Hello guys, newbie here. I've just bought a 123R and have been running it on Coleman fuel. But as you know this stuff is ridiculously expensive here in the UK, around ?5 for a 500ml. can if you can even find it. Will it run cleanly and well on paraffin? I'm reluctant to try without advice first. Thanks. I searched but couldn't find if this had already been answered before.
Hi novice and welcome to the forums. No the 123 won't run on paraffin, and yes the price of Coleman fuel over here is ridiculous. Find a friendly motor or paint factor and get a supply of Automotive Panel Wipe which is used for cleaning car panels before they are sprayed . . . . just make sure you run the stove outdoors and it should run fine.
Hey, Novice, Welcome to CCS! The answer to your question, about whether the SVEA 123R can run on paraffin is short and sweet: NO!! Unfortunately, that stove was made to run on unleaded gas, or Coleman fuel, which is what we use here in the US. It will not run on kerosene, and in fact, I've bought many of them, over the years, for as little as $2, when their former owners filled them with kerosene, instead of Coleman fuel, and turned them into smoky, stinking messes, the sold them to me!!! 8) 8) Your UK Mates are using something called "panel wipe" in their SVEA stoves, and in other stoves meant to burn Coleman fuel, and report wonderful success in doing so. I'm sure that one of them will be along shortly, to tell you more about it! But, please do not attempt to run your SVEA on paraffin!! It will only mess up and perfectly good little stove, and give you cleanup headaches with which to deal! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Petrol in the UK is better quality (less addatives) than ours here in Noth America. I would use that if you can't find panel wipe...in a well ventilated area or outside. Take care
Hi, have a look at this thread: Link You're not alone in your search for Coleman fuel substitutes Knut
Thanks for the further replies. II've considered using petrol which is the cheapest option probably and certainly the easiest to obtain. Also, I think that's what these stoves were designed originally to burn and it's only because of health scares that Optimus and others started advising against petrol, rather than that it doesn't burn well. I think I'll try petrol and see what happens. That alkylate petrol which Knut mentions in the other thread looks interesting too. I don't have a very local supplier but have tracked down one or two from their UK suppliers website that are not too far away. http://www.aaoil.co.uk/environment-Aspen-Stockists
As pointed out in other threads, the alkylate petrol smells a lot better (or should we rather say, nowhere nearly as bad) compared with ordinary pump petrol. Modern pump petrol is also quite different from the old petrol that was sold when these stoves were introduced. Back then, I would assume petrol was pretty much a straight destilate, whereas today it's a result of heavy cracking processes. If you can get the alkylate, go for it. Knut
Don't burn petrol in he 123, the stuff smells, and if you spill it the smell lingers on for ages. You don't get this with panel wipe, about ?12 - ?15 for five litres, you can run a 123 for a very long time on that
I'm curious fellas, Coleman fuel here in BC Canada is about 4 dollars per 1000ml so roughly 2 GBP I think. Is the product Panel Wipe available in the USA and Canada and if so under what name. Are there generic versions as well? Ian....
Okay Richard, normal pump petrol is out then, I won't try it, thanks for the advice. So it seems alkylate petrol or panelwipe are good alternatives to Coleman.
