Hi I've got an Optimus 111b that is nearly 65 years old, it's got a blockage in the main fuel pipe too the burner, no matter what I've tried I can't clear it is it possible to get a spare burner for it and if so roughly how much would it be, cheers Carl
Hi, Carl! Welcome to CCS, Sir! The answer to your question is both yes, and no. Yes, you "can" get a used spare burner for your 111B, IF you spend a great amount of time on the hunt for it. And, no, getting a new spare burner would be very hard to find, and if you did fine one, it would be VERY costly!! I would recommend that you become a subscriber here at CCS. What you will be able to learn, will be WELL worth the small $9 a year subscription cost!! There is a veritable gold mine of great information on fettling the 111B, and other similar stoves, back to action! And, seeing that your 111B is 65, it is VERY MUCH in need of a complete disassembly, a cleaning, replacement of all it's seals, and safety pips, and only THEN will it be safe for continued use!! Doing otherwise, is placing you, your family, and your home, in grave danger! This is not hyperbole, either, and most all CCS members will back me up on this! All it takes, for a massive conflagration, with that stove, or other similar stoves, is one failure of a seal, and you have a massively uncontrollable fire ball on your hands!! So, word to the wise: Fettle your stove, before trying to light it again. You will be very glad that you did!! I have more than several 111B, 111, 22B, and 22 stoves that are at least as old as yours, and maybe older, and all of them run like new. Before using each one, I've fettled them back to life, by doing what I recommended that you do for your stove. You will need to buy the seals, pips, and graphite sheeting, that you will then use to fettle your stove. You can get all that at The Fettle Box, right here at CCS. Buying from them, means that you are guaranteed to get the best parts available for sale, and not some El Cheapo knockoff, sold on some popular auction sites. You may also need a new cleaning needle, which can also be sourced at The Fettle Box. Please ask any other questions you might have, and either I, or another of our knowledgeable CCS members, will come along to help you!! Take care, and God Bless! Every Good Wish, Doc
Further to Doc's wise words above, I believe that it would be easier to buy another 111B stove, than to buy a spare burner by itself. The 111B is a fine stove, but care is needed to replace the NRV pip, as a failure during operation will lead to very high flames. I urge you to have a large capacity fire extinguisher nearby, on your escape path out of your home. Have a plan as to what you are going to do if things go wrong. Cheers Simon Foxxx
G'day @Carl and welcome to CCS. If the blockage is in the feed tube a piece of stranded bike brake cable in a hand drill should remove it. However, burners do clog with carbon over time and do need de coking. The simplest method is heat and quench but it can cause cracking. Remove the nipple , cleaning needle and preferably the spindle first. Old roarer burner heads Use the search to find numerous posts on cleaning a burner. Good luck
Thank you very much for taking the time to reply to my problem, I've stripped all down and my problem seems to be from the tank into the bottom of the feeder through to the actual jet it seems to have a blockage that I can't clear no matter what I try, including compressed air. Once again thank you for your help
Thank you ROBB055 That is something I've not tried I will give it a go at the weekend and give you an update
+ on the fire extinguisher. I had a Rogers M1950 stove caught on fire after I replaced some gaskets and I used an old PIP thinking it was still good. It wasn't. Fuel filled up in the pump and things quickly got out of hand. I shut it off and tried again. Still no good, this time it was outside and the fire along with the wind blowing got even worse. I grabbed a fire extinguisher-it was empty. Angry I smacked it off the workmate and it fell on the ground and I dumped some sand on it. That put it out. 1st thing I did was go and buy a fire extinguisher and looked and changed everything that could be changed. Only thing that really was damaged was the red plastic shut off handle. I got very lucky.
Fire extinguishers - sometime last year Kidde put out a recall on non-commercial extinguishers. Google their recall and check your unit's serial numbers. I got four of mine replaced free. In the past I have found several of my stoves with faulty NRV's. Thank you to all on this site for good information. Dumbest mistake I have made (so far!) was filling an alcohol fuel bottle while a Turm stove was running on the same workbench!! Almost a disaster..... Keep safe, all. Tom
