I've been wondering about my small Y2K stash of Coleman fuel and how usable it might be.

Rather than opening a can I thought about the 2 backpacking single-burner stoves (Feather 400 models) I own and decided to see if they had gas in them. Whatever was in there would be old. Both had fuel in their tanks.

The first one I bought in 1983 and used on a x-c motorcycle trip then as my backpacking/jeeping stove until about 1993 when I bought a simpler version (single valve) of the same thing which replaced it.

The newer one was most recently used about 2000.
The older one was retired about 1993.

So I got them out and cranked them up and ran them until empty.

They acted as nothing was unusual. They just lit up and ran! I didn't measure the heat content as this was just an operability check. And they did great!

Looks like Coleman fuel keeps pretty darn well for stove use.

I'm under the impression Coleman fuel will be good until the can rusts through.

I’ve read it was good for 4 to 5-years.

If you are going to store Coleman fuel for long term use I would suggest you coat the cans with a few coats of polyurethane to insulate the metal from the air and stop rust.

Coleman says that an unopened can, properly stored, should be good for five to seven years, and fuel in an opened can will remain good for two years, but should be used within one. That said, I have had the same luck with the stuff. I once dug out my ex-father-in-laws old Coleman three burner stove, which I know for a fact had not been used for over 20 years and still had fuel in it. Fired right up, ran 'til dry, and I used that stove for about ten years without a problem. Same thing with my dad's old single mantle lantern. Didn't have to change generators or anything on either of them. That stuff doesn't seem to die, no matter what Coleman says...

I would think that it would be best to store the stuff in a glass 1 gallon juice container and keep it out of the sun light... Should last for a very long time.

D

It is not a really good idea to store flammable liquids in breakable containers. Even illegal in some jurisdictions...

As a kid we used to use 1 gallon glass wine jugs as gas containers to fill up our go-carts. Holding it in our lap (in the passengers seat w/no seatbelt) if we got a ride from someone. I'm still amazed I made it out of my pre-teen years. Stupid is as stupid does I suppose.

IzzyJG99,
Thanks for the information....We have one on our grill...fortunately it isn't under pressure all the time...only when we use the grill do we turn it on, so hopefully we should become aware of the leak quickly....We also never leave the grill alone. We'll keep an eye on it...... Thanks again.
CJK

I didn't say you should keep them in the house or near the house. :-) but the grand folks always said that is the only way to really store fuel that will last a very long time. IE white gas.

Dangerous and illegal are a lot of times not connected and illegal not with reality...just sayin....

D

"...the tank's valve open cause we used it so often..."

Major no-no. It only takes seconds to turn the tank on or off...

Ya my mom made that mistake once and we found out right before grill time that the tank was completely mt. :-) No Problems, just shut it off after each use.

D

Maybe it's the storage circumstances. I have a couple cans in the garage of my cabin. The garage is under the building so under ground level. It never gets quite cold enough to freeze in winter, around 35F at the coldest and never gets warmer than the average basement. I know for a fact the one can is no less than 25 years old and it still burned fine in a lantern when the power was out in July.

I can't even think how old my can of Coleman fuel is. I bought it back when I actually backpacked, so that is on the order of 14+ years. The can was opened when I bought it to fill the aluminum bottle for my old whisperlite stove.

I was recently given an old Coleman lantern my Mom found at an auction in her neck of the woods. The carrying case for the lantern is steel - the thing is built like a battleship.

Filled with the fuel from the (now rusty, but not rusted through) can. Had to dismantle the pump and wipe some gunk off the leather, then was able to fire it up without any trouble.

I can offer up my experience with a 25 year old can that I inherited from my father. Seems no one else in the family is interested in camping and this can, which was purchased in the early 70s lived on a shelf in my folks garage for almost two decades.
When my father passed away, I inherited it. In the mid 90s I bought a Whisperlite Internationale to replace an old butane cartridge stove I had. In less time than it takes to talk about it, the stove was completely gummed up and burning very badly. I got sporadic flames. Lucky for me I had an Esbit stove as a backup lest it would have been a very cold and miserable wet night in the Pacific Northwest.
I don't know for sure how long the stuff lasts, but having a can around for four or five years hasn't caused any issues. I do tend to buy smaller cans these days, knowing they will eventually deteriorate after opening.

In our rough hunting camp we keep a 2-burner Coleman stove as back-up to the propane kitchen stove. One year we had to cook on the Coleman stove for a week as we had problems with the propane.

I do not know how old the Coleman fuel was (it was both in the tank and an open can), I would say over 5 years but less than 10 years. The stove burned poorly, it produced a yellow flame and smoked a lot. After we filled the tank with new fuel the stove ran great, with an efficient blue flame and little smoke.

Mike

Interesting experiences. Some people have had problems with old fuel, but many have not. I wonder if it's climate related? I live in Southern Calif. It's pretty dry here. I bought a one gallon can of Coleman Fuel (white gas) in about 1987. I'm still using it today, and I've had nary a problem. It's been stored in the back of my bedroom closet. Not sure that's the safest storage place, but as an apartment dweller, I don't have a lot of choices. I've had no problems in twenty years, so I suppose it isn't too unsafe.

I use the fuel for my old Whisperlite stove, also purchased in 1987. I don't use the stove a lot anymore which explains why I can go so long on one gallon of gas; I bought a Jet Boil relatively recently which is a lot easier to set up and use. I keep the Whisperlite for winter hikes. I also use the fuel for my two burner Coleman stove, but I don't car camp a lot. I mostly back pack.

I'd guess that it has to do with temperature changes. Your fuel is in a climate controlled environment. Many people store it in garages or sheds where temps can vary from -20 to 100 degrees F.

Well, actually, I live in the San Fernando Valley, which is a pretty hot place, and I don't run the air conditioner during the day while I'm at work. If it's in the 90's F in downtown Los Angeles, it'll often be over 100 F here in "The Valley." This fuel has been through years of high temperatures.

However, I do live in S. Calif, and I doubt very much that temperatures have been below 32 F (freezing in other words). I wonder if freezing temperatures would be more of an issue.

If nothing else, the S. Calif. dryness prevents the can from rusting.

"...the San Fernando Valley...I doubt very much that temperatures have been below 32 F..."

Not always. Dec/Jan of 1973 we had N/B I-5 closed at Roxford due to SNOW. Lots snow right there!!!

My gods, first the propane post, then the gas can post, now Coleman fuel!

I am just one big flammable accident waiting to happen!

I'm going out this weekend and building a fuel bunker that would rival Cheyenne Mountain.............

Just kidding. I will say, I bought a Coleman Peak Stove as a backup to propane and RV, and the first one leaked everywhere and scared the dickens out of me, so I exchanged, and have had no problems since, old fuel, new fuel, freezing temps, 100+, maybe it was this particular can of super razmattaz Coleman fuel I have had forever.

don't forget the alcohol for the pop can stoves..a trench around that bunker to keep the blazing fuel contained would be a good idea...

You can do some research of gasoline stabilization on the web.

My recollection is that temps above 80F greatly accelerate deterioration and crystalization. Chances are pretty good that Coleman fuel has a lot more stabilizers in it than pump gas which is what I was looking into when I did that research.

My first Peak 1 scared me too. I finally understood that the tank should not EVER be tip-top FULL and that using pre-heating paste for every startup led to predictable behavior and less time flaring off raw fuel while the generator warmed up. Carrying preheating paste adds a little weight but heck, it's a great fire starting aid even if the stove doesn't work!

What is it with Peak 1 stoves. I have one of the early ones ( no little feet) It has earned the nick name of the bomb I am the only one with the courge, stupidty to use it in the winter. It does tend to catch on fire all the way to the top of the tank until the in comming fule warms up. I also use a square of insulation under it to help the tank not be as cold. It does keep things interesting though.

CAP613..i have a couple of those old Peaks..to avoid the blaze up pre-heat the burner before you try and light it..a blob of gel fire starter,a bit of heat tab,a small splash of fuel under the generator will help vaporize the gas in that tube..it may burn off some raw gas in a yellow flame at the start but should settle down to a nice blue flame quickly..you need to pump up the stove once you get it burning to replace the pressure lost in the start up process..i always direct people to Classic Camp Stoves at spiritburner.com for everything they need to know about camp stoves..for parts and info on Coleman try Yucca Old Town..a Google of that should lead you to a Coleman site..sorry i don't know the link..

That's why dad never bothered with white gas. He always used propane stoves.

I know and do prim the stove and use fire gel to preheat it. It can still be some what of a beast, I think it was mostly others who are not use to seeing the yellow flams when the stove starts up until it get warmed up all the way. I have never felt that the stove was out of control. On another supject does LP gas store better than Colman fuel ?

I should note, I bought the Peak for multi fuel capability and extreme cold use, but after reading the classic stoves link mentioned above, it sounds like, from their forum, that you need to use small amounts of fuel at a time, which in hindsight makes sense- more air space?

I also have propane two burners and the motor home propane. All bases covered, eh?