A 123 run in too tight a situation will overheat and blow the safety valve. Thus the appellation: "Swedish Hand Grenade." Proper fuel, adequate ventilation and cooling are necessary. My thirty-something 123 is as reliable as an anvil as long as some modicum of judgement is exercised in it's use. The proper air-flow thing is why I so love the Sigg Tourist. A 123 set up in one of those is highly dolt resistant. Another thing is some people will defeat the safety valve then complain when bad things happen. There are always 's like that on the loose. Gerry
Gerry, this was not the valve blowing, he says the dimple for pre heat fuel popped and the valve was stuck because the spring was rusty. Not heard that one before, have you or the others? Rusty spring? thats another new one to me, if it was rusty is should pop quicker, or am I wrong?
Sounds scary indeed! I cant help but think there are other factors at work here that didnt get a mention. The chap who owned/used it for a start, experienced operator or meathead? Huge pot and full throttle? Type of fuel the stove was burning at the time? I have trouble with the priming ring popping out, for my 2 cents worth either the tank would bulge out 1st or rupture at a seam. Odd the cap didnt let go, even rusty if there was enough pressure to pop out the priming ring, I would have thought the valve would have let go 1st. Unless of cause it had been 'modified' (see: meatheat.) with a self tapper/shot of epoxy etc...possibly even a homemade seal that covered the relief valve? Endless possibilities...
Well, I certainly can't understand this one, like Robert, I have a valve checking system, mine uses an old 123 tank with an air line to it - - DON'T start on about risk / safety or using water to occupy most of the volume of the tank etc, to the point, I have just pushed the tank starting at 40 ( as that's where most valves seem to blow) and increasing it in 5 PSI increments all the way to 75 PSI - - NO misshaping anywhere. I could take it higher but I don't want to destroy the thing, oh, and for all you safety conscious / nervous types - - I had a sheet of 15 mm ply wood between the me and the tank.All the other equipment used is made to handle pressures in excess of 120 PSI. Does anyone know what the normal running pressure in a 123 or 8r tank might be? And don't forget that early petrol stoves, & some modern ones even - do not have a safety valve, they were probably introduced to satisfy the relentless advance of the nanny state.
keep it safe guys ...... standard procedure for pressure testing of vessels is with them filled with water ........ BLEVE is a new one on me .. but wipika comes to the rescue.. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BLEVE trying to find comprehensive 123 stove operating instructions ... do,s & donts ..on the net . with particular reference to " over large" pans...or indeed warnings of hazards of operating stove on full thrust or simmer being hazardous... interesting thread. playing the game of pop goes the stove ..is not my idea of fun.. keep the flame .. in the blue but keep it safe
One of the things they show you on the Merchant Navy fire course is what fire does to full 500g gas canisters. What might result from having a larger quantity of pressurised flammable gas engulfed in fire is left to your imagination. Let's just say you wouldn't want to be in the same room.
I should hope with a little care and thought your average 123r wil not explode. I reckon they are pretty safe. As an aside I once put a 120mm HE round into a fuel dump (diesel and propane bottles). I was half a mile away and it shook my tank The only thing left standing was a clothes line with underwear hanging. It was all charred. Do you think the 123r has a maximun pot size? I wonder if it was too large it may reflect heat back onto the tank? Regards, Alan
The 8r (logically) would suffer more with a large pot / pan as this would 'guide' the heat closer to the tank, the bulk of 123's tank heat seems to be generated by conduction via the brass wind shield. Sounds like you've got a fantastic way to dry the washing Alan 8)
Wish I had been there to see it, Alan, I LOVE loud explosions! Unless of cause some of the loud explosions are people shooting at me. At public fireworks displays I stand as close as I can to where they are firing them....My fave bang-for-buck is a 50/50 mix of oxygen and acytlene in a 2 liter plastic bottle with about a teaspoon of gas to help the fireball along. My hi tide mark was a wheelie bin full of polyfoam packing chips with a 3 liter plastic jug of the above mix (sans petrol) at the bottom...to this day I kick myself for not videoing it.......why do the military get all the reaally GOOD toys?
I have a question regarding 123 stoves " blowing up ". Assuming that the safety relief system is unworkable and that for some reason I do not understand, the pressure goes way up, if the gas valve is working, why would'nt the flame just get higher ? The pressure should be relieved by going thru the gas valve. More pressure equals a bigger flame. I would think. Ken H.
By this I assume you mean the jet ! Well, I suspect that the amount of fuel that can be forced through the jet is finite, i.e. the whole in the jet is a fixed size and there is a maximum amount of fuel that can flow through it at any given time. If the pressure behind the flowing fuel is too great, release must be found elsewhere BOOOOOM! Spudz
