Newbie and gas

[Woost2]

I have acquired and tested my first stove ... Coleman butane. Bought one can of butane for the test .. $1.99 at asian market. I hear rumors of .99 across the Bay.

Installed easily and started immediately. Now what? Should I removed the canister if I won't be using it for 3 weeks? What keeps the gas from leaking out??

One more thing checked off the list,
Martha

 

[SondraRose]

You just need to disconnect the canister. You can leave it inside the stove, but store in a place that doesn’t get hot.

 

[travlinman and wife]

don't be afraid to use your new stove but do be carful. the cans can leak, they can not seat just right, or if you use a pan that is to big it can reflect the heat and they  cane get to hot and explode. they had two explode in a resturant in south korea last week and hurt a bunch of people.

 

[ColdBrook]

My butane stove says not to use pans with bases bigger than 8 inch in diameter. So those Korean explosions most likely were caused when people used larger pans on them. Always follow directions for safety sake.

 

[frater secessus]

or if you use a pan that is to big it can reflect the heat and they  cane get to hot and explode.

For onlookers:  this issue is not restricted to butane.  It affects any stove that has the burner and fuel tank close to each other, which is common in small, portable, or backpacking singleburner stoves.  The reason wide pans are deprecated is that they reflect more heat back onto the tank/font.  Narrower pots will help the stove run cooler if it is prone to overheating.  My Coleman 60s-era 502 sportster runs hot and requires monitoring.  I touch it regularly to see how the tank is doing.  It's beautiful, though.

Trivia:  some liquid fuel stoves actually require a bit of heat blowback to provide pressure since there is no pump.  Optimus, svea, etc.

 

[John61CT]

I recently posted about "remote adapters" available allowing you yo relocate the canister away from the stove.

Also converting to use different (safer) butane tank types, and also for running any butane device off (much cheaper) propane.

 

[KroFlite]

I've found these small butane stoves to be one of the safest designs I've encountered, if used with some common sense, and I've used multiple propane, white gas and alcohol stoves.  They are most definitely not the choice for putting a large stock pot on the burner and turning it up full blast, nor were they designed for such cooking.

Their small, low, stable footprint and lack of external hoses and tanks to catch on things or fall over make them very safe in real world use.

 

[Almost There]

My butane stove came with a carrying case that forces the lever in to the disconnect position when the stove is packed in to it. It also allows the stove and the butane canister to be stored in an upright position.

K&B still has the stoves at $15.00 IIRC.

I still carry my 2 burner propane stove for cooking outside but for inside the van the butane is my 'go-to' stove.

 

[Woost2]

You just need to disconnect the canister.  You can leave it inside the stove, but store in a place that doesn’t get hot.

Uh oh ... by "disconnect" do you mean just "unlock" the vertical lever and leave the can in place?  I took it out. Will it go back in again???

 

[Almost There]

Yes, it will go back in again...the same way you put it in there in the first place.

You can either separate the canister completely from the stove between uses or you can just unlock the vertical lever - that disconnects the canister from the stove so it won't light or leak.

Store the canister in an upright position when not locked in to the stove for use.

 

[ColdBrook]

If I had the time and money I would buy the butane stove that can use either butane or propane. I didn't know they made those until after I had boughten mine that only uses butane.  That way if I run out of butane I can always use my propane that I always have with me for my heater.  Also apparently butane doesn't always work in really cold temps  and since I live in the cold, snowy northeast I might have that problem sometimes. Same issue with really high altitudes but most people say they haven't had a problem with that. Plus during hunting season it became very hard to find the butane canisters. Next year I will stock up ahead of hunting season.

 

[John61CT]

> I recently posted about "remote adapters" available allowing you yo relocate the canister away from the stove.

> Also converting to use different (safer) butane tank types, and also for running any butane device off (much cheaper) propane.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?pid=358470#pid358470

 

[GeorgiePorgie]

I still carry my 2 burner propane stove for cooking outside but for inside the van the butane is my 'go-to' stove.

As I real newbie, can I ask why? Why is butane better inside, but not outside?

 

[John61CT]

Guessing, bigger size and BTU means easier/safer outside.

Butane more compact and lower power output.

Personally I'd only carry two if I had a big rig, and would convert the indoor one to propane, and only use the butane cylinders when backpacking a picnic.

 

[accrete]

luv our Butane stove(s)...just picked up a new one for our 2nd van conversion (a 15K BTU, our original is going with Van1 and was 12K BTU). We've never had issues in or out, always follow safe practices and enjoy the convienience. We typicaly get ~4 days of use out of a canister. At 12K to 15K BTU it easily takes the chill off while heating up the water kettle on a cold morning (~2 to 3min is all we need).

Thom

 

[Woost2]

Back from my inaugural travels with my Prius. I like the size and stability of the square butane stove and the first bottle worked OK. I never got it lit again after that one. I tried three of the other bottles I had. All lit with gusto, went out immediately and never lit again. The spark was snapping. Any thoughts on this?

I was at Chisos Basin in Big Bend so ... maybe 5000 feet. Temps into the 30s at night. I mention that because people were saying "oh, it might be too cold/high for butane" but that sounds ridiculous. People backpack with butane. I did try again when I had a day in the 80s and still nada. I intend to buy another bottle and see if it is just bad luck with gas. It was the cheap stuff from the Asian food store. Korean made, I think.

Another issue was that the vaguest puff of a breeze impacted the flame. Which wasn't very robust even when I had one. I tried various wind blocking methods and was able to eventually get soup hot, but jeez ... what a pain. Need to find something that actually does the job blocking wind.

Anyway, had a great first trip and managed without much cooking. Good thing I've never had a coffee jones.

 

[highdesertranger]

did you try to lite it with a match/lighter? could you hear gas coming out? is there gas in the can? you can tell by shaking it. if you think it's to cold you can heat up the can. It sounds to me like the can is not fully engaging in the stove. highdesertranger

 

[Woost2]

did you try to lite it with a match/lighter?  could you hear gas coming out?  is there gas in the can?  you can tell by shaking it.  if you think it's to cold you can heat up the can.  It sounds to me like the can is not fully engaging in the stove.  highdesertranger

The whole thing makes me pretty nervous. The three new bottles lit once with a biggish flame. And then immediately went out. Did not try with match. All felt heavier and I could feel movement with a gentle rocking but I didn't know if shaking was a good idea. This stove is suppose to be idiot proof -- if the canister isn't loaded correctly, they aren't suppose to lock and if not locked nothing happens. I did unlock and reload and relock several times. I will try a new bottle when I find one, and report back.

 

[A little work a little play]

My butane stove came with a carrying case that forces the lever in to the disconnect position when the stove is packed in to it. It also allows the stove and the butane canister to be stored in an upright position.

K&B still has the stoves at $15.00 IIRC.

I still carry my 2 burner propane stove for cooking outside but for inside the van the butane is my 'go-to' stove.

K & B? That's a great price!  Looking for an indoor single burner right now for my hot water.....

 

[A little work a little play]

I've found these small butane stoves to be one of the safest designs I've encountered, if used with some common sense, and I've used multiple propane, white gas and alcohol stoves.  They are most definitely not the choice for putting a large stock pot on the burner and turning it up full blast, nor were they designed for such cooking.

Their small, low, stable footprint and lack of external hoses and tanks to catch on things or fall over make them very safe in real world use.

Shopping for the best and safest way to heat water inside my cargo trailer, is this the best option?  I have a 2 burner propane stove for kitchen outdoor use (where I do basically all my cooking), but want hot water PDQ inside the trailer.  Is a single burner propane stove just as safe inside?