Re: cold weather equipment

JASON CRUSE wrote:
> ... in the shadows of Mount Massive and Mount Elbert, south of Leadville,
> it got to -2 early this morning (just about the time we all got up to see
> the comet, it dipped).
>
> We discovered a problem with our stoves, however, that has been plaguing
> us for some time. Our whisperlites and our Colemans won't make the
> proper seal for fuel to flow properly. It almost seems as though the
> rubber gets too hard, or something, and oxygen gets into the line,
> causing big flames, little heat. Does anyone else have this problem?
> Anyone know how to correct it? Should we just not use stoves in the
> winter, and go with alternative fuels? At first we thought it was
> defective equipment, but all of them do it.
>

I think your problem can be corrected by pre-heating the generator
before lighting the stove. There is a product called Fire Paste sold
for that purpose; it comes in squeeze tubes. I bought mine from the
Campmor catalog. When I used it the first time I noticed a striking
similarity to Johnson's Past Wax. Anyway, squeeze a ribbon of the paste
all along the length of the metal tube that runs through the flames (the
generator). Light the paste, wait for it to burn out, and then light
the stove.

Cold weather and high altitudes both conspire against the vaporization
process. Try pre-heating the generator and see if it helps eliminate
the flames. To give it a proper test, you must be in cold conditions,
not out in your garage. ;-)

You're welcome,
Drew

--
Andrew Hagemann <hagemann@visi.net>
SA, Troop 6
Colonial Virginia Council
A "Charging" Buffalo, SR-158
Jamboree '97 Metal Work MB Booth Coordinator

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