So yesterday evening, I put myself to the task of totally cleaning my MSR Dragonfly Stove. It had stopped working recently, and I couldn't figure out what was wrong. I would pump the cannister, light it and an orange flame would sputter and spit for a few seconds before extinguishing. Nothing I did was helping. I assumed that since I had stored white gas (Naptha) in it over the last 2 winters that the fuel had gummed up and clogged up the fine passageways within the intricate stove mechanism. So I laid it all out on a sheet in the backgarden, and set to work.
It is a great stove, it can simmer or roar loudly on full bore. It can be very noisy, but I've not got any complaints about that.
There is a cleaning kit that comes with it, held in the black MSR pouch. That's also where I store the twist-top for the fuel cannister (which is currently replaced by the fuel pump assembly within the fuel bottle top), the instructions and the aluminium wind shield.
The arms fold out and spring-load back to the element, to allow it to store down small. The arms keep the burner off of the ground to help insulate the unit, and the arms fold over to make a pot holder.
I had never opened the repair kit, encased in a little zip-lock type bag. The instruction manual was in about as many pieces as the Dead Sea Scrolls, before they were fixed at the museum. The high gauge aluminium wind shield was nicely folded up and sooty.
I laid it all out to prove that I had all of the manual pages. I do.
The repair kit has a screwdriver/wrench/spanner combination, a couple of spare parts (O-ring and fuel filter), a different sized jet so that I can burn kerosene in the stove instead of naptha or gasoline (VERY COOL OPTION!), some oil to lubricate the fuel pump plunger and a needle tool to clear out the thin hole through which fuel is introduced under pressure into the burning chamber.
I pulled the fuel pump out of the fuel cannister, filled the cannister up about 4/5th (you need some space for the fuel to pressurize under pumping) and screwed on the lid.
I set the stove mechanism down carefully, and located the burner ring in the center.
I pried it off (it is held on in three locations by pressure tabs) using the metal tool and my fingers.
I placed that aside, and then removed the output valve, and pulled out the shaker jet. The shaker jet is a piece unique to MSR stoves (I believe). If you think you have a clogged valve, you just literally shake the unit up and down a few times. The needle should clean out any gum or obstructions.
Here at the bottom you can see the shaker jet.
I took them both out and inspected them.
Then I got the 'needle-tool' as I like to call it as I have no other name for it.
I used the needle-tool to clean out the jet, and felt no resistance and saw no evidence of scaling or gumming up. Even still, I did this slowly and deliberately - just in case.
Then I removed the valve head of the shaft that leads from the fuel tube to the burner unit.
The brass is soft and I left marks on it using the wrench. Note to self - be more careful!
I pulled out the piece within the tube and cleaned out the three grooves that are perpindicular to the threads with my fingernails as instructed. Nothing came out - it was as clean as a whistle.
Then I reamed out the tube by rotating a sharpened tool 20 times clockwise. I think a couple of flecks of impurities fell out, but then again that could have been something in my hair that fell out as I leaned over the device and sheet... Suffice it to say, these flecks did not hop away after hitting ground.
I screwed it all back together again.
I put the shaker jet and the valve back in.
Then back went the burner ring.
I tried burning it again and it sputtered and spat and went out. I sputtered and spat a little and then thought I'd try to do a little admin on the pump unit.
I lubricated the pump cup with mineral oil from within the repair kit.
I pried of a casing to gain acess to an O-ring held within - this keeps the air pressure sealed as the pump operates.
It looked ok.
But that's what they said about the O-rings on the space shuttle Challenger's solid rocket boosters (sorry, that was in poor taste). So to be safe, I replaced it with the extra from the repair kit.
There was some muck on the exterior and I just brushed that off.
Following the instruction manual, I further dissasembled the pump unit and inspected and checked for any incongruities.
Everything seemed congruent.
Very congruent.
Things flexed where they were supposed to, things were clean where they were supposed to be clean. I was at wits end (which isn't saying much).
And then I looked at the part of the manual describing how to attach the fuel line to the fuel pump. I stared. I furrowed my brow. I stared again. I looked at the actual unit. I spun it around on the sheet. I changed the angle of the manual. And then I realized what I had done wrong.
I had inserted the fuel tube as above into the fuel pump. It clips on and all, there is no mechanical impediment to doing this, as far as I could tell.
But then I inserted it 180° upside down, as shown in the diagram.
I pumped the pump 15 times, let some fuel out into the cup to prime it, lit it, and after a minute, opened up on the fuel gauge.
My MSR Dragonfly Stove worked perfectly.
So while I'd done a dumb thing, I'd done it inadvertently. And as far as I can ascertain, there is no mechanical or engineering preventative to stop anyone else assembling it the wrong way. There should be.
In no time flat, the burner ring was red-hot, the roar of the flame filled my ears, and the water began to steam in the pot I'd laid on the stove.
I put the aluminium windscreen around it and waited until it boiled the liter of water.
Monty just sat and watched the whole thing go down. He knew all along that I'd assembled the fuel line and fuel pump attachment incorrectly, but decided just to watch me figure it all out.
You can buy one at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada:
Mungo
It is a great stove, it can simmer or roar loudly on full bore. It can be very noisy, but I've not got any complaints about that.
There is a cleaning kit that comes with it, held in the black MSR pouch. That's also where I store the twist-top for the fuel cannister (which is currently replaced by the fuel pump assembly within the fuel bottle top), the instructions and the aluminium wind shield.
The arms fold out and spring-load back to the element, to allow it to store down small. The arms keep the burner off of the ground to help insulate the unit, and the arms fold over to make a pot holder.
I had never opened the repair kit, encased in a little zip-lock type bag. The instruction manual was in about as many pieces as the Dead Sea Scrolls, before they were fixed at the museum. The high gauge aluminium wind shield was nicely folded up and sooty.
I laid it all out to prove that I had all of the manual pages. I do.
The repair kit has a screwdriver/wrench/spanner combination, a couple of spare parts (O-ring and fuel filter), a different sized jet so that I can burn kerosene in the stove instead of naptha or gasoline (VERY COOL OPTION!), some oil to lubricate the fuel pump plunger and a needle tool to clear out the thin hole through which fuel is introduced under pressure into the burning chamber.
I pulled the fuel pump out of the fuel cannister, filled the cannister up about 4/5th (you need some space for the fuel to pressurize under pumping) and screwed on the lid.
I set the stove mechanism down carefully, and located the burner ring in the center.
I pried it off (it is held on in three locations by pressure tabs) using the metal tool and my fingers.
I placed that aside, and then removed the output valve, and pulled out the shaker jet. The shaker jet is a piece unique to MSR stoves (I believe). If you think you have a clogged valve, you just literally shake the unit up and down a few times. The needle should clean out any gum or obstructions.
Here at the bottom you can see the shaker jet.
I took them both out and inspected them.
Then I got the 'needle-tool' as I like to call it as I have no other name for it.
I used the needle-tool to clean out the jet, and felt no resistance and saw no evidence of scaling or gumming up. Even still, I did this slowly and deliberately - just in case.
Then I removed the valve head of the shaft that leads from the fuel tube to the burner unit.
The brass is soft and I left marks on it using the wrench. Note to self - be more careful!
I pulled out the piece within the tube and cleaned out the three grooves that are perpindicular to the threads with my fingernails as instructed. Nothing came out - it was as clean as a whistle.
Then I reamed out the tube by rotating a sharpened tool 20 times clockwise. I think a couple of flecks of impurities fell out, but then again that could have been something in my hair that fell out as I leaned over the device and sheet... Suffice it to say, these flecks did not hop away after hitting ground.
I screwed it all back together again.
I put the shaker jet and the valve back in.
Then back went the burner ring.
I tried burning it again and it sputtered and spat and went out. I sputtered and spat a little and then thought I'd try to do a little admin on the pump unit.
I lubricated the pump cup with mineral oil from within the repair kit.
I pried of a casing to gain acess to an O-ring held within - this keeps the air pressure sealed as the pump operates.
It looked ok.
But that's what they said about the O-rings on the space shuttle Challenger's solid rocket boosters (sorry, that was in poor taste). So to be safe, I replaced it with the extra from the repair kit.
There was some muck on the exterior and I just brushed that off.
Following the instruction manual, I further dissasembled the pump unit and inspected and checked for any incongruities.
Everything seemed congruent.
Very congruent.
Things flexed where they were supposed to, things were clean where they were supposed to be clean. I was at wits end (which isn't saying much).
And then I looked at the part of the manual describing how to attach the fuel line to the fuel pump. I stared. I furrowed my brow. I stared again. I looked at the actual unit. I spun it around on the sheet. I changed the angle of the manual. And then I realized what I had done wrong.
I had inserted the fuel tube as above into the fuel pump. It clips on and all, there is no mechanical impediment to doing this, as far as I could tell.
But then I inserted it 180° upside down, as shown in the diagram.
I pumped the pump 15 times, let some fuel out into the cup to prime it, lit it, and after a minute, opened up on the fuel gauge.
My MSR Dragonfly Stove worked perfectly.
So while I'd done a dumb thing, I'd done it inadvertently. And as far as I can ascertain, there is no mechanical or engineering preventative to stop anyone else assembling it the wrong way. There should be.
In no time flat, the burner ring was red-hot, the roar of the flame filled my ears, and the water began to steam in the pot I'd laid on the stove.
I put the aluminium windscreen around it and waited until it boiled the liter of water.
Monty just sat and watched the whole thing go down. He knew all along that I'd assembled the fuel line and fuel pump attachment incorrectly, but decided just to watch me figure it all out.
You can buy one at Mountain Equipment Co-op in Canada:
"The MSR® DragonFly stove is excellent for frequent users, mountaineers, and gourmet four-season cooks. The bane of most liquid-fuel stoves is their inability to simmer. The DragonFly can sustain any output from candle flame to full bore, making it ideal for soufflés and stove-top baking. By switching the supplied jets, you can burn white gas or kerosene. The DragonFly features a Shaker Jet, which cleans most blockages by simply inverting the burner and shaking it before lighting the stove. The separate fuel tank allows the burner to be safely and completely enclosed with the wrap-around windscreen (included) for effective operation in breezes. Three dual wire pot supports spring out from a folded position to provide a very stable pot base that holds larger pots or fry pans. The DragonFly now includes MSR's CoolFuel Tool. This handy accessory helps clean out carbon deposits that can build up in your DragonFly stove. Helps your stove cook backcountry gourmet meals season after season after season."
Cheers,
Mungo
s I'm just about to service my own Dragonfly.
