The Propane Gas Gauge will fit propane tanks from 5lbs to 40lbs because of the Acme Thread. Anything larger will have the old P.O.L. style and not be compatible. The 1lb tank also is not compatible.

Our fuel filter (part number F273699) is essentially an oil trap. Oily particulates are squeezed from the rubber of some hoses by the high pressure coming out of the propane bottle, and can get pulled along with the flow of propane, and be deposited in the lines in the Buddy heater, blocking any fuel flow. The filter, by being hollow, causes these particulates to stick inside it, thereby filtering the fuel.

In most propane appliance situations, there is a regulator located at the tank, followed by a supply line. In that situation, what passes through the hose after the regulator is low pressure gas. Low pressure gas is harmless to rubber. The buddy system has the regulator located at the heater. In this setup you cannot have a regulator at the propane tank due to over-regulating the gas supply. This makes the gas that passes through the hose to get to the buddy system high pressure. High pressure gas squeezes rubber as it passes through it, and can occasionally pull some of the oils and plasticizers from the hose during these periods of high pressure. Those contaminates will travel with the flow of propane and land somewhere inside the heater, slowly building up over time and causing gas flow problems once the buildup becomes large enough. The 10' buddy hose does not contain any plasticizers or oily contaminates that will leach out of the hose during high pressure propane flow. That is why that hose does not need a filter. All of the other hoses for the buddy system will need a filter because they will contain oils and plasticizers.

We recommend starting the heating season with a new filter, and disposing of it at the end of the season. Using one longer can cause the filter to fill up with the particulates. Once the filter is filled, the particulates will pass through and begin building up in the heater.

Currently, we make three hose models that do not require a filter: the F273704 which is made from a different chemical compound of rubber that does not have the oily substance that can get into the fuel flow, the F271802 that attaches to a low-pressure line, and the F271803 which is a regulated hose. Since the F271802 & F271803 only see low pressure, the oily substances are not squeezed from the hose material.