Gasoline versus Kerosene - Optimus Nova

https://www.bp.com/content/dam/bp/c...vices/data-sheets/regular-unleaded-petrol.pdf

 

I know lots of reports/reviews where people burn diesel/petrol in this with no problems. I'm definitely not concerned from a health point of view using unleaded petrol versus specialised and expensive shellite or Coleman fuel. They definitely burn the same and prime the same. I have been unable to see any differences. I do switch back and forth between Shellite and unleaded.

Any issues with blockages...I still can't comment. I guess you either go with advice or find out and really given that unleaded is 1/7 the cost of Shellite here in Australia, there is an incentive if you use the stove a lot to go with unleaded...the only difference between the DF and ICE is that the end of the burner where the nozzle is does get very hot, hotter than petrol fuel injectors. The worst that could happen would be the loss of a jet through accumulated deposits but it may still be worth that given the difference in the cost of the fuel.

 

My Dragonfly came with a kerosene jet. I would swap it in and burn that if I wanted a less expensive fuel. Kerosene, unlike motor vehicle fuel, is designed to evaporate completely in a wick or generator. However, I appreciate the convenience of being able to prime and burn with just one fuel, I burn under a gallon of white gas per year, and what I spend on white gas is dwarfed by what I spend on fuel for my truck on camping trips.

Plus, MSR has this to say about burning motor vehicle fuel in their stoves (and I assume Primus probably says something similar someplace):

Automotive Gasoline (Petrol)

Consider this a fuel of last resort. As stated above, most stoves capable of burning white gas can also burn gasoline, but this fuel has some downsides of which you’ll want to beware. Gasoline contains additives designed to make car engines run smoother, but these additives can harm the seals in your stove’s pump and fuel line, making them harder and more prone to leaking. Gasoline will also produce more smoke and noxious fumes than white gas. Further, what you buy at the pump might have upwards of 25% ethanol mixed in. Ethanol is an alcohol; in low-percentage mixtures it may not make a big difference in how your stove burns, but it can cause pitting corrosion in aluminum fuel bottles. If you do use gasoline with ethanol, don’t leave it in your fuel bottle for long-term storage.

Find Right Fuel for Your Liquid Fuel Stove | The Summit Register​

But hey, you do you. We can’t stop you.

 

I am probably going to stick with the Nova and run kerosene as it the best all around stove and kerosene is a great fuel and much safer as well. Kerosene also seems to be a reasonable lubricant to some extent as well which is good for the life of o-rings and seals.

Unleaded here has no ethanol added. The Soto Muka I ran a lot of unleaded through it and it never even blocked once. It was an amazing stove and I would have kept it had it the ability to simmer properly.

I should do a 3 way comparison post with the Soto Muka, the Dragonfly and the Optimus Nova. The Nova just seems like the best built of the stoves and the single jet just works with kerosene having extra energy.

 

I experimented quite a bit with alternative and unrecommended fuels for camp stoves, including plenty of pump petrol. It's like McDonalds food, should be a "possible to use in case of no other alternative" option, and not daily fare.

Astonishingly enough, best results based on my experimentation were had by burning exactly the fuel the stove manufacturer recommended be burned. The correct fuels are easily obtainable, and inexpensive in the quantities even the most prolific camp stove user will burn. Leave the car fuel for the car, and burn stove fuel in the stove.

 

Kerosene is the recommended fuel for my Nova...Shellite/Coleman recommended for the Dragonfly....Unleaded is fine for the Soto Muka according to the manual...

 

I would like to see the wording of that.

Coleman Dual Fuel made bigger generators so they didn't clog up as fast. But, they did clog up on unleaded.

 

Have a look at this…

https://sotooutdoors.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/OD-1NP_EN.pdf

Unleaded goes perfect in the Muka

 

Yes, I read that.
I disagree, and believe that to be related to their repair policy. "Just replace the generator." If you can get one.
I sold mine unfired because of the high number of parts and the impossibility of a repair in the field being easy. I made a good profit.
Their recommendation for the use of unleaded fuel is ridiculous to me.

 

I sold mine due to the difficulty of simmering. The generator replacement is probably a conservative figure I would guess but at least their manuals are detailed and honest.

I would tend to believe their recommendations on fuel. For some reason, unleaded being mentioned in this forum is like the 'slowly I turn step by step' routine from the Three Stooges.

I'm not sure why but the Muka is way more reliable in the sense it will always light and always burn at full blast. This is more than I can say for stoves like the Nova or the Dragonfly. I think the hot jet and priming required causes blockages and as someone said here on the forum 'you just have to deal with blockages on expedition stoves'....it is normal.

Do I feel nostalgic for the Muka?

Yes...it is a fantastic piece of engineering...Japanese...

 

I've used the Nova daily (almost) for months now, well over six months and so I have changed my concerns and opinions and I thought I'd update this thread.

Specifically Kerosene is King on the Nova. Kerosene is even recommended in the Nova manual as the best fuel. I have used kerosene 90% of the time on this stove. It puts out more heat than Shellite and it hasn't resulted in any extra maintenance or blockages.

The reason kerosene runs so well is that it has a big heat sink and there may be other reasons as well that I don't understand. The priming of the stove is relatively quick for kerosene and Optimus have stated that they have reduced the time to prime by 25% relative to other stoves. I think comparing this with the MSR Dragonfly this is quite correct although the Dragonfly runs really very well on kerosene using the DG jet which is optimised for 'G' gasoline.

The Nova is the stove I mostly bring with me. I noticed today when using it that it sounds quieter when a pot is on the stove, a lot quieter and this is because the burner is close to the bottom of the pot. The Dragonfly sits a lot higher. I'm unsure which is the more efficient design but it is interesting that it quietens the stove down.

I really can't say enough nice things about the Nova running on kerosene. If you don't run it on kerosene, this is one stove you probably should run on kerosene. I'd even be tempted to run it on diesel but I don' really have a need to do that although it would be cheap. I did run it on unleaded but our high sulphur 150 ppm fuel is rubbish and probably not good for the stove although come December this year 2024, the fuel will match diesel in all grades at 10ppm.

Overall, the Nova is pretty amazing and does heavy fuels like kerosene with ease. It runs Shellite and unleaded fine of course too.

I should add that priming I use alcohol and kerosene. You really need alcohol to avoid sooting.

 

I love my Nova, bought it in 2001. Used it for my 2500 km trip all along Norway and many other trips. Very little maintenance needed. Never had problems with clogging. Only real problems over these 20+ years is fuel leak from the quick disconnect on the pump and problem with the threads under the burner. But none of these were critical faults, the stove could still be used. The yellow flames on full power on kerosene is not a real problem, just turn the regulator a bit down and the problem is gone. Frying fish, simmering a raindeer stew or melting snow on arctic expeditions? No problem. Maybe the best allrounder on the market.

 

The Nova has an excellent heat concentrator in the base with six vanes. This makes the stove outstanding for heavier fuels like kerosene and maybe even diesel although I haven't tried diesel.

This is the stove I take with me mostly as it runs hot enough on kerosene to do toast which I like and it is easy to prime on kerosene. It is tiny as well, very compact.

 

Hi! I am new to liquid fuel stoves. I am planning on buying the Nova as my first stove. I live in India and the kerosene we get here is dyed blue. Will it mess up my stove or should I use Diesel/Petrol instead?

 

I dont think blue kerosene will be a problem. In Norway it has been green. Will anyway be way better than diesel.

 

Kerosene is mother’s milk to the Nova. It is a fantastic stove.

 

Dyed fuel may be OK in (some) stoves, though it should be pointed out it is not generally recommended for use in wick type lanterns or heaters. Just a FYI

 

All the "Household Kerosene" in Australia, used for lighting and heating in pressure and wick apparatuses, used to be dyed blue. Now only the smaller volume containers sold retail have blue dyed kerosene.

Almost all the kerosene now sold in Australia is JetA-1 (dyed or not). I'm quite happy to use the blue dyed kerosene and have had no problems with it, but usually I buy bulk JetA-1 that is clear.


Cheers

Tony

 

Jet A1 has more additives compared to jet a. When burning jet fuel, ensure it contains no PRIST, as it is bad for you. Not sure about the anti static stuff in A1.