over, this report will cover topics related to the upcoming fishing season. Prepping your equipment now saves you trouble on the ice!
Today’s topic will get hot🔥… You’ve been warned! :-)
Note: You can click on the underlined words and phrases in the article to view the products.
Basic Cleaning and Maintenance of A Big Buddy Heater
The Big Buddy propane heater is the most reliable piece of ice fishing equipment I own. It requires almost no maintenance. A person could go through the whole heater and clean it up (there are plenty of YouTube videos on this topic), but that's usually unnecessary. I like to keep things simple and just clean the pilot assembly every year to make sure there is a good spark. I’m smart these days, so I clean the pilot assembly this time of year, before the ice covers our lakes.
Full disclosure- I am not a handy man, but I am resourceful. It's important to note, you don't need specialized tools for such a simple task. This year, I twisted up some fine steel wool I had nearby and rubbed it against the metal components of the pilot assembly seen in the picture below. I used a nearby screw driver to rub the steel wool on the hard to reach areas. A nail file or other abrasive material would work too. Regardless of how you clean the metal surface, this process removes built up carbon and other particles from the surface area of the components and allows for a solid spark, which ignites the propane.
If you can see a spark after the clicking sound, you did it right!
If the heater still won't ignite, you can clean the pilot tube with a cotton swap and some isopropyl alcohol, as shown below.
If problems persist, you may need to dive deeper into the issue. Like I said before, check YouTube!
Connecting to a Propane Source
The Big Buddy allows for multiple fuel delivery options. It houses two 1 lb. propane tanks internally, which the most convenient option. You can save money over time by purchasing refillable 1 lb. tanks made by Flame King and other brands. You first need to buy the refill kit (or another refill mechanism like mine, seen in the picture below). These tanks meet certain specifications that allow you to legally transport them after their initial use. As you can see, you do need to have a larger tank to from which you will refill the 1 pounders. *Be sure to read the instructions so you don't overfill the smaller tank.
While it's not required (or shown in the picture below) It can be helpful to place the small tank lower to the ground so gravity can assist in the process.
The Big Buddy heater is better than the smaller model because you can connect it to larger propane tanks using a Mr. Heater hose with a quick connect female adapter. I use this hose to connect my Big Buddy to a small Flame King 5 lb. propane tank (pictured below) because it is small and portable, but you can also connect it to larger tanks.
It doesn’t take much effort, and it will last longer than two 1 lb. containers. Hot tip–If the hose freezes, put it inside your coat for a few minutes to thaw it out. If your truck is nearby, use the defrost to thaw it out.
Thanks for reading! I hope you learned something from this article. Come back next week for more ice fishing preparation tips!
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