[A/S] Urgent! Cat heater wont work

["zuzaberra" <zuzaberra@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Hey everybody--

Help!  I'm in a panic tonight. No hookups, and the temp is predicted 
to fall to 28 over night, and my main furnace does not work.  I 
could weather this, but I"m worried about the pipes. No electric 
backup tonight. The Catalytic heater always used to work, but I 
haven't needed it in years, and I don't think I'm lighting it 
properly.  It's a 1976 old style--I get a poof! of propane but the 
heater doeesn't seem to stay lit.  It has two buttons--one is a 
slider, the second is a dial.  

This is what I"m doing"

1.  put dial to "start" position (solid line area on dial)
2.  light match, hold it to heater
3.  slide switch, it all goes "poof" so I know propane is getting 
through to the heater
4.  I release slide switch
5.  then move dial to 1/2 setting

It seems to go cold at this point.  But if I light the match again, 
I get the poof.  What am I doing wrong?
Help somebody before I blow up!

Susan