I have an 8R, which is virtually mint. I have used it a couple of times and it burned beautifully and cooked and boiled. However, now it goes out very easily, but only after running on a full tank for some minutes with a perfect blue flame. Scenario. Full tank. Primed (with meths to avoid sooting over the generator) light flame and lovely roar and blue jet flame emits. Put pot on and after a couple of minutes the flame starts to turn orange and becomes a pulsing orange one. I have tried lifting the flame protector and using it without...it makes no difference. It was fairly windy at the times this happened, but the stove was in a very sheltered spot inside the flaps porch of my tent (risk noted!) I am using panel wipe, fast evaporating version (there are 3 speeds of panel wipe). Could it simply be the fuel is going off? I also have a parafin 111 whihc is ancient and that suffers a similar fate. It has been overhauled. It works if I keep pumping it, so somehow it is losing pressure. It has a new tank filler washer and a new pump, because I thought the pump might be leakng. The third and hopefully final mishap is my ultra reliable Coleman Featherlight 442 has started losing pressure too! The whole burner is a bit loose on the tank, but it doesn't leak fuel. I am relegated to using the nomoving parts Trangia with meths. It is OK, but rather slow...slow but sure! 35 years old and still going strong. The box has disintegrated but everything else is still original. I would love ot get my 8R and 111 running properly though. They are great stoves and the 8R fits in my bike pannier better than the trangia kit. Any ideas folks? Thanks. I wonder if it could simply be the fuel going off? It isn't OLD, but has been in the stove for a month or so. This shouldn't matter with parafin surely - the 111 is a proper parafin stove.
I was going to say it sounds like a fuel cap, but you say you have replaced the washer. Sounds like it is time for a dunk test, or several dunk tests. But I think your experience suggests a fuel problem, as you note -- what happens if you substitute petrol? One burn won't do much damage.
Try checking the non return valve pip and spring, replace where needed. Is the pump letting any paraffin into it and pushing the pump rod up? The 8 probably needs a strip and a new wick, do a search on here. Si
Thanks for your replies. Sorry there is delay in my replying - I go away a lot! The 111 has a new pump fitted and no parafin goes into the pump. I'll try turning the cap washer over and see if it seals better. 8R - I will try using new petrol and see what happens. Maybe the fuel goes off, because it is a can of panel wipe that I have had for about a year. It obviously doesn't store well once opened - maybe a few smaller storage jars is the answer in future.
UPDATE I haven't had the 111 out yet. We have a litter of puppies to look after at the moment as well as me travelling for work (2200 miles this last week, mostly on the motorcycle!) Anyway, it was blowing a hoolie last night, but I got the 8R out of the bike pannier and fired it up, without a pan on it, just to see how it fared. There were gusts of wind coming around into the yard, but it was sheltered behind the car and the kind of shelter you might get out in a camp, some shelter but not totally. I gave the burner a really good heat before firing it upand it fired up happily, the top glowed cherry red and it worked fine. The wind did blow the flame out of blue into yellow when the gusts came, but it returned to a roaring blue each time. I let it run for about 10 minutes and it ran like a dream. This is on the old panel wipe even - so, I wonder if I just haven't been giving it enough preheat time before firing it up and it has just struggled from then on. I will give it another go today with a pan of water and see what happens. The wind has died down, but there is still a breeze. At least my faith in it has been restored, because the stove is alomost mint and I love using it. Now, on to the 111 and get that one working as it should, the extra capacity is useful and I use it (when it is working) when away in the car. I actually tend to take both. They are very much faster than the Trangia meths burner that I am using as emergency back up. I want to get everything working properly because I plan a few wilderness fishing trips this next year. Thanks again for your encouragements.
Allong with the pip in the NRV and the cap washer there is another pip in the filler caps safety valve. Good luck Rick
Seems like I simply wasn't letting it heat for long enough before trying to cook. Giving it a longer "prime time" has it going like a jet engine again! I have tried to put a couple of pictures in the gallery section, but it says they are too big. They fit here happily though.
Hi That has to be one of my favourite stove pictures of the year. Grass, head torch, flame, kettle.......Nice. Hope you enjoy it. Don't touch that key!
It might have been that you just filled the 8R too full of fuel. Mine has similar issues when it has been filled right to the top of the tank. Dave
Dave - REALLY? I have been filling it to the brim each time, to maximise the cooking before having to syphon out of the tank, thereby using panel wipe as much as possible. I shall try leaving a little space in the tank and see what difference it makes. Thanks for the heads up.
Redspeedster - thanks for the compliment on the picture. I didn't quite get the exposure right on my hand and the lid though. I had hoped to get some movment in as I lifted the lid. The key doesn't get hot. I always leave it in and it never causes any problem. It gets warm, but not hot, not too hot to hold anyway.
King Rat, I'm a beginner in the world of pressure stoves (and also lamps), but I'd heard comment before that the tanks should not be brimmed. I think it's something to do with leaving enough air space so that it can be pressured enough to force the fuel through (hope that makes sense). I like your photograph too - the exposure on the hand makes it kinda eerie! keithg
