have been using one almost daily for the last year on the lanai - i only use kerosene... i prime by using alcohol from a Coleman kerosene lantern meths bottle (look at the parts listing for kero lanterns on Coleman's site)... pour a bit into the inner ring, then prime - when good and hot, i turn on the burner... the stove burns very clean (not a bit of soot after a year's use), and the stove performs as well as it did out of the box (after i replaced the factory installed naptha generator - you also get a kero generator with the stove - replacements are reasonable at ~$9) two things i did: replaced the rubber lanyard w/copper rings and a short piece of chain (from my 123R) and removed the labels (they peeled right off)
Right! And one thing for DAMN sure... don't use one of those stovetop ovens on a dual fuel stove while burning gasoline.
btw, this stove is available for less than US$58 until mid-October from here. disclaimer: i don't work there; heck, i don't even work! p.s. actually, i did three things to the stove: also removed the plastic 'stabilizer' ring, as i always use the stove on a level surface
Hey, LA, Like you, I've had wonderful experiences burning kerosene in our 550B stoves. You may recall that SB and I used one of those wonderful little stoves for about 650 miles of our 850 PCT backpacking trip, after our MSR Whisperlite Internationale refused to work well with kerosene!!! The little Coleman worked like the champ that it is, and never let us down, as had the MSR POS!!! I like your replacing the rubber fuel cap keeper with copper rings and a bit of chain. Outstanding idea! I have left the labels on our stoves, as they don't bother me, and if they fall off, no problem, and if they stay on, no problem. One thing I did not do was remove the stabilizing ring, as did you. When backpacking, that simply little sliding rubber ring makes a HUGE difference in being able to actually level the stove!!! If you only cook on flat surfaces, as do you, then you don't have to worry about it. But, when backpacking in the mountains, finding a "flat spot" is sometimes, actually, OFTEN hard to accomplish!! So, we used that leveling ring almost everytime we fired up that stove, three times a day, for the 650, or so, miles that we cooked on it. For what it's worth.... Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Old thread, but my 2 cents anyways.... Car fuel has additives in it for various reasons, and methanol so taxpayers can pay more to burn corn (only reason i see). White gas is very pure high octane ethanol fuel. It burns very clean with no additives. E-85 (85% methanol) is actually about 110 octane BUT the reason it doesnt work soo well in a coleman burner is because ethanol has a perfect burn (stoichiometric) at 14.7:1. Methanol is 12.7:1. Does't much matter in low concentrations of one or the other. To make a burner run properly on methanol, it is going to need more fuel. Just like an e-85 car (waste of gas, and taxpayer dollars). I would also like to add that normal unleaded fuel is fine. It is made to run on it. The good stuff you should run is NON OXYGENATED NO METHANOL OFF ROAD FUEL ONLY. There should always be a place around you that sells it AT THE PUMP. It is used for classic cars, boats, lawn mowers, four wheelers, snowmobiles, etc.. You can also use race fuel, or 100 octane low lead airplane fuel, however the high octane ethanol is a waste of money, just like coleman fuel, and people who burn corn. Car gas has detergents in it that help keep injectors clean, decarbonize engines, lubricants, anti-jel agents, and moisture soaker uppers (pritty yechnical huh?) isopyropal? All the stuff that doesn't belong in a fuel burner. That's all i have to say. I'm out.
Wrong White gasoline is very low octane. If your lucky it might reach 60. Camp stoves dont need or want high octane fuel. Put over simply octane is the measure of how much you can compress it before it explodes. Whether or not these can burn unleaded fuel depends a lot on the additive mix your country uses. E85 is definitely out E10 you might get away with but its the other additives that are the issue. Things like lubricants for a fuel injection system anti knock chemicals chemicals that clean the catalytic converter Chemicals that sound nice to the marketing department. All these things are great? for cars but not for poking down a tube that is near red hot so they should be gas by the time they enter a burner. The petrol goes through but a fair portion of the extras stay behind
I ECHO,ECho,Echo,echo,e linux-author and Doc.Mark's comments , keroffin in mine and very happy with it... Paraffin is my fuel of preferrence. A generators length of stove rope in the outer annulus under the generator tube .. a splash of methylated spirit alcohol (3-5 ml.). about a spoonfull ish . prime.. wait for prime to almost burn out .. hit the power and beautifull blue.. They simmer well . BUT.... I can smell a slight overfuelling .. Been like that from new and same as my #No.2 550B kero ... slight smell on simmer. I like 'em. a well balanced act.. the pair of 'em. Nick
Lol.. Sorry. Suprised I mixed those two up. Must be the fumes getting to me. Or the faceplant from my bike accident last week. Or both. Better leave it soo someone with lesser knowledge can learn, and be wrong about something. Just like politicking.
