What's in the tank?

[Raggitash]

I was following the camping stoves thread and it seems everyone is happily sucking petrol from their tanks.

Thing is, I used a plastic (Clean) pipe to siphon petrol when I was last touring the Alps and ended up at a BMW dealership in Bolzano getting a new fuel filter & pump fitted.

At the time I blamed the inside lining of the tank coming adrift and clogging up the filter and pump but all the gudgies on the other thread dont seem to be any the worse for wear.

So. Is it possible or even likely that it was something off the tank walls?


Cheers
Raggi

 

[vilguy]

did you know that actually using petrol from your tank aint so great. Alot of people arent aware that it clogs up your cooker with shite and yourll spend ages cleaning it. Also it contains lots of lovely chemicals to add seasoning to your sausages. I use a liquid fuel stove but with avgas or paraffin etc. Its much better.

Im planning on converting mine to cooking oil soon also

oh and if your using leaded petrol, dont use it at all.. its really not so great

 

[Vern]

It was the lining out of the tank,or rather the primer paint inside.Careful Kev off this site had the same thing,but he managed to get home.

 

[Raggitash]

I assume that it might happen again?

Do I have to worry about it happening by itself?

Cheers
Raggi

 

[motobiker]

It was the lining out of the tank,or rather the primer paint inside.Careful Kev off this site had the same thing,but he managed to get home.

Happened to me too - liner was coming out in sheets.

It didn't get into the filter/pump though. it did however do strange things to the fuel gauge sender gadget thingie.

I got me an (as new) replacement tank from Sherlocks and swapped it over.

Biggest problem is once it starts coming out - it never seems to stop. internal surface area of these tanks is huge.

 

[MattW]

did you know that actually using petrol from your tank aint so great. Alot of people arent aware that it clogs up your cooker with shite and yourll spend ages cleaning it. Also it contains lots of lovely chemicals to add seasoning to your sausages. I use a liquid fuel stove but with avgas or paraffin etc. Its much better.

Im planning on converting mine to cooking oil soon also

oh and if your using leaded petrol, dont use it at all.. its really not so great

I'd agree that the chemicals that come in unleaded aren't the best thing to introduce to your food, but I've been using pump fuel in my coleman stoves for 20 years and have never had a problem with the stove. If you were cooking everything you ate on a petrol stove, then the additives might start to be a concern, but for occasional camping trips, it's really not going to matter. The trouble with most of the multifuel stoves (like Optimus / Primus etc) is that they're fussy bu**ers and routinely break down anyway It's easy to blame the fuel, but in order to get these things to run on anything flammable, they're very sensitive. I've always found my nice simple, 'petrol only' Coleman stoves (and lamp) to be ultra reliable.

That said, I mostly use 'panel wipe' in my petrol stoves now. It's actually naptha and exactly the same thing as the horrendously expensive 'Coleman Fuel', but costs about £10 / 5l from a car paint supplier. It burns with almost no odour and doesn't contain any nasty chemical additives. I still use petrol when I need to though, mainly because it's convenient (there's a flippin' great box full of it between my legs).

 

[Carefulkev]

It was the lining out of the tank,or rather the primer paint inside.Careful Kev off this site had the same thing,but he managed to get home.

I certainly did! Symptons of this problem were: Higher fuel consumption, low tick-over RPM, engine stops & blown fuel pump fuse. Found that it was less problematic with plenty of fuel on board (less concentrated in bottom of tank), so had to keep filling up with fuel like an ordinary bike

 

[vilguy]

naptha... thats the stuff i couldnt think of the name of

i admit about the convinience... thats pretty much why we buy petrol stoves isnt it?

that and some people want to look "cool"

I'd agree that the chemicals that come in unleaded aren't the best thing to introduce to your food, but I've been using pump fuel in my coleman stoves for 20 years and have never had a problem with the stove. If you were cooking everything you ate on a petrol stove, then the additives might start to be a concern, but for occasional camping trips, it's really not going to matter. The trouble with most of the multifuel stoves (like Optimus / Primus etc) is that they're fussy bu**ers and routinely break down anyway It's easy to blame the fuel, but in order to get these things to run on anything flammable, they're very sensitive. I've always found my nice simple, 'petrol only' Coleman stoves (and lamp) to be ultra reliable.

That said, I mostly use 'panel wipe' in my petrol stoves now. It's actually naptha and exactly the same thing as the horrendously expensive 'Coleman Fuel', but costs about £10 / 5l from a car paint supplier. It burns with almost no odour and doesn't contain any nasty chemical additives. I still use petrol when I need to though, mainly because it's convenient (there's a flippin' great box full of it between my legs).

 

[MattW]

i admit about the convinience... thats pretty much why we buy petrol stoves isnt it?

that and some people want to look "cool"

I use petrol stoves because they work in any temperature, produce loads of heat, use easily available fuel which has a very high energy density and cost buttons to run.

 

[motobiker]

you lot will be swapping recipes next. plus handy hints on which washing up liquid is best for chapped fingers and fashion tips on pinnys and headscarfs.

 

[Stewart H]

I have an MSR whisperlite,I initially used unleaded for the preheat but found it covered eveything in black soot now I use a little meths to preheat and its a lot cleaner, how does the "Panel wipe" perform as preheater? is it still sooty?

Stewart

 

[MattW]

how does the "Panel wipe" perform as preheater? is it still sooty?

Unfortunately yes - not as bad as unleaded, but still fairly sooty.

I use meths (or one of those gas pencil torches, if I can't be ars*d with meths )

 

[vilguy]

you lot will be swapping recipes next. plus handy hints on which washing up liquid is best for chapped fingers and fashion tips on pinnys and headscarfs.

hands that do dishes can be as soft as you.....eerr i forget... with my green.. fairy liquid....

the original and the best!

 

[B1FF0]

Stove?

I use petrol stoves because they work in any temperature, produce loads of heat, use easily available fuel which has a very high energy density and cost buttons to run.

Matt
what make is the stove in your pic?

 

[vilguy]

Matt
what make is the stove in your pic?

it looks huge!

i used petrol cos im as tight as a knats arse which has undergone plastic arse tightening surgery. Bugger if im paying £3 for a can of gas!

Id much rather singe my eyebrows when i tried to light my petrol stove the first time without reading the instructions...

 

[MattW]

Matt
what make is the stove in your pic?

It's a Russian copy of an Optimus 8r 'Hunter' - I bought it from a German guy on ebay.
I also have a genuine Optimus 8r, but I need to get hold of a new tin for it as it's pretty rusty. They're great little stoves and put out a lot of heat. It's hard to scale from the pic, but they pack really small - the box is about 5" square. The bottom pic shows it with its big brother the Optimus 111c - quite big and heavy - more of a base camp stove.

 

[vilguy]

its alot smaller with a point of reference to scale from. It looked huge in that first pic. quite a natty little peice of kit that mate.