Hi everyone....brand new to this forum and this is my first post! Anyway....I bought a Svea 123R about 2 years ago. I bought it because I heard of its awesome reliability and its compactness. I bought it brand new from A&H and tested it a few times at home in the kitchen. Works perfectly! A month ago, I was getting ready to go on a camping trip and of course I planned to take my trusty Svea. Brought it out to the kitchen and fired it up. It sounded funny and the flame pattern wasn't what I was used to. I took it outside and dumped out the old fuel and put some new into it. I fired it up outside and was getting the same result. I toyed with it for a bit and couldn't get any better results. I was MAD! Anyway....before I sell it on e-bay I thought I might pick your brains to see if I can fix it. I just fired it up outside and this is what happened: I get the flame, but it really flares up for about 30 seconds before it calms down. It calms down to kind of the flame pattern I would expect, but the flame is yellow, not blue and it sputters. Also, when I adjust the valve the output stays the same. When I open her up, the output is about the same as when I shut it down. I don't get that sound that the Svea is famous for anymore and so I know something is wrong. I readjusted the needle on the gear so that it is in the correct position, but still not working correct as far as flame pattern, flame color and output adjustment. The flame doesn't spread out either. Its kind of a tight cone shape just around the burner. I've taken it completely apart many times, but nothing is obvious to me. Don't know if I explained myself good enough, but would be happy to try again if it will help. Thanks in advance!
Hi and welcome to. 2 things come to mind. 1) Is the wick tucked @1inch into the riser tube. If not then the stove will run on fumes and act crappy. 2) Is the burner body/riser airtight screwed into the tank? The thread is 1/8 NPT (National Pipe Thread) wich is conical and a bitch to get to seal up if not tightened wery hard. PTFE tape can help in that proces. Best of luck with it.
Well, starting from the top: 1. The jet could be fouled up or it could have enlarged but I doubt it since you are not getting a big flame. If you have a big flame and it's yellow, then you have to probably replace the jet. 2. The valve body is clogged with carbon deposits. May need clean up by taking apart and cleaning as best you can. Sometimes this requires heat and quench but these usually don't need that. A lot of times you can spray carb cleaner. 3. Could be that the wick is carbonized within the valve body. Pull the valve body off the tank and then replace the wick. These tend to gum up if you burn the fuel all the way out until the tank is empty. You can replace that with 100% cotton mop string. 4. The fuel cap seal _may_ be worn or not sealing since you are not getting a big flame. You didn't mention what fuel you were using but use Coleman Fuel and not car gasoline. Car gas will clog the stove up and give you the trouble you are having. Hope this helps, sam
Yes, I am using Coleman fuel that is fairly new. I don't remember if when I first got the stove if it would flare up...I don't believe it did, but it is doing it now. Fairly large yellow flame that sputters for about 30 seconds and then it calms down to what I would call normal. In one of my first attempts to "fix" it. I took it completely apart and the graphite cord was pretty well crumbled. I fired it up and had flame shooting out of the spindle. That scared me! I tightened the jam nut down and it seems to have stopped. I did notice that this last time I fired it up, it looked like flame was coming from around the gas cap. I was pretty careful with priming and so didn't think I had any fuel run down, but I may be wrong. Whats so frustrating is that this stove is basically brand new! Its NEVER been taken out of my house camping. I've "used" it a dozen times maybe and it already broke! Who ever makes these stoves should be ashamed of themselves! $100 for junk that you have to fix and spend A LOT of time trying to figure out!
Yes Optimus should be ashamed of themselves for making this stove. But I believe they are too busy counting money. Sounds like the fuel/gas cap is what is giving you problems along with a safety release valve in the cap maybe. You can replace the gasket with the right size oring in a pinch. Jeff
Now, now gentlemen, we all know that in time some parts tend to degrade over time in petroleum products and knowing that the 123R is a good backpacking stove, you all know it may just be a replacement of the rubber in the tank cap, the wick, or simply clogged and needs to be unclogged. For the leaking spindle that would be graphite packing. All this are available so don't fret on it, give the guy some good advise on how to get it working again. And yesn even if its just sitting around, rubber parts will degrade. Its much better used often than just kept on the cupboard. Ron
Ron is right. The 123R for the most part is a good backpacking stove just with quality control issues. I can send you a new rubber gasket for your stove markhait if you need one. Jeff
Thanks Knight, but I just made one from a faucet washer. I cut out the center and pressed it into the cap. It still doesn't work. Must be the jet then? Its sounding better, but I still have the yellow flame and it flares up at start up for about 15 seconds. Very frustrating!!!
Faucet washers are not nitrel rubber and will degrade in the presence of Coleman fuel. It will not happen fast and you will have time to get a proper on but do not leave it in there any longer than is necessary. lance
I know its been a long time since I've posted, but I tried once again to figure out the problem with my Svea 123R. This time I made a short video so that maybe you guys can better help me. I primed it with fire ribbon and didn't fill it to the top with fuel. The coleman fuel is no more than 2 years old. Thanks for any help! Below is a link to the video. [media=youtube]CAL4zxbr_wQ[/media]
If you put a pot (filled) on top, it will heat up faster! Looks pretty good... You could adjust the flame spreader up or down a bit, see what happens...
Looking at your video, first thing comes to mind is that the jet aperture may be buggered up meaning its not perfect circle or some dirt underneath. And since you have been disassembling it, your flame spreader may be a bit high by a millimeter or so, adjusting this lower would result perhaps in a better fuel to air mixture. This is one of the things most overlooked by owners of 123 looking for a blu-er flame. Some have already suggested checking the wick itself (the one inserted into the burner tube) as it may be charred a bit and that would give you unacceptable results. Ordinary hose washers are very succeptible to fuel and will either melt or crack making it more prone to accidents. Nitrile rubber is used in which case some members may offer one. Fill the 123 only 2/3rds and not totally full as it needs space for fuel to expand inside the tank. I believe you should get good results that way. A well maintained 123 will often work a lifetime. Ron
Thanks for your reply, but how do I adjust my flame spreader? Where is the flame spreader? Several months ago I tried to remove the stem to look at the wick, but was never able to get it off. Any suggestions? Also, I don't even think I have any graphite packing inside the adjustment stem anymore. I think the last time I had it all apart, it fell all apart and I became so disgusted with it that I just walked away and said forget it. I'll check and go to Home Depot and see if they have any.
I own an 8R which, although it is of a different configuration, is basically the same beast as the 123. My stove burned with yellow flame tips until I raised the burner plate by approximately 1 millimetre - just bend the four supporting struts downward by about 1 mm to raise the plate. This completely cured that problem and it now burns with a clean, blue flame. I also experienced occasional flaring and pulsing which got progressively worse over time. Upon removing the vaporiser/valve assembly from the tank I found that the wick had slid almost completely out of the tube. Replacing the wick with a tighter fitting one cured the stove of any tendency to flare and it now runs with the 'purring' sound typical of this type of burner. Dave.
Go take the tank cap down to the local machine shop and buy an o-ring thats fits neat in the inside of the cap. A thick one. It will squeeze down with use to flatter than round. Needs more air or better fuel. to take the stem out. Empty stove. leave cap off. tentively place riser in vise and twist tank by hand. Or a spanner that just fits on the control tube from the back so the spindle is facing on the outward part of jaws. Turn anti clockwise. Once you get it off wrapp 2x ptfe tape on threads when you screw it back in. Snug up to line up with the 1 in the 123. Althou my newest one lines up with the A for some reason. You don't wanna bend nuthin. Sounds like a loose wick. Have you let the tank sit for a few days to soak up the fuel and expand the wick??? When they are dry they tend to burn like that. Give it a tank full and see if the crap comes through it. You have now rubber poo in it from the old seal and the dissolving new one. Barra
Markhait, the flame spreader is the one that sits on top of the burner bell with four arms that clips on (top most part) adjusting this down (or up) will get a better fuel/air mixture. Adjustment is only 1/2 to 1 mm. As for graphite packing, the hardware should have plumbers graphite which you can wrap around the spindle just before the nut that secures it. About 2 turns of the plumbers tape (actually its more of like twine) should be enough. Removing a difficult riser from the tank may require you to place a suitable wrench on a vise and placing the riser nut on it turning it anti clockwise holding the tank with you two hands. Thats how I got mine removed but I bought a special wrench that holds 4 sides of the nut instead of two sides. Kinda rare but available at auto supply stores. The wick can be pulled from the riser once you have removed it from the tank. It will have a brass mesh wrapped around the wick and in the center of the wick is a twisted brass wire. Use 100 percent cotton mop strand to replace it if the end closest to the spindle is charred or black. All the best. Ron
Hi Markhait, I had the exact same problem with a rarely used Radius 42 (like new)....basically the exact same stove as a Svea123. I was alarmed at how it would send a fireball up, then sputter...then another fireball, etc. This went on for a while, then settled down a little, but burned horribly. I grabbed a wrench, and unscrewed the burner from the tank. The wick almost fell out on it's own and was a little burnt...but it was barely in the tube at all. If your SVEA says "Sweden" instead of "Made in Sweden", it might have been put together with less than quality in mind. The thing is so simple that you can fix it and make it a stove that will last your lifetime. I took the wick out of mine, made a new one that was a little thicker, shoved it up the pipe until it bottomed out....and KNEW it would not fall out on it's own, put the thing back together and it burned PERFECTLY. The wick is easy to obtain by going and buying a cheap old-fashioned mop head made from COTTON. Make sure it's 100% cotton, no synthetic fibers. I'd bet you just about anything, that's the problem...a bad or loose wick. Good luck! ( I was so damn quick to reply to this because it was so familiar to me, that I failed to notice that some of the other guys were giving you the same advice...sorry for the redundancy!)
