Newer Mr. Heater Big Maxx Garage Heater Breakdown 😐

[@tinyhouse534]

Well that really sucks! 😩

[@LynNurdle]

OMG what a pain! Hope you can get that fixed before it gets too cold!

[@PlanetMojo]

It should be 😊

[@Mary20457]

I really feel for you. I watched you go through great pains to get this set up right and now this has to happen. I hope they can ship and you can replace the motor without much of a fuss.

[@PlanetMojo]

Thanks Mary! I finally got ahold of Mr. Heater, and they are shipping a new motor. I expect it next week. I'm hoping that is the last of the problems at least for this year! 🤞😊

[@adenvet2830]

Hi Mojo, that would really pee me off only using it for such a short time,at least they are replacing it for free,hope you can get it unstalled sooner than later.

[@PlanetMojo]

Thanks Larry! I don't mind fixing things that are getting old, but this is a catastrophic failure - likely the sleeve bearing. The weather has warmed up nicely in the meantime, so I guess I'll wait for a rainy day to do the repairs. I need to get out and split firewood on these nice days! 🔥🔥😊

[@adenvet2830]

@@PlanetMojo I was gonna say try the ratchet strap way but then I thought no you have a splitter ha ha

[@PlanetMojo]

@@adenvet2830 I used the tire method in the past, that worked real well, and was very fast.

[@ccrx6700]

Im really sorry hear that happened, what a shame and very frustrating to deal with. Wish you the best of luck

[@PlanetMojo]

Thanks Dave, I had hunters coming in a couple of days, and they were planning on staying out there. They're here now, and have to deal with the noise 😖

[@utgrousehunter]

Mojo...I have three of the Mr. Heater Buddy series portable heaters that run on 1 lb propane bottles. I use the heaters for camping, hunting and ice fishing. I have been pissed off more than once with these heaters not working properly. I've learned that if you let them sit for any length of time such as between ice fishing seasons, you better make sure and test them before you take them out as they always fail to light when you need them most! I'm taking all three of my heaters on an upcoming elk hunt with hopes that one of them works like it should. I feel your agony!!!

[@PlanetMojo]

Hi @utgrousehunter, it's been awhile! I agree 100% Heaters always seem to fail right at the beginning of a season, but usually that is something like an igniter or flame sensor. A new motor in another story! Do you know what is failing on your heaters? I think ignitors are the the most common failure, but I'm not sure what causes it. My sister's furnace had the igniter fail every year the first time it was turned on in the fall. The furnace in our house had an igniter that failed every year as well, but that one was getting wet from condensation. Maybe humidity over the summer causes the smaller heaters igniters to fail?

[@utgrousehunter]

Hi @planetmojo I’m not sure what the problem is exactly with my small, portable Mr Heater Buddy series heaters. It seems that whenever I store them between seasons of use, it takes forever to get them to light and burn properly. When I get them out of storage, I usually spend a day tinkering with them and using a can of compressed air to blow out all the tubes and orifices before they work the way they should. I store each heater in heavy duty, zippered storage cases during the off-season to prevent the collection of dust and cobwebs. The Buddy series heaters contain oxygen depletion sensors that are supposed to preclude them from operating properly above 7,000 ft elevation (a good safety feature for enclosed spaces). I’ve been hunting elk at 8,500 ft and could not get the heaters to light, but yesterday I was at 7,700 ft and all worked they way they should. I live at 6,400 ft and so am wondering if while stored in cases, the oxygen depletion sensors kick in somehow or there’s condensate sitting in the tubes and orifices and my annual tinkering is enough to get them to light. Scratching my head! P.S. I have a fourth Mr Heater that’s not in their Buddy series but attaches to a 20 lb propane tank. I’m in the process of replacing the igniter on that one. You hadn’t used your Big Maxx heater for a period of time and I found it ironic that it wouldn’t work properly after sitting, same as my Buddy series heaters.

[@jned3967]

I have that same heater, also converted to propane. Mmmh I hope this is a rare occurrence. I rarely use it, but when I need it, I need it.

[@PlanetMojo]

I'm guessing one of the sheath bearings has broken, which you would hope would be rare! The noise started instantly - no lead-up whatsoever. Usually a motor works it's way up to that wit ever increasing noise, but this happened instantly. The motor is a "Broad-Ocean" brand, which sounds Chinese, so the quality control may be shoddy. There is a difference between "Made in China" and Chinese brands. 🤔 Stay tuned, the new motor should arrive next week.

[@Heidi9999]

I went back and watched the installation videos. That sure was a lot of work for one year! ☹

[@PlanetMojo]

I agree. Hopefully it doesn't take too long to fix 😑

[@ShedHomePro]

Wow! Things sure are made cheap these days! Hopefully you can get that thing going again before the really cold weather comes!

[@PlanetMojo]

I agree. I think I will be fine with the weather because the ten day forecast has it pretty warm most of the days - 56℉ and 58℉ in a couple of days - so it will be fine. I just need to find a rainy day so I don't waste the good weather working on this 😉 It wound have been a different story if it was the dead of winter though! 🥶

[@richarcruz7843]

Dammm that really sucksssss I’ve been looking at this unit for my garage 🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️🤦🏻‍♂️

[@PlanetMojo]

Got the replacement motor real quick. Hopefully it was just a fluke and all will be well. I'll have a video soon showing the replacement.

[@PlanetMojo]

Just a quick update: They sent a replacement fan motor and I replaced the faulty one. It now works great again! Hopefully it was an isolated incident 😊

[@richarcruz7843]

Thank God I’m ready to order mines from Northern tool just been trying to get everything set up running th electrical An line for th propane so hopefully this unit will help greatly thank u for very detailed videos we appreciate u God Bless🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽

[@PlanetMojo]

@@richarcruz7843 You're welcome Richard. Good luck 😊

[@handydave]

I've been going back and forth between Modine and the larger version of this unit (80,000 btu). I know the Modine brand, and they are very reliable, but they are twice the price of Mr. Heater. I can't have a breakdown though!!! Keep us informed on the service, I will be making a decision soon! 🤔

[@PlanetMojo]

I did the same thing. Modine is the standard in this area, but I had the same problem with the price. Maybe I made a mistake, but we'll see 😑

[@drue4574]

I guess we will get to see how the Mr Heater Customer Service is. Hopefully, it's good!

[@PlanetMojo]

The part arrived within two days so there's hope 🤞

[@RobertRalphR]

That's a shame! I had an old Modine heater that looked like it was 100 years old (I'm guessing 50 though), and the motor was still running fine, but making a tiny bit of noise. Sounds like something broke internally on this one 😑

[@PlanetMojo]

That's my guess as well. I've seen ancient Modine's as well, and they were all very quiet - even the really big ones! Things do break though, and I'm guessing the "Broad-Ocean" motor has something to do with it 😐

[@JerryF4]

Yikes! I am newer to the channel and am unfamiliar with the shop, but that really sucks to have a new heater fail! Hope you get it running before it gets too cold! 🥶

[@PlanetMojo]

Thanks Jerry! It should be fine, but it really pisses me off! At least I can make a video of the repair so others can fix their heaters (if necessary). This may be a one in a million failure though - who knows 🤨

[@ridin20sgizmo]

This should be a recall I also took the temp of the blower moter it was 160 degrees seems way too hot and a fire hazard.

[@NewWoodGuy]

This is why we can't have nice things 😉

[@PlanetMojo]

I agree 😉

[@ridin20sgizmo]

Mine does the same thing had it for 2 damn days. Really pisses me off.

[@timatkinson2137]

I have the same Mr Heater in my 3 car garage, it works great however, I found out that the rubber poly line for the exhaust fan has a sensor you should clean out in the beginning of the heating season I gets full of crust and you will get A 2 or 3 fault Just follow that poly line and clean out in the exhaust with wire Just a heads up for you

[@PlanetMojo]

Thanks for the heads-up Tim! I'll be replacing the motor this week, and look for that line while I'm at it! Is the line a drain or something?

[@timatkinson2137]

@@PlanetMojono the clear tube is on the side you had opened up and goes to a sensor that checks for blocked exhaust before starting the flame

[@PlanetMojo]

@@timatkinson2137 Thanks Tim, I'll add that to the video 😊

[@cackerson10]

I have the same heater that I've owned over a year and has never been installed, keeping my fingers crossed I don't have the same thing. How did you run your gas line from the tank?

[@PlanetMojo]

Hi cackerson10! Yes, the heater is run to a split in the propane line to the house. There is some of it in these videos: Trenching Propane and Fiber Optic Lines - kzbin.info/www/bejne/n6bOkKuPf8x2jM0 Propane Lines Thru Concrete Chase - kzbin.info/www/bejne/mnKsgmetqrpkqJI I tested the propane line a couple times, then the propane company tested it again when they installed the regulator. This is the playlist for the install: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kKfcmZ6IntJ-hLs Good luck, and feel free to ask any questions! 😊

[@ridin20sgizmo]

My motor gets to 170 degrees when it does that. Maybe 2 minutes I let it run then it gets that temperature.

[@PlanetMojo]

It's been a few days since I contacted Mr. Heater, and it will be awhile. They said that it takes a week to ship (max), but parts that are in stock generally ship next day - and these parts are in stock (I believe she said that the motor ships with the fan) - so I believe it could be here any time now. Luckily the cold snap is over, and we're back to Fall temperatures that are not going to require heat. At some point, I will have three heating sources in the shop. Propane, Heat Pump (electric), and an outdoor forced air wood burner (my own design). Here are some of the things used in the heater install: Mr. Heater 50,000 BTU Big Maxx - amzn.to/3G35gwH High Temp Silicone Boot - amzn.to/3Cy6Tld Yellow Jacket Gas Pressure Test Kit, 0-35"Wc - amzn.to/3FXUzf3 Temperatue/Humidity Sensor - amzn.to/3CwMD3h Monster Thread Seal Tape - amzn.to/3EV24V2 1"x 12"x 24" Ceramic Blanket - amzn.to/3GKBy0b 1"x 24"x 32" Ceramic Blanket - amzn.to/3ilA443 ProFlex Gas Pipe (1/2" x 25 ft) - amzn.to/3gjIEis ProFlex Gas Pipe (3/4 x 25 ft) - amzn.to/3VBL0cR CSST Tubing Cutter, 1/4-inch - 1-1/4-inch - amzn.to/3SeuiNB Pro-Flex 1/2" Brass Male Fitting - amzn.to/3yF9k3l Pro-Flex 3/4" Brass Male Fitting - amzn.to/3D0gKRq Pro-Flex 3/4" Union (Coupling) - amzn.to/3ezIWRP Pro-Flex 1/2" x 1/2" x 1/2" Tee - amzn.to/3EGq2U1 Pro-Flex 3/4" x 3/4" x 3/4" Tee - amzn.to/3TcQqcI Pro-Flex 1/2in Termination Plate 1/2MIP 3/8FIP CSST Male Adapter Fitting - amzn.to/3T3MkDq Nylog Blue - amzn.to/3KNjtQI

[@whitecapmadness7181]

I have the same heater, and the same problem after only 3 days of operation. Strange how the fan still turns free and smooth by hand? In Canada the fan motors are back order for weeks? Apparently a bad run of motors? At least Mr Heater is great for warranty and parts.

[@PlanetMojo]

Yes, it is odd that the fans appear to spin freely by hand, but make all kind of racket when up to speed! I have another video coming out shortly where I replace the motor, and in that video I test both the old motor and the new motor out of the unit. The new motor sounds fine, but I agree, there must have been a bad batch, or they are just very poorly made. The Modine heater in my brother's shop was ancient (30 - 40 years?), and still no motor failure. The motor replacement video will be out Friday if you'd like to see it. 😊

[@CodyDyckEngines]

I wish I had watched this video before I bought mine! I had mine for two damn weeks and today it started doing this exact same thing! Two weeks! You’re right it’s a pain to install, not returning unit to Canadian tire. Did Mr. Heater end up coming through for you? Wondering if I bother calling them or just order the motor, I need the heater back asap.

[@vintagemotorcyclerepair4052]

Please no Shorts. I don't like Shorts at all. Not gonna watch Shorts.

[@PlanetMojo]

I feel the same way, but KZbin is penalizing people who don't post shorts here and there. They have now added a feature to make the shorts a link to a full length video which I'm going to try 😩

[@davidatkins5575]

Here's to hoping you learned something from this; 1st motor bearing go bad (what it sounded like) now all you have to do is stop using such bad language while you are filming, doesn't say much for your image. "Stuff Happens: dude

[@PlanetMojo]

Yes mommy. 🥴