I'm wondering if anyone has experience running Optimus Nova stoves on #2 diesel for long periods of time? I find mine clogs up and stops burning well after a tank and a half or so. I pull the jet and the area directly below the jet around the magnetic needle is packed full of carbon. A couple cycles in the ultrasonic cleaner and blowing out with compressed air and she's good to go again. Any ideas on curing this? And if not, any ideas for a stove that WILL burn diesel continuously? Thanks all.
Can't say,i've never burned deisel in any of my stoves. I find the stuffs nasty,i think its meant to be used in a pinch. Take care
Hi Diesel_Bomber Diesel burns dirty and so the fine tubes and jets on camping stoves do not handle it very well. Instead of looking for a stove to burn diesel, why not just burn lovely clean, hot-burning paraffin?
A bit of background that should have been included in the original post: Most of my work is miles away from paved roads, and often in bad weather and at night. Having a way to melt snow and heat water is absolutely necessary from a survival standpoint. From a morale standpoint, a hot meal and a cup of coffee is also a tremendous boost when I've been laying in mud pounding on machinery while snow blows in sideways for the last three hours. I drive a diesel powered truck and 99% of the equipment I work on is diesel powered, so that's the kind of fuel I carry. I'd prefer not to have to carry a separate container of gasoline or kerosene, but if I must then I must. Thanks again, all.
Hi Bomber, Below is a link to a page which shows a cheap Indian roarer which is burning biodiesel. According to the folks at this project, the roarer they are using to heat waste vegetable oil does this quite well. I am theorizing that if it will burn biodiesel well, it will burn petro-diesel even better. So, if you are willing to acquire a big roarer......you should be able to burn that diesel! http://journeytoforever.org/biodiesel_processor10.html#preheat About two thirds of the way down the page on the left is the pic of the roarer, and on the right, a pic of it burning biodiesel. *edit* Hey! It also might just make a dandy alternative heat source for you!!!
Don't use diesel fuel in a Nova, Optimus say you can use it as a last resort. Your in a vehicle so just carry some kerosene or white gas?
Whoa!!! That is a cool stove! I am guessing it is "spray vaporized" before being heat vaporized or some similar concept. Thanks for that link Nick, I want one... Yeah, I need another stove...... Still, damn cool!
Hi Diesel_bomber I understand burning diesel would be more convenient but my advice to you is use kerosene in the Nova or you can use white gas if you don't want to carry some meths for preheating. If you have 1L fuel bottle i think the Nova will run for hours. Take care
I agree with the above. The most reliable course of action is to carry a can of coleman or kerosene. I'd use the truck fuel only in a pinch, especially if you are inside some kind of shelter or structure. Given the conditions you are working under, I would not want to have to clean the stove very often.
This is what started me down the path of Stovie-dom... I wanted a stove that could run diesel, to carry in my diesel truck. I got a new Optimus 111C, and while it does run on diesel, the fumes are terrible ! Mucho stinko As mentioned above, I'd carry a supply of Coleman, or Kerosene, and leave the Diesel as a last resort...
Thank you for the replies, folks. I'll look into a big roarer, but it looks like I'll be carrying around another fuel. Thanks again. Edit: I already run biodiesel most of the time.
My atvar is a hme made roarer using Boideisel. It was running a bit hot in full sunlight. The nipple created a stalactite of black sooty ooze like the pricker was stuck in the jet. A bigger jet would solve me gummy problems as it tended to gumm up a bit while getting to working temp. After that it was alright thou. Old Xgk will work with the shellite jet and a good preheat on biodeisel but very stincky black blue unburnt smoke on shut down. Ohh biodeisel just love that chip smell. The stuff I have is dark brown but I think a urine yellow color is the better stuff. Deisel I've used in a Nova with the cleaning needle under it in pricker mode. Burns blue nd complete not soot little smell at all.But reduced output but didn't seem to clog anything after a tank of fuel. Don't know what prolonged usage would do to jet or pricker thou. That was diesel out of the ute pumped thou the fuel filter Umm er something. A small jet and a easy clean burner. Got a Drangonfly?? seem to vapourise fuel better than the Nova but never tried it out on deisel. Barra
