Hi everyone, Recently, I've just added to my collection two Phoebus 625P in good esthetic condition (from the Bundeswehr stock, apparently). I gave one of them a thorough clean (clean the insides of the tank, clean the burner, replaced the packing). Everything went smooth and it seemed like there was little room for surprises. Two days ago, I fired it up. I primed it twice with alcohol and then lit the burner. I got a nice blue flame, but my happiness was short lived. The nice blue flame soon become very unstable, with bouts of underburn. Moreover, the flame control spindle had no effect on flame intensity (the only difference is when I rotate the spindle ccw enough for the cleaning pin to go up). The stove behaves like it only has two states: on and off. Yesteday, I installed another burner (which I didn't refurbished). The results were identical. I must admit I ran out of ideas, but I'm sure you will point me in the right direction. I must add that I used this fuel: Lampenöl favorit 1 Liter bei HORNBACH kaufen. What do you think? Many thanks for your help. W.S.
Hi, wrong fuel. Lamp oil is not good also on kerosene stoves. Phoebus 625 usually runs with high quality white gasoline like Aspen 4 (not Aspen 2). Clean everything again and try with correct fuel. Nicola
Obviously, if being a 625P with correct jet for kerosene, you should anyway use high quality kerosene, not the thicker lamp oil. Nicola
Thank you very much for your help! I somehow suspected it was the fuel, although on the label it does say "paraffin". I shall look for proper fuel, although this will be quite daunting in my country, where traditionally every fuel is simply called "gas". You said that lamp oil is thicker. I wonder if I can dilute it with some Aspen 4T or white gas... Do you think that would be feasable? W.S.
Hello Winston, I didn’t suggest you any fuel because, as you know, in every country they have different names. In any case, being the 625 a stove built to run also on white gasoline, apart the jet/nipple size, if you have restored all seals properly I would suggest you eventually to test it with pure Aspen 4, don’t mix with lamp oil. In the worst case, if the jet/nipple is for kerosene, the vapor mix will be too lean… but in my opinion it will run quite fine with Aspen 4. Just be careful when using gasoline in old stoves. Make a dunk test in warm water before adding gasoline to check for any bubble and so possible leaks. Nicola
An important reminder to us all, be safe. "Just be careful when using gasoline in old stoves. Make a dunk test in warm water before adding gasoline to check for any bubble and so possible leaks."
Hi everyone and thank you so much for your input. I emptied the tank, filled it with Aspen 4T and... it works beautifully. No more underburn. It's a lovely stove - and my first with a silent burner, which is quite a treat. W.S.
Hi Winston, Good to hear! As suggestion, try to find a good quality kerosene, it should be available in any hardware store of your town. Burning kerosene is way more safe than gasoline, so always safety first. Be sure, again, that your SRV (safety release valve) on tank is functional and renewed. Avoid the use of the stove for too long periods especially with large pots or pans, to avoid tank overheating. 625 tank is made of steel, so do a good visual check for any alarming rust spot. Enjoy your stove and take care! Nicola
Hi Nicola and thank you for your help, I want to confirm that I've replaced all the gaskets and pips. Moreover, I thoroughly cleaned the inside of the tank and I treated it with POR-15 tank sealant. So, everything is up to spec. As for the fuel, I really want to try kerosene, but it seems hard to find (or extremely expensive - 100 euro for 5 liters). The cheaper ones I've found are sold as solvent. Would it be okay to use them? Or should I look for kerosene sold clearly as fuel? Thank you! W.S.
Hi Winston, kerosene good for stoves shouldn’t be so expensive. In hardware stores is also sold as degreaser for engine parts and chains… I am always reluctant to suggest to anyone which fuel to use, because I am not a chemist and so it’s not my field of expertise. I can share my experience and what has been shared also by other members here. You should look at the label, here we have lamp oil, with a low boiling point, C5-C20 hydrocarbons. Here we have a good kerosene to use for stoves, with hydrocarbons C11-C14, C10-C13: So the second label specifications is what you should look for. Nicola
Hi Winston, Prices will vary with volume, but not to the extent of €100 for 5l. In the UK paraffin goes for about €2.50-5 per litre. Lower grade kerosene for heating oil at under €2 per litre, but would be bought in large volumes. International Fuel Names suggests that “ulei de parafina” might be what to look for locally. -R
Hi and thank you for your input, I actually took into consideration "ulei de parafina" (it literally means paraffin oil), but I noticed that the ones sold online are usually for pharamceutical purposes. Or for beekeeping. They don't say anything about using it as a fuel. And the sellers don't include the label in order to check what Nicola suggested. Do you think this pharmaceutical paraffin oil would be good as a fuel? Many thanks, W.S.
@Winston Smith I don't think pharmaceutical paraffin would be any good if it's the sort sold as a laxative but some sold for use in medicines and cosmetics is just very pure,and expensive, fuel. How about barbecue lighting fluid, there are 2 kinds one based on alcohol and the one you want based on kerosene/paraffin. Dave.
Hi, I am away from home, so I cannot take detailed photos, but I do have one in my phone. This is my first time when I post pictures on this forum, I hope it will work. W.S.
Hi everyone, After two days of searching kerosene in my home country, it became increasingly clear that this is an impossible task. The only product that looks slightly promising is called "technical kerosene" and it's made in Poland. You can see the product at this link: Nafta Techniczna Uniwersalna, Antykorozyjna - Oferta Producenta Radchem. What do you think, could this be used as fuel? Many thanks, W.S.
Hi @Winston Smith . In the link you provided, there is a safety data sheet. It says that it can be used as fuel for kerosene lamps. If it is available in Romania, I think you can buy it for a trial. For my stoves and lanterns, I use lighting kerosene, available in my country at any ironmonger's and auto stores. The purpose of "lighting kerosene" is exactly the same as "technical kerosene". I think it is worth trying. Greetings Stanisław.
Stanisław, Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts. I must admit that, minutes before you posted your reply, I ordered some Petromax Pelam from Germany. A lot more expensive than the "techincal kerosene", but, hopefully, guaranteed to work. However, I will not abandon the "technical kerosene". I'll try some in the following weeks and post the results here. Manh thanks to everyone, you've made me a happy stove owner. W.S.
Hi everyone and my apologies for reviving this thread. During these days of silence, I managed to source two kinds of kerosene: one locally produced (C10-C13) and Petromax Pelam (again C10-C13). While my two Phoebus 625P run beautifully, albeit slightly underpowered, on Aspen 4t fuel, I'm very underwhelmed by their performance on kerosene. On kero they run dirty and smelly. If I try to simmer, I get the underburn (something that happened on aspen 4t, too, but I blamed the lean mixture of fuel). Does this sound normal to you? Perhaps the 625, being designed as a gasoline stove, does not behave at its best on kerosene? I would really love to hear your thoughts. Many thanks W.S.
