Cold Weather Tips for Gas Stoves

Some of my recent posts have been a little heavy on the theory end of things. This post is nearly purely practical. Have a look at: Cold Weather Tips for Gas Stoves

HJ

P.S. The above link is now working. Sorry about that. :oops:

So, no tip on wrapping copper wire around canister and into flame?

Well, that'll work, BUT you could also blow yourself sky high. Maybe not too much chance in really cold weather, but you have to be really cautious with that technique. Supply enough heat to the canister, and you're in fat city. Too much and KABOOM!

Water on the other hand is pretty safe. You can feel how hot or cold the water is before the canister ever touches it, and the water generally won't get hotter as you cook in cold weather.

I'll do a post at some point in the future on various canister warming techniques (water, windscreen, copper wire, and body heat being the standard techniques). Body heat and water are pretty safe. The windscreen and wire techniques can be down right dangerous if you don't know what you're doing or are not careful.

HJ

Heh I know, was just kidding. Something like brunton's remote canister mount would be great for a copper wire mod and inverted canister though. Wanted to try it but local shop sold out before I got around to it.

When you plan on putting your canister in water, is there any point in warming the water first? I think I remember reading that recommendation somewhere, but it seemed to me that as long as the water was liquid it shouldn't matter.

Yeah, I've seen some interesting MYOG winter set ups with wire and a remote mount. There are still some Brunton ones out there on eBay and such. There are also some Chinese copies although I don't know how good the quality is.

HJ

Hi, Denis,

As long as a) the water is liquid and b) you have good fuel (no "regular" butane), you should be good to go.

In colder weather, warming the water somewhat can be good because it will stay liquid longer.

HJ

That makes sense, thanks Jim.

How much water do you recommend using? How much of the canister should you plan on covering with water?

Thanks again.

Denis,

More coverage = more better. Pardon my poor English, but that's easy to remember. You want enough thermal mass to counteract cooling. More water will have more thermal mass.

As a practical consideration, 3/4 up the side should be plenty, but if all you have is a shallow dish to hold water, use it. Anything will help. The problem with the shallow dish is that it won't hold a lot of water, and the water it does hold may freeze quickly, depending on the temperature.

I've seen butter/margarine type tubs used to good effect. Place the tub on a square of closed cell foam to insulate it from the ground, put in the canister, add water, then fire up the stove. I've seen a "cozy" made out of closed cell foam used with the plastic tub, which also helps keep the water from freezing.

I haven't tried it, but I've heard talk of using a Ziploc bag to hold water to put the canister in. Can't get much lighter or more compact than that!

HJ

Ok, I don't like most gas stoves, but here goes my 2 cents:

If you are, say, trying to boil water, and you have the butter tub or another container holding water around the gas canister, wouldn't it be smart to add some of the heated/heating water from the pot to the tub to warm up the gas canister while you are trying to get the water to actually boil?

Meanwhile, I'll stick with my 123.

i've posted this shot a couple times.before i head out on the canoe trips i spend the first night in a drive-in camp near the landing.to avoid having the hassle of re-packing in the AM i take a second set of cooking and tenting gear.a "odd ball" stove that i can get some photos to post is always a fun choice.
Ok..the cold weather hot water tip.on a very chilly June evening this Gaz stove would just not put out a decent flame,the water in the pot was just on the edge of warm but would not come to a boil.i spooned out the sort of warm water into the plastic cart holder and the burner started into a nice roar,and here is the kicker..it stayed that way thru the entire meal prep!the heat coming off the burner and the bottom of the pot was enough to keep the process going.i could have put a wind screen of some sort around it but i was just boiling water to heat up a can with stew in it.so i would say if you can get the burner going full blast it will stay that way in "normal"camping places,no ice bound ledges at -40..

You certainly could, but it is unnecessary, as long as you have liquid water in the container.

I, too appreciate my 123, a companion on many trips over more than a few decades. It has now earned an honorable retirement sitting on a shelf above my desk, while my lighter, hotter Pocket Rocket goes out on trips these days. I guess I have always been attracted to hotter items..

Exactly. You are therefore transferring heat indirectly from the stove to gas canister. This has the same effect as wrapping a copper wire around the canister and running one end of the wire into the flame, BUT the water is much safer since the "connection" is indirect and under your control. Heat transfer with the water method only happens when you do something. With a copper wire, that heat goes into the canister continuously. You don't control it; you can only react to it.

HJ

Nice trick.

Which stove is that? It looks like a GT106 with modified bails, yes?

HJ

Good point. Yes, you can transfer heat to the canister via some of the water you're heating, but there's no need to unless your flame is weak. As long as you've got a good flame, don't mess with it.

I can't say things like that. My wife would slap me.

HJ