I have stripped, cleaned and replaced all the seals on my new 111B, and reassembled it to try a test 'burn'...to find the control valve won't turn off The only thing I could not disassemble was (wait for it) the control valve - I took the nut off where the tap handle goes, removed the jet 'cap', needle (rack) but could not work out how to remove the control valve stem - clockwise is closed (but leaks!) and anticlockwise shows the tip of the cleaning needle, as it should. I am guessing (hoping) there is a seal that is leaking inside the control valve I can replace, but even closed tight the jet looks like it is full on! How do you remove the control valve stem? I don't want to force anything. I am a bit wary because my other stoves are paraffin but petrol is a lot more volatile! Chris
From your description my first thoughts, like yours is the spindle isn't fully seating prooerly. As you suggest the cause won't be apparent till you get the spindle out. I'm working from memory here and can't give you a fettling link, but the spindle nut shiuld just compress the graphite packing around the spindle shaft to give a fuel tight seal as you probably know. Now, I cant remeber if the spindle unscrews to the point that a good pull will extract the spindle, other members will have done the task more recently than I have. The graphite packing can be reused. Then check for obstructions that may be preventing the valve from seating properly. A close visual examinatiin of the end of the rod will give you an idea of whats up.
Welcome to CCS. As Simes explains, the spindle nut compresses the graphite packing for a fuel tight seal. Problems there result in a small candlelike flame at the nut. Usually you can tighten the nut a bit to fix that. The tip of the spindle can wear and sometimes that may need to be polished to result for a good internal mating. I've never had a problem with the spindle tip but others here have had burrs that needed smoothing. Removing the spindle is simply a matter of unscrewing it and wiggling to get past the graphite. Since you've removed and reinstalled the cleaning needle rack and jet, I'd first check that the cleaning needle is set correctly. If the rack is too high it can prevent a full closure. I'd remove the rack and try running without the cleaning needle until troubleshooting is complete. The cleaning needle is not necessary for running the stove and it'll tell you immediately if that was the problem. You may not even have to remove the spindle. The cleaning needle is set by a procedure counting the clicks when reinstalling. The procedure is outlined somewhere on the site here. Usually it's 3,4 or 5 clicks down so it'll still push through the jet in the clean position and be out of the way in the closed position. I'll try to find a link to explain it all but I'd try pulling it out first and trying to run without it to confirm if that is the problem. We have an Exeter here in New Hampshire. It was the scene of a UFO incident in the 1960's. It was only 10 miles or so from an Air Force base but received national news attention. Any suspicious alien activity in your Exeter? Good luck Ray
No UFO's here but a sometimes I wake up feeling like a zombie... Thanks for the advice, firstly when I removed the nut there was nothing underneath it, so I guess I might need some graphite packing, not sure where to get that from? I wondered about taking the cleaning needle rack out, good idea - I guess if it is wound down and is bottoming out the needle might not close enough so I tried taking that out and no leaks now, wahoo! I did try to fire it up and got it to burn but when the spirit tray burns out (meths) the burner also goes out - it will 'roar' if I put a lit match over the the jet - but the petrol I am using is very old, and I am wondering if this might be a problem, I'll try some fresh petrol. When I look down the hole I cannot see any retaining nut and don't want to pull it out in case I damage anything...but despite there being no packing this is not leaking at the moment so I think the next step is to get some and try refitting the pricker and rack when things have cooled down, and see if I can get it fitted properly. Thanks you for the advice - with no pricker fitted and the valve closed, and the full tank having perhaps 20 pumps there were still no leaks after 30 minutes so this is major progress - proves all the servicing and new seals are working? Looking at the exploded diagram on base-camp.co.uk they show part numbers 2094 and 2193 but I am wondering if these are there but compressed up tight - as it isn't leaking I think I will leave well alone! Thanks very much Chris
Chris, sounds like you've made progress. Before trying any more pump petrol, which contains a lot of nasties you'd rather not be inhaling may I suggest you invest in some pure Naptha. Aspen 4 as used for strimmers and the like, or panel wipe used by vehicle spray shops. Available from Eurocarparts or posssibly a paint shop local to you. The 'slow' variety is the recommended. The graphitr packing will be down there else you would have fuel leaking past the spindle. If you've refitted the nut and tightened it it most probably will have compressed it again to gas tight. You say you can light the stove just after the meths pre heat has finished, is that correct? If so then open the valve just before the meths flame has dropped below the nipple. It'll sound bad until all the meths has burnt off but will settle down. The aliens tend to avoid Exeter and prefer crop circling up the road here in Wiltshire.
Thanks - as an aside, I am learning to fly and have my light aircraft based at Clench Common, near Marlborough - and there _are_ lots of crop circles around there I have a few (actually 4) Optimus/Primus stoves/blowlamps, but only one petrol, this one (the rest are paraffin) With the old (12 months+) petrol as fuel while the meths pre-heat was going on it had the 'normal' intermittent 'roar' which usually settles down on a paraffin stove after the preheat burns out - but in this case the hiss was there but the burner flame went out, I could relight it with a match but it went out again after removing the match? I got some Coleman fuel from my local Go Outdoors on Sunday which claims to be Naptha and will drain the old fuel and try this in the next day or two - the 'hiss' from the burner I thought indicated the burner was hot enough but the fuel was not volatile enough perhaps? I will report back but appreciate the feedback, I am a little bit cautious as the fuel is a bit more volatile than paraffin! The good news is I refitted the pricker 'rack' and left it pumped up for several hours with everything shut off, and there were no leaks anywhere, which is encouraging Regards Chris
Just a small suggestion, try with a lower intial pressure, say 2 - 3, then open the valve as you would normally. As you say a more volatile fuel and it sounds like you're getting flame out on the pressure you're using from the description. Gradually build pressure up afterwards. It could also be a symptom of an enlarged jet. How much fuel do you have in the tank?
Hi Chris, you do not provide a photo, and I can see no mention in the text, but do you have a flame ring fitted on your Op.111b? The flame ring sits on a circular support and encircles the upper part of the burner. Op.111b stoves are temperamental compared to the other models and will often fail to maintain a flame if the flame ring is absent. Best Regards, Kerophile.
Johnsnz also said: Another thing about the 111B is that it is very fussy about the correct jet size. The 111 will tolerate a degree of variation and still perform well and you can run a 111 with out the flame ring but the 111B, in my experience, needs exactly the right jet to work well and the flame ring definitely needs to be in place.
Thank you all for the help and advice, tonight I got the burner fired up successfully Ran it for 10 minutes and the flame runs even when turned right down - certainly needs a flame ring, it is a bit uneven on the platform and the blue flames are a little uneven, rotating the flame evens things out a bit. When it get a bit darker I'll post a photo or two? Now I àm wondering how long it has been since since it was working last, quite a few years I would guess but now resurrected Now all I have to do I is clean up and paint the case, so I may be building an electrolysis tank this weekend! Regards Chris
