Was out hiking today, stopped to make some lunch. Temp was in the mid 20's and breezy. Tried to get the svea 123 going but just couldnt get a good flame; no roar like it usually does on a warm day. This is the first i tried it on a cold day. I primed it with deantured alcohol and it lit, but just couldn't get past a light red flame. Kept priming and trying it but was a no go. I dont think a pump would have helped since it did fire. Do i need to make some sort of windscreen out of foil and cardboard or is there some other trick. This is a ringed stove running white gas.
No pressure leak that i know of. Used stove all summer and had done test with it in hot water before summer. insulated from ground with piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil.
If this was my stove, first I would clean the jet then open and close the filler cap. Then I'd shield it from the breeze and prime it twice. I'd light it as the last prime was ending or shortly thereafter.
My early cold weather 123 experiences led me to prick the jet, but really, it just wasn't hot (primed) enough. And you have to shield it from the wind as much as possible. And don't expect it to roar promptly. BTW I have used mine, wo a pump, successfully in zero degree weather.
Double prime. Try white gas to prime. Hotter than alcohol. Recheck all seals. Dunk test. Just because it worked all summer .... And block from wind on 3 sides.
Thanks for the info. Will fire it up in the garage where it is a bit warmer before trying anything else then go from there. What is a good material for a shield?
I’m always amused when the subject turns to the practicality of the Svea 123 as a winter stove. Back in the 1970’s and 80’s the little Svea was my only winter mountaineering stove and it never failed me in temperatures down to -20 degrees F and occasionally lower. One mistake that I witnessed give others grief was filling the stove at room temperature at home and then trying to light it after it had cold soaked and cooled down perhaps 80 degrees and a vacuum had been created in the tank. If you then primed from an alcohol bottle or with paste or straight from the fuel bottle without opening and closing the tank lid, then the prime had to first overcome the vacuum before it could build pressure. Is it possible that your problem could be there? I always insulated the stove with a square of foam cut from an Ensolite sleeping pad, and as others have suggested here, double primed and sheltered from the wind. I haven’t camped out in serious winter weather in a couple of decades but if and when I do I’ll be taking the stove that has always been 100% reliable for me.
All good points above. For over 10 years my 123 was my only stove, and I used it on winter mountaineering trips in the Sierra Nevada. I think your problem is either that you forgot to prick the jet, or (more likely) that your insulation from the ground was inadequate. I usually used a small square of insulite (closed cell foam) under the stove. ....Arch
I've had one of my 123's out in the snow before, did fine, temps weren't bad. Maybe a vacuum as was mentioned? Duane
I made a thread about my testing of Svea 123 in -15°C, without insulation from the snow. https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/svea-123-in-the-cold-and-some-photos-of-reindeers.37440/ Insultion from the cold ground is mandatory for getting pressure to build up. Aluminium is not good insulation. Cardboard alone would probably do the trick. If this is the problem, a pump will help. Shield from the wind is also important. A windscreen or just putting the stove behind a rock. A seal that is working when warm, is not necessary sealing when cold, so this can also be your problem. But then it would be better when the stoves get warmer.
I can really recommend to make a glass fiber wick like seen here on the second pic: https://classiccampstoves.com/threads/deba.38378/ It does wonders and makes sure the meth doesn't spill when boiling/handling - and you rarely have to double-prime. Secondly - assuming there are no leaks - Adding a pump with corresponding filler lid also gives you the option of making your own pressure - no matter the cold. Just two pump-strokes is all it takes and you'll have a burner running at its best - also good in windy conditions.
I had opened and closed the fuel cap in the field. I havent picked the jet since early spring so that could be it. I'll be testing it here shortly. Also looking on amazon at a foldable aluminum windscreen.
Try it - I bet you will be pleasently surprised! I use the glassfiber string for a living room wood burner stove. Cheap and dureable. (Piece of advice: wear thin rubber gloves, if you are thin skinned between your fingers / those tiny glass fibers are worse than cactus)
It was a jet problem. Tried it in garage before making changes, same problem. Cleaned jet and here is the results, good flame.
