Author Topic: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?  (Read 196875 times)

Offline flyboyroy

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Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« on: Jan 14, 2010, 04:37 AM »
I  can't get my  Mr. Heater to light. 
As long as I am holding the button down the pilot will stay lit, but  no matter how long I hold it down, when I go to turn the knob to low (or high) - - it shuts off and the pilot goes out.    I even held a propane torch to it, thinking I wasnt  warming up the thermocouple,  but I  am sure I am leaving it on long enough to warm up.   

Any ideas ? 

Offline tcheesie

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #1 on: Jan 14, 2010, 04:44 AM »
I  can't get my  Mr. Heater to light. 
As long as I am holding the button down the pilot will stay lit, but  no matter how long I hold it down, when I go to turn the knob to low (or high) - - it shuts off and the pilot goes out.    I even held a propane torch to it, thinking I wasnt  warming up the thermocouple,  but I  am sure I am leaving it on long enough to warm up.   

Any ideas ? 

The thermocouple is shot....if it is new, take it back where you bought it.

Offline BlackIce

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #2 on: Jan 14, 2010, 04:48 AM »
I'm guessing it is a buddy heater you are talking about.  You also didn't mention if you are running it on a 1# or 20# bottle.  If it is the 20# bottle get the filter for it.  I use the 1# bottle on my buddy heater and mine does this annually.  I take compressed air to the ceramic surface that heats up and air it out good.  I also air out the opening where the flame for the pilot comes out and air out the area that the propane goes into at the area where the bottle screws in.  Mine gets dusty from being stored in a storage unit all summer and needs a good cleaning out before the season.  I pretty much air out any surace I can on it.  After I do this I screw the bottle back onto it and it works as good as the day I got it.
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Offline WALLCAT

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #3 on: Jan 14, 2010, 05:55 AM »
TRY TAKING A Q TIP SOAKED IN ALCOHOL AND PUT WHERE THE PILOT FLAME COMES OUT IT SHOULD GO IN ABOUT 2 INCHES. I HAD A SMALL SPIDER IN MINE. THERE ARE ALSO 2 SMALL HOLES ON THE SIDE OF THE SAME PIECE, MAKE SURE THEY AREN'T CLOGGED. IF THEY ARE LINED UP RIGHT YOU CAN PUT A PIECE OF WIRE ALL THE WAY THROUGH. HOPE THIS HELPS OTHER WISE THERE IS A TROUBLE SHOOTING PAGE ON THE MR. HEATER WEB SITE.

Offline Berkley4life

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #4 on: Jan 14, 2010, 06:25 AM »
is the propane tank you are using close to empty?  Mine does this when the tank gets below 1/4 or so, i think they have a low pressure shut off.

Offline 52niner

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #5 on: Jan 14, 2010, 06:27 AM »
If its a buddy heater the first thing you do when you take it out of the box is take it apart and bypass that piece of crap anti tip device.
"Beer is living proof that there is a God and he wants us to be happy." Ben Franklin

Offline flyboyroy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #6 on: Jan 14, 2010, 07:52 AM »
Thanks, guys.

I have some things to try. 
It is a buddy heater. 
Its not new - I used it last season
I have a 10lb tank, a hose, and I do have a filter
-- but the tank I am using is almost empty -- I think I will try that first as that is the easiest  thing to try :-)

I'll make a post   after I get home and tinker with it tonight.

Offline flyboyroy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #7 on: Jan 14, 2010, 07:30 PM »
well,  I  got  home and switched to a new tank.  Pilot would only stay lit if I held the button down.
I  took a compressor and blew out    anything  that looked like  it should be blown out.  Ran a wire down in where the pilot flame comes out --  still didnt work.

I  took the filter off, thinking maybe it needed replaced and I hooked the big tank up without the filter,   but that didnt help.

I  put a small 1lb cylinder on --- it made no difference, either.

I  held a propane torch to the thermocouple to make certain it was  warm - - - it didnt help

Any  ideas ?

Offline Fisherman 1

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #8 on: Jan 14, 2010, 08:06 PM »
Without a doubt, the thermocouple is shot, it's the small copper colored probe that senses heat and keeps the safety valve open.  When you're holding the button in on start up, it allows the gas to flow and keeps the pilot lit.  Once hot, the thermocouple makes a tiny bit of current (it's an electric device) and will keep the safety valve open by an electromagnet.  If it doesn't make any current, it won't keep the valve open and shuts off the gas. That's how they shut themselves off when the flame goes out or blows out.   When you replace it, don't tighten it much more than finger tight, otherwise you ruin the contact.

Offline flyboyroy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #9 on: Jan 15, 2010, 04:18 AM »
I still have the book on the heater -- I will call them and see if they will send me a new one.   Thanks.
As many of thes heaters as they sell - - I dont think I have ever been in a store that has sold any part for them, other than  hoses and filters.

Offline Grumpyoldman

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #10 on: Jan 15, 2010, 04:36 AM »
is the propane tank you are using close to empty?  Mine does this when the tank gets below 1/4 or so, i think they have a low pressure shut off.

Ditto here.

Offline flyboyroy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #11 on: Jan 15, 2010, 08:09 AM »
Hey guys --  It doesnt matter anyway.

You cant  go buy just a thermocouple. 
You have to  buy a whole new ignition assembly, which  replaces everything all at once.    It would be nice if you could just get the part you need,  but on the other hand,  the whole assembly is  12 bucks  at a local repair shop.

mr.heater.com   will get you to  a list of local repair shops that sell parts.

thanks for the  input, guys.

Offline slobhoy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #12 on: Jan 25, 2010, 04:23 PM »
was the ignition assembly the problem cause mine is doin the same thing

Offline flyboyroy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #13 on: Jan 25, 2010, 05:55 PM »
I put the new ignition assembly in, and I couldnt get the pilot  to light at all after that.   No propane was getting through.

I went out and got a different heater, and I havent  looked at it since then.   I'm thinking the new ignition assembly should fix it, and I probably   hooked something up wrong,  but  I  havent got back to it.

If its not the ignition assembly, then  it might be something like the  safety shutoffs.  I would bypass all that stuff,  but I think there is more to it than just unplugging them.

Good luck with yours -- let me know how you make out.


Offline slobhoy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #14 on: Jan 26, 2010, 05:19 AM »
im having a lil trouble getting the side off u got any tips

Offline flyboyroy

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #15 on: Jan 26, 2010, 05:45 AM »
im having a lil trouble getting the side off u got any tips

A repair guy showed me how to do it.  Its easy, but I never would have figured it out.

turn it upside  down -- there is a little "catch" on either side close to the bottom.   you just  "uncatch" it  with a screwdriver and it will start to  pull apart.   Then  you have to loolk close -- maybe get a flashlight --    but there is a  "catch" on either side   up about even with the top of the heater element.  taqke a long screwdriver and pop  off the catches and it pulls apart -- no screws, no nuthin.

The handle  just falls out, as do the  two legs on the bottom.  The control knob just pulls off and it only goes back on one way.  There are wires  to disconect, but they all have spade connections, so its no big deal. 

Offline bravotee

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Re: Mr. Heater wont stay lit ?
« Reply #16 on: Feb 26, 2020, 02:46 PM »
The thermocouple is shot....if it is new, take it back where you bought it.

...Or maybe it's just that the bare ground wire got separated from the coupler. I found this to be true with mine and, as a temp fix, just bent the wire enough to hold itself onto its previous contact spot. I was about the buy another Mr Heater when I ran across some of the comments here that gave me this idea.  Worked for me. Now, I just have to solder it back to make the fix permanent.

 



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