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MSR stove problems?


snoboy

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So, everyone bitches about their whisperlites. What's up with that? Mine's 9 years going strong. I've got a butane rig too, but always seem to grab the MSR.

 

And yes, I do believe they can simmer. In fact I can bake on mine. I usually reserve that trick for base camp style where your pack is too heavy anyway. You should see the looks you get at Applebee campground when you are eating pizza with [HORSECOCK]

 

Sure it has need of cleaning once in a while, but I'd rather a stove I can fix than one I can't.

 

Let me have it, I want to know of ruined trips, flambeed tents, dead partners. Tell it all...

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I worked for MSR many years ago so I am familar with their products

Whisperlite: yes, frequent cleaning is necessary because of the "quiet" burner head. It will collect a bit of carbon over time that can cause problems. If you have any mechanical ability you can take it apart and clean all parts, reassemble it and have a perfectly running stove again. If you lack the mechanical inclination then bring it to where ever you bought it and have them sent it to MSR for a quick overhaul.

 

Dragonfly: This stove is a better choice if you don't mind the noise. It has a "roarer" head that avoids the trapping of carbon during low output operation.

By following MSR stove instructions you should have nearly trouble free operation of all their stoves.

MSR has been a good company to deal with in the 30+ years that I have used their products and I hope that Cascade Designs carries on that tradition.

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I've had my whisperlite for over 6 years now, still works great. My only issue is that i tend to not take care of the pump, and always end up breaking parts of it and needing a replacement. But I have had no problems with the stove itself (except a few burnt meals caused by user error) [sNAFFLEHOUND]

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Agree--old fuel seems to become gummy as the volitiles evaporate. I actually have no idea what that really means, but sounds good to me.

My rule is if the fuel's 6 months or older it's bbq and campfire lighter fluid.

 

I find the MSR stoves require less cleaning (and burn a bit hotter) if you run the MSR fuel, but my Scottish genes won't allow me to pay the outrageous price when I can buy a gallon of coleman fuel at Fred Meyer for $3.99.

 

BTW, here's a cool site on stoves: www.spiritburner.com/.

 

My first stove was an old 1944 Coleman military model I found in a army surplus store in 1974.

 

Jonathan

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quote:

Originally posted by iceguy:

I have 2 WhisperLite Internationales, 1 Dragonfly, and 1 XGK; never had any problems. I take these stoves apart once a year and give them a good cleaning. Have never had one clog yet.

What do you do with 4 stove ??? Stove collecting a hobby of yours? I understand having a couple for different situations, but 4 [Confused]

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quote:

Originally posted by mattp:

Mine seems to run much better since I have been mostly using relatively new fuel and I sometimes even use the MSR brand fuel. The old stuff from the nearly empty gallon cans sitting around in my basement just seemed to clog it up.

Totally agree, new fuel will disolve all the gunk better than old fuel too, it seems.

 

Although, last I checked MSR stopped selling fuel with their name on it? That's what I heard from a couple of local gear shops, and I can't find it on sale anywhere. Hmmm. I got a coupon in the mail for a free can from MSR not too long ago because their records showed that I had recently bought fuel from a bad can batch, where the cans leak and cause fires. [Eek!]

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Try eBay for all manner of older stoves, including the venerable Svea 123. I've even seen the old Optimus and Sigg nesting cooksets on auction, fetching often proud prices of up to one c-note.

 

The other blast-from-the-past classic for your Whisperlite friends would be the kerosene burning Primus or Optimus 96. Once they are cranking, they really put out the BTUs, but they can be a pain to prime--you use alcohol--in a wind.

 

Jonathan

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Ya,tanks, Jonathan,I'm trying to not comment on how much MSR stoves suck but rather the better alternative...

 

as to white gas and lacquer issues... I understand this is an interaction between the oxygen and fuel in fuel container... same for auto fuel tank or stovetank..everyone's got some beatup, leftover fuel bottles, right? The trick is to distill your whitegas into the smaller bottles as soon as you buy it, then keep trying to keep your fuel bottles topped off until you've run thru the entire gallon, this seems to help reduce/eliminate fuel clogging/age contamination...

 

And MSR stove problems? Let's see, better not be a dirtbag or you'll find there's lots of chances to contaminate your fuel, or pump... how about when you need to change fuel bottles and it's freezing out, wet , and muddy and you drop the pump mechanism?

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Oy, me and my literal self.

 

Still the spiritburner.com site and the auctions on eBay are amusing. It's fun to pull out an old kerosene burner on a craggy-car camp. Just don't ever spill kero on anything you value. Will stink forever. [Mad]

 

While I like the new butane/propane mixtures and the lighter stoves for fair weather trips, I'm personally still a fan of ye olde MSR for most of the rest of the year. Pay your dues (clean it every now and then) and it'll be there for you when you need it.

 

Of course it always boils--perhaps literally in this case--down to religion. The first right enumerated in the first amendment secures us that privilege. Even under Republican regimes.

 

May you all always be able to enjoy that hot drink after a long day without undue hassle from your stoves! [smile]

 

Jonathan

 

[ 10-01-2002, 01:55 AM: Message edited by: Jonathan ]

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Okay, I'll not mince words here- MSR stoves SUCK THE BIG HC and should be tossed off the nearest cliff. No offence to Larry P intended.

Their white gas stoves are nefarious contraptions that require way too much of my time and intelligence fiddling and fussing with them at the end of a hard day or at 4AM- They suck fuel like a SUV driven by a oil exec and I'm sure they brought in Rube Goldburg on the design team. Put TWO fuel controls on one model to get it to simmer better, I can't even tell you how they were intending to fuck up the lowly fuel bottle-

 

With a Svea, you just dump some white gas on the bastard, put the torch to it and, voila, happy cooker! You get like, two hours of simmering time its' 6oz. tank, leaving you plently of time after dinner for a couple rounds of hot toddys-

 

Did I mention a Svea is virtually indestructible? Drop it 30 feet off a ledge and chances are it'll still be running when you climb down to retrieve it-

 

I'm sorry to all you diehard MSR fans out there, it's just that...those stoves SUCK.

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quote:

Originally posted by Beck:

I've got a Whisperlite (did not spend any money on that P.O.S.) and it SUCKS. Works fine(I guess, if you take into consideration its' inherent crappy design )it's just a P.O.S.

Beck--give me an address so I can mail you the operating instructions. C'mon now, they're not crap. They are well designed, simple, durable and perform well for the intended application. I've been using a XGKII and Whisperlite International for a long while. I've had field failures, but nothing that couldn't be fixed in 10 minutes. They do need periodic maintenence, simple cleaning. My major complaint is the inability to nest the fixed tube models in cookware (I like to keep that stuff together). If I'm enlessly simmering or hanging in the tent, I'll bring the Stormy or the Primus. But IMHO there's no finer furnace for melting snow than the XGK. Fast as an R1, loud as a Harley.

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