Mr Buddy Won't Light - Thermocouple???

[spontanyus]

I wonder if anyone understands the technology behind these Mr. Buddy heaters. I have one that I have used several times in the past, but now I'm having problems trying to light it. It says to hold the pilot for 30 seconds, but even holding it for 5 minutes isn't enough. I've used it enough to know it used to work, but I wouldn't think it was enough to wear it out. I'm going to say I probably ran it 30 times for maybe half an hour at a time.

[RRR]

Mine is an older model and it seems like every fall/winter I need to readjust the thermocouple. I usually discover it won't light when I really want it. I jut take a pair of long needle nose pliers and gently twist and reposition it. Might need to back off the screw a tad.

[spontanyus]

Last winter my house furnace wouldn't light. People on the internet were saying to lightly sand the surface of the thermocouple. So, I tried it and it worked. That bought me enough time to wait for the new one to get delivered.


I was thinking about trying that with this, but it is not made to be serviced, so I'm a little nervous about it.

[spontanyus]

For what it's worth. I started digging into the workings. I just assumed it wasn't serviceable, but I was wrong. You can buy several parts for it. I was considering ordering a new thermocouple when my attention was drawn to the "Tipover" switch.

To be clear, my attempts to light it over the last few days took place in various locations. So, it had been moved around and set in various positions, including on its side. So, it definitely had been jostled around somewhat.

It occurred to me that maybe the Tipover switch was stuck so I gave a little tap. I just picked it up and set it straight down a little bit hard. When I tried to light it again, it lit with no problem.

I found some parts on this website if anyone is interested:

https://www.mrheater.com/