Jim, does your omnifuel have cleaning cable inside fuel line? I've seen one reference on classic camp stove forum that there is one, but either the author is mistaken or I'm too stupid to figure out where is it.

i lucked out and bought one at a yard sale many years ago not knowing what it really was.it's the yellow pump model with the cup and sparker,i tossed out the can lid not knowing it was part of the set--a simmer plate--nice stove and it really throws out the heat which is a problem when you want to cook stew or bannock and not melt snow water up in the mountains.i never took it on a canoe trip because i thought that solid pipe would bend during the "bag toss" at the portages.
Byrd..i like a fire myself but i also like hot,fast meals when i paddle into camp.


the only thing i use the MSR for now is heating up a camp oven,with all that heat i can cook biscuits and pie in this Coleman oven.the fuel bottle and pump are from a Whisperlite that was filled and ready to go so i used it..if the power went off at least i can still cook!

Cracking the windows on the leeward side should get you by for carbon monoxide, but I'm less sure about the fumes from the combustion/partial combustion of anti-knock additives. I'd want someone with some more sophisticated equipment to run a test on this. HOWEVER, given a choice between hypothermia and risking fumes, I'd take the risk.

There is also a significant fire danger from priming a liquid fueled stove, a risk that can be to some degree mitigated by priming with alcohol. Even with alcohol, priming a liquid fueled stove in a passenger car poses a significant risk.

Yes.

HJ

Most remote burner liquid fueled stoves fall into two categories: 1) valve at the pump only or 2) valve in-line in the fuel line (some stoves in category 2 also have a valve at the pump)

CATEGORY ONE
Take a look at an XGK.

There's no valve on the fuel line. The valve is part of the pump. Since there is no valve to block or impede the fuel line, a cable can be run down the fuel line. The cable can then be pushed and pulled back and forth to scour the fuel line to remove "lacquer" and carbon deposits. For these purposes, I'm considering the pre-heat loop/generator to be part of the fuel line.

CATEGORY TWO
Now, take a look at an Omnifuel.

There is a valve in-line in the fuel line. This valve is what gives the Omnifuel it's wonderful simmering capability (and why the XGK doesn't really simmer). Now, please show me a valve that can both shut off the fuel and have a cable running through it. I don't believe that a cable can be run through a valve. My Omnifuel doesn't have a cable, and I doubt that any Omnifuel does.

I have four liquid fueled stoves that I would consider category two stoves: an MSR Firefly, an MSR Dragonfly, an Optimus Nova, and a Primus Omnifuel. All have the in-line valve; all simmer wonderfully; none have a cable down the fuel line.

My contention, based on my knowledge of how stoves operate and my personal experience is that category two stoves are not as reliable as category one stoves. I'm not saying that it's like night and day, but in general the simpler category one type stoves will require less maintenance and have fewer problems over time.

As in much of life, you are faced with a trade off: the ability to easily simmer on demand is fabulous, but in choosing simmering you give up some reliability. For a "bug out" stove, I'll take reliability and choose foods accordingly.

HJ

lol.

Hey, don't give up on wood fires just yet. They're great, and it keeps your survival fire building skills up to speed. In areas where it's safe, legal, and practical to have a cook fire, go for it.

BUT let me tell you a little story. One time I was out backpacking. I ran into unexpectedly heavy snow. I not only had to slog through the snow, I also lost the trail. By the grace of God and a bit of ded. reckoning, I found my night's camp, but I was completely wiped, and it was 11:00 PM -- full dark in other words. Did I want to dig in the snow to gather wood, prep a fire, get a fire going with snow-soaked/wet wood, burn it down a bit to get a good cook fire, and then start cooking? HECK NO. I was starving and exhausted. I wanted a full belly and to crawl into my sleeping bag. I reached into my pack, pulled out my stove, and in less then ten minutes had dinner on the "table" and a cup of steaming hot tea. Sometimes, a stove isn't such a bad thing.

HJ

Dark side? Dude! This is the light side. There you are in your woodsy camp in the evening, your glowing, warm stove radiates heat and light, and supper is on it's way, baby! Hot stove on a cold night = a good thing.

HJ

Did someone say pie? And where did you say you're going camping next?

Nice set up.

HJ

Thanks, I figured as such, maybe whoever wrote that got different stoves confused.

The inline valve can be easily removed though to clean the straight pipe and generator. I thought maybe the flex pipe could be also removed for cleaning, but it doesn't unscrew.

True. Just make sure you bring something to clean it with.

BTW, I don't want to make it sound like Category Two stoves are some disaster waiting to happen. They're not. They will take a bit more fuss, but if you are prepared for that, no big deal.

In a small baggie, I usually take, depending on the stove, a minimum maintenance kit consisting of:
-A pricker for clearing the jet.
-The wrench/tool for removing the jet and servicing the stove
-A spare fuel filter
-A safety pin (the tip of the pin is useful for removing fuel filters and "O" rings)

I will sometimes also add an "O" ring or two although I don't consider that quite as essential for field maintenance. A pipe cleaner for Category Two stoves isn't a bad idea. Coleman fuel can be used as a cleaning solvent.

For more remote trips, I take more maintenance supplies.

HJ

Et tu Brute?