When it comes to a Mr. Buddy portable heater, the first step is to light the pilot and then the main burner. But if your Mr. Buddy heater pilot lights but not the burner, then that can be cause for concern.
I’ll walk you through why this happens in this guide. You’ll also find the solution to this problem and be able to fix this problem for good. So, let’s dive in!
Mr. Buddy Heater Pilot Lights But Not Burner: Solved A-Z
The main reason why your Mr. heater burner fails to ignite even though nothing is wrong with the pilot is due to a clogged burner orifice. While these heaters being portable is a tremendous advantage, it comes at a cost.
When you take these heaters out with you, they can easily get dirty. And over time, that dirt piles up and keeps the heater from working properly. Both the pilot and the main burner can be affected by dirt. But, as the pilot is okay in this case, the burner orifice is clogged.
As this issue gets bigger over time, it’s likely that your burner started showing signs of dust. Ideally, the flame of the burner should be orange in the middle and blue on the edges.
However, if the blue flame of the burner gets out of the ceramic tile, it’s a sure-shot indicator that something is clogging up the main burner assembly. It could be the accumulation of lint, dirt, or spider webs.
If you remember the burner emitting that blue flame before getting into this situation where it failed to light completely, now you know what the issue is. Now, you need an appropriate solution to this problem.
How To Fix Mr. Heater Pilot Lights But Not The Burner Issue?
Now that you know the main reason behind this issue is a clogged burner assembly, the solution should also be evident. You have to clean the burner assembly and get all the dirt out of it so that it can burn clean.
If your Mr. Heater big buddy heater pilot lights but not the burner, I know exactly what you should do. You can follow these steps to clean it:
Step 01 – Turn Off The Gas Supply
Before you do anything, make sure that you give the heater enough time to cool off. Otherwise, it can lead to a catastrophic accident. Turn off the gas supply to the heater and disconnect the hose from the heater.
Step 02 – Access The Main Burner
Take out the wire guard from the front of the heater so that you can have access to the internal components of the heater. Locate the burner assembly retaining screw at the bottom of the heater and remove it.
Once you remove this screw, you’ll be able to pull out the burner assembly. Then, check whether the interior casing of the burner is dirty. You can clean it by applying air pressure or cleaning it with a vacuum cleaner. Make sure you’re careful and don’t end up damaging other components when you do it.
Step 03- Clean The Main Burner
Check the main burner orifice and see if it’s clogged. Apply sufficient pressure to clear the orifice opening. Similarly, clean the ceramic tile and the venturi tube of the burner assembly to get all the dirt out of them.
The burner tile assembly should be seated against the reflector when you do it. When you’re done cleaning, slide the burner assembly back into its place and tighten the retaining screw.
If the main burner is secure in its position, you can put the wire guard on the heater again to complete the cleaning job. Try to light your heater again and see if that does the trick for you.
Now, that’s the process for a Mr. Heater big buddy heater. If your Mr. Heater little buddy heater pilot lights but not the burner, the process is mostly the same. The main difference is that you’ll have to remove the plastic service panel on the right side to access the burner.
You’ll have to remove six screws to take out the plastic service panel. But after that, the cleaning procedure is the same. You can use compressed air or a vacuum cleaner to get the job done.
If you’re using compressed air to clean it, make sure you don’t set the pressure higher than 30 PSI. After you’re done cleaning the heater, hopefully the main burner will stay lit without any issues.
How To Prevent Mr. Buddy Heater Not Working Issue?
As you’ve realized by now, dirt is the number one enemy that keeps the heater from working properly. So, anything you can do to prevent the heater from being dirty will help increase its lifespan in the long run.
However, one common source of dirt that people often ignore is the fuel source of the heater. Plus, a dirty pilot tube can be the reason the heaters don’t get enough propane. The liquid propane in the heater doesn’t turn immediately off when you turn it off.
It continues to supply propane at a decent pressure, and that leads to its accumulation inside the heater as well as the pilot light. So, as a preventive step to solve this issue, I’ll teach you a trick.
When you’re done using the heater, shut off the gas supply rather than turning off the heater. All the gas supplied to the heater will be burned off, and it’ll reduce the accumulation of fuel on the heater by a large margin.
This small change will have a big effect on ensuring that your heater works well for a long period of time. Apart from that, try to keep your heater as clean as possible. If you do that, I believe not only will your heater last a long time, but you’ll also face very few issues with it.
What To Do If The Mr. Heater Portable Buddy Heater Pilot Light Won’t Light?
So far, the assumption has been that the pilot light has been working fine. But it’s common for the pilot to not work how you want it to. Don’t worry, I won’t leave you stranded if you’re facing this issue.
The number one reason behind the pilot not lighting or not staying lit is that the pilot orifice is blocked. If your Mr. Buddy heater pilot light won’t stay lit for a long period of time, you need to clean it. A Q-tip and rubbing alcohol will be perfect for this job.
First of all, remove the outer cover of the portable heater so that you can have access to the pilot orifice. Then, dip the Q-tip in the rubbing alcohol solution, and then use the Q-tip to clean the pilot orifice. Once you’re happy with the cleaning job you’ve done, put the outer cover back in place.
So, how can you be sure whether you’ve cleaned the pilot orifice properly? The pilot should light, and the flame should be blue. If the flame is orange, it means that the pilot is burning off the dust.
It’s not an ideal situation for the heater to be in. So, if you see an orange flame, take out the cover again and clean the pilot orifice more thoroughly. Once you see a clean blue flame, you can rest assured that you’ve cleaned the pilot orifice awesomely.
If your Mr. Buddy heater pilot light won’t stay on after you remove the pilot knob, it could be due to your mistake. You need to keep the control knob in the pilot position long enough that it can purge the air from the holes.
I’d suggest that you hold down the control knob for at least 30-60 seconds before lighting the pilot. If you do that, the pilot should light up on the first attempt and work without any issues.
Of course, if none of these things work, there’s a strong possibility that the pilot assembly has gone bad. Unfortunately, your only option is to replace the pilot assembly in that case.
FAQs:
Can a faulty Mr. Buddy heater thermocouple make the pilot light go out?
Yes, the pilot light won’t stay lit if the thermocouple is faulty. However, you may face the same issue if the thermocouple is not close to the pilot flame. So, adjust its position and see if that works before replacing it.
How often should you clean the pilot and burner orifices in your Mr. Buddy heater?
The right answer to that is whenever they get dirty, you’d have to clean them. Check them as often as you can and make sure you clean the pilot and burner orifices once every few months.
Why does the Mr. Heater spark electrode fail to produce a spark?
The most common reason behind it is that the spark electrode is broken. If that’s the issue, you’ll have to replace it. However, a damaged or disconnected igniter wire can also make the spark electrode fail.
What do do it my Mr. Heater shuts off after 5 minutes?
When the pilot is blocked, it’s very common for the heater to go out after a while. So, you should clean the pilot orifice so that the heater doesn’t turn off anymore at all.
Conclusion
Now you know what to do if your Mr. Buddy heater pilot lights but not the burner. It’s a very common problem that you can expect to face after a few years of using your Mr. Heater unit.
However, I recommend that you keep the heater clean by following the maintenance guideline I shared with you. If you do that, you’ll face these issues less frequently and will have an easier time using this heater.
