I recently bought a svea 123 from ebay. It works, but not as well as I feel it should. The flame is a times very weak, or sputtering. Other times it turns yellow, or ceases to vaporize and flames up. I've done a fair amount of experimentation, as well as a fair amount of reading, probably in the wrong order. Here's what I've come up with. 1. I may have destroyed the graphite seal trying to clean the controller knobby valve thing (I like to use the technical term whenever possible.) So this could be the cause. 2. The wick is slightly burnt at the top, so this could be the problem. 3. The jet seems to accumulate debris abnormally quickly, so the whole thing(vaporizer tube?) may just be dirty. 4. Thoroughly cleaning the jet doesn't seem to impact anything. 5. I've adjusted the flame spreader so much I'm surprised none of the tabs have broken off, so I don't think that could be the problem either. I tried to take a video of the problems, but the first attempt I didn't prime enough and the second attempt it actually performed better than ever before. Regardless, I'll include a link to each of them. Would draino or simillar products be a bad idea? How about some sort of automotive engine cleaner? Is there an easy way to fix the graphite thing I may have destroyed? Would just any old cotton work for a wick? I feel like I'm asking a lot of questions and providing very vague information.Any advice at all will be greatly appreciated.
First you need to make sure you have good fuel. White spirit. If the previous owner used kero and there is still some in the tank or wick this could cause vaporising problems. Over filling the tank can cause a weak flame. Spluttering can indicate pressure loss, put some bubbly water, or spit, around the filler cap when it's running to check for leaks. A leak at the graphite packing usually gets a small flame on it. The 123 is not a grunty stove but you will love once you get it sorted.
Hi Aussy, welcome to CCS. If the wick is charred it should be replaced. Cotton string from a mop head or kitchen string is best. The charring is caused by letting the stove run out of fuel. To check for leaks, empty the tank, fit the filler cap, close the valve and immerse the stove in hot water. The air in the tank will expand and you will see any leaks. The stove will make a sputtering/fluttering noise when running correctly (a feature of this style of stove). Terry
Hi If all this fails then the burner may be clogged with carbon & this will mean a complete strip of the stove/burner unit & then a heat & quench to clear the blockage I have just done this on a Primus 71 & it roars like a rocket now compared to before as it was a damp squib Shout me if you need any help Best regards Stu
Don't use lye or any such household cleaners. They are likely to make things worse. The second video looks pretty good. Run a few tanks of fresh fuel through it and it may improve some more. Sounds like you have already had the wick out, if you want to do that again, just replace it after cleaning the valve stem and riser. If there is no flame around the valve spindle, your graphite is probably working OK. Often a weak flame is just due to a less than perfect seal around the cap. It is usually worth replacing that gasket on a used stove.
One thing to note is that you should always equalize the tank pressure every time you go to use the stove. Just open the filler cap a crack and tighten up again. If the atmospheric pressure has risen since you last used the stove you could find yourself fighting against a partial vacuum in your tank which wont help. I had some bad runs from my Radius 42 until I figured out what I was doing wrong.
I believe the wick is your culprit, along with perhaps the idiosyncracies of the stove itself. You're main complaints seem to be mediocre power and inconsistant power, along with frequent jet clogging. Both are hallmarks of a burnt wick. The purpose of the wick in a self pressurizing stove is to ensure liquid fuel is delivered to the vapourizor at startup, and in use, by capillary action. Charred cotton makes a poor wick. It also puts particulates into the fuel stream just before the jet, causing clogging. As noted above, wicks get charred by allowing the stove to burn dry. As long as there's liquid fuel present, it cools the wick. When the last drop is gone, heat from the burner dries the wick completely, and then chars it just before it goes out. So, I'd make up a new wick (100% cotton only, mop head or kitchen string, copper or brass wire to bind it), make it match the existing one. It should fit snuggly into the vaporizor without being too tight. I'd bet this transforms your stove. Then all that's left is getting used to how it operates. How to prime for best effect, the importance of equalizing pressures, and all that. Good luck, they're great little stoves. Classics for a reason. J
Man you guys are awesome. I thought that good performance must have been a fluke, but I fired her up again today with nearly the same result. A bit of orange flames at the tip, but I can live with that. If things start going south, I now have lots to try. I'm curious about what Stu said. To clarify, I remove the burner bell, jet, control valve bolt/needle, and then remove the vaporizer tube from the tank. Then simply heat the vaporizer tube up with another stove or something, then dunk it in some cold water? It sounds like I also ought to replace the wick while I have the whole thing disassembled. Would my homemade wick require a high degree of precision? I'd use the existing wick as a general goal, but how close in size/length does it need to be?
I got my very first Svea 123 just last night, and tried to fire it up and make tea. It had such a poor flame that I turned it off and used my 8R instead. So, it looks like I'll have to give my Svea a good going over as well. Question - In my 8R I used stainless steel wire instead of copper or brass when I redid the wick in it a few years back, and was figuring on doing the same in the Svea because well, its what I got on hand. Is this a mistake? Dissimilar metals possibly encouraging corrosion?
Yes, dissimilar metals do promote corrosion, but it shouldn't be a problem... There are steel cleaning needles in there too, to no ill effect. J
Use the old wick to measure the new one, also you should be able to reuse the wire. Just make sure the wick material is 100% cotton. Mop strands, cotton yarn, boat caulking, gauze bandage, have all been recommended.
do burn a sample of your new string to prove it is cotton. I had 2 attempts at getting the right stuff. First stuff burnt with black smoke and what looked like globules in the flame and the ash had hard bits in it. Second lot burnt with grey smoke a smooth flame and the ask was fine powder with a few left over fibres. This stuff saw my 8r turn the whole burner bell red at full noise. (full noise is the correct term, it was competing with the dragonfly and only just lost)
Just as a follow up, I ordered a repair kit from A&H packstoves, thinking the spare parts will eventually come in handy. In the mean time, I tried cleaning the vaporizer tube with carb cleaner with great results. I could immediately see a bunch of particles that were cleared from the tube. Upon testing, solid blue flames, and a TON more pressure(and noise) than ever before. Unfortunately, the flame kind of flashes, especially at lower power, and the control valve definitely leaks. I assume those two things are related? Perhaps it cleaned a bit too well...
By "flashes" you mean a brief flash of yellow/orange flame, with a "thwump" sound each time? That's typical of inadequate preheat or too much pressure/too high "throttle" for the amount of preheat. If you put a pot on it (which throws heat back down at the stove), or just allow it to burn a bit at a lower "throttle" setting, it'll stop, as the vaporizor heats up. It is unrelated to a leak at the stem. A leak at the stem is fixed by tightening gently the packing nut. If you cannot stop the leak without making the valve stem too stiff, then a new packing is needed. Hopefully, it'll be in the parts you've ordered. A small graphite cylinder. Great job so far! J
