hello, spent a whole day stripping and cleaning my new optimus 155......... The result is very satisfactory, great stove.....unfortunately both preheaters seem to be leaking at the connection to the fuel-pipe. I did not actually take them apart completely but loosened the nuts and there seems to be no gasket...........maybe even the pipes that are porous at the bend... Any ideas how to fix that would be welcome. Some boat-friends suggested just cutting the pipes and solder them, doing away with the preheaters altogether. I am not ready to do that yet..... Thanks for tips Dirk
I owned and used a 155 for a number of years when I had a boat to accomodate it. I never had anything but trouble with the preheaters/quicklighters. Optimus obviously collaborated with the devil on that one. In the end I stopped using them altogether and primed the burners with spirit in the bottom of the burner pans. I sold my 155 some time ago to a French chap gearing-up an arctic expedition outfit. When I told him of my problems re. quicklighters he told me that they had had similar problems with the ones on their 155s and had resorted to the same solution as me, and did not use them at all.
The preheaters on these stoves are great when working properly but spares are now very thin on the ground. It is recommended to only use them when really necessary, at sea, foul weather etc. Use a small gas blowlamp instead or fit the preheater wicks from the 155C under the burners and use alcohol. The connections have small brass olives in them to seal them. These olives are now totally unobtainable but you might find something at a microbore gas supplier or something of that kind. Don't chop/solder the pipes and render the preheaters scrap, Base Camp have the blanking nuts to close off the tank union so you could refit the preheaters later if spares re-appear...!
Thanks for the feedback guys, Ian, that arctic setup looks great, probably going 24/7 to melt snow. If the preheater decides to do what mine does, you better have someone with serious iglu-building-skills in the team Mike, the tip about the blanking nuts is very good. I will get them. I just spent a week using a 155 on a boat of a friend in Denmark, he uses the preheater exclusively but is/was unaware of the problematic spare part supply. I believe its wiser to reheat with meth in normal use and keep the preheaters as backup or when in weather. Also probably easier on the burners. On the whole I like that stove so much, I just bought another one. Hopefully it is without fault. However, the blanking nuts seem to be an essential spare part to have around to ensure operation in case of leaks. stovest regards Dirk
I don't know what the 155C preheater wicks are likebut if you make a flat coil of glass rope, such as you would use to seal a stove door, and fit it in the bottom of the burner pan with the burner thru' the middle of it you would be able to use spirit for preheating at sea in just about any weather without worrying about it slopping about. If the weather was bad enough to cause real concern about this you would probably have enough to think about before cooking.
.....actually I have never seen these wicks either, or the elusive Tilly wick for that matter........would love to see a pic. I guess its what you find in modern stoves-pans, some kind of material that soaks up the preheating liquid to keep it from sloshing around. You?r right about cooking when it gets rough............ Thats where this neat little thing come in handy: http://www.jetboil.com/ Not classic (yet) but it definately covers a niche? and after trying it out, I am in love. It boils 300ml in less than a minute, has a neoprene cover for insulation, a rubber lid for drinking without spilling ( both can stay on while cooking) and you can hang the whole thing up on one piece of rope. Simplest gimble... It all ( including gas canister) fits into the pot, which holds a liter, although filling for cooking is only about half at most. As I said, its for boats, tactical or light-hiking use but it gets your ramen-noodles or tea done in under a minute.....any condition......)
Dirk, If you're going to carry a canister gas stove in your boat you might as well go all the way and have a gas range as well. A leaking gas canister presents the same dangers as a leaking gas supply line. Your 155's fiddle rails and pan clamps used in conjunction with a small pressure cooker (lid locks on and food doesn't slop out even if pan escapes from stove) will give you a good all-weather cooking capability.
Ian...totally agree, man. Gas is not used on a smaller boat. Thats why I love the 155..with the pressure cooker it is indeed wonderful, However, this jetboil cooker comes with a tiny 110gr cylinder, packing 12 Liters of boiled water nontheless. It is of course meant to be a redundant or special purpose item. Rik, the Trangia is not ideal to be gimbaled? ...the whole construction is geared towards outdoor use. How to protect the alc-burner and pot from the wind. If you need to cook for longer than a weekend, the Trangia would not be my first choice. If you want to hang your cooker with minimal mechanical work, Primus has a system that works well, here is the pic: http://i11.photobucket.com/albums/a182/Stealthdive/suspension-primus.gif On a boat, you just need to be able to adjust and be able to lock the cooker according to the predominant heel. Freeswinging pots is not what you want. dirk
