cold parrafin??

[stoviecraig]

Hi guys,
Trying to prime an msr xgk with parraffin same as i do in summer - the fuel itself won't actually light but vaporises ok after priming with meths. I've also got a paraffin wick lamp which has been outside for last fortnight and lights okay. Temp here has been around freezing but not baltic. Curious and a bit perplexed, can anyone help.
ta!

 

[johnboy]

What condition is the priming pad on the XGK in??

I assume one the stove is primed with Meths's and the Kerosene is vapourising the stove runs as normal?

 

[Ian S]

Are you trying to prime with parrafin or meths?

Parrafin is probably fairly lousy to prime with - it will burn cold and sooty.

Meths will prime the stove, but if the stove and meths is cold, the meths may be difficult to light. You might be better carrying your priming meths in a small bottle inside your jacket. Body heat will keep the meths warm so it should light easier.

Cheers

 

[ex member pyrophil]

Could try priming it 2 or 3 times, get it nice and hot. yeah and check the jet is clear, you mite have a slight block.

 

[ged]

Paraffin needs a wick to light even when it's warm, that's why the more recent multi-fuel stoves usually have some kind of wick beneath the burner.

I mostly use meths to pre-heat the burners anyway, it's a lot cleaner.

The jet-style lighters work well for lighting wicks, but I would recommend that you avoid the 'Turboflame' brand.

 

[PDA1]

What you need to take into account is that it is not the liquid fuel (parrafin or meths) which is burning, but a combustible mixture of oxygen containing air and fuel vapour. As the temperature drops, vapour pressure drops. When you hold your match or lighter flame to a priming cup or wick, you are encouraging local temperature increase, increased local vapour then ignition. Meths at 0 has a higher vapour pressure than parrafin and also requires less than half the amount of air (oxygen) to ignite, which is why meths is usually recommended as a primer for white gas/kerosens stoves.

 

[stoviecraig]

Thanks guys, great feedback! I'll stick to meths just now and get a new priming pad. Needlesports website here we come. Happy camping troops!!

 

[The Ratcatcher]

I don't know about your cooker, but I know that Tilley lamps need two shots of priming (with meths) if the lamp and the fuel are cold, otherwise the parafin just doesn't vapourise.

Alan

 

[stoviecraig]

Just tried my whisperlite which has a better wick and it went ok so the wick does seem to be key. Agree re. priming lamps in cold weather, i also have a svea 123 and hunter 8r which take a bit of priming in winter.

 

[Col_M]

Yeah, paraffin is an awful cold weather stove fuel, I use petrol in my multifuel for this reason.

 

[PDA1]

paraffin has been a standard fuel for numerous Everest and Polar expeditions for over a century so it can't be all bad for low temperature use (if used properly).. A problem with petrol is that one has little idea of what additives have been used.

 

[Col_M]

Yeah, I don't use automotive petrol for that reason, the stuff I get is "technicky benzin" you get it from hardware stores here and it's pure petrol and used as a solvent, cleaning product etc., it's also cheap

 

[ex member pyrophil]

I dont have problems with paraffin in my stove. When i use my anchor lamp in the cold i prime it twice, just makes it easy to light.