Fuel Bottles/Fuel

[Matthew.Passmore]

Has anyone every had any serious accidents with a fuel bottle such as it exploding?

Ive just bought a MSR whisperlite international and find it a little daunting carrying canisters of petrol or naptha in my pack.

 

[spamel]

It will be fine. These things are designed to do the job in question, just keep an eye on the bottle when in use, feel it for your own piece of mind so that you know it isn't getting hot, and you won't have any trouble. Ensure you tighten the lid, don't overfill the bottle and don't cross thread the lid.

 

[Pablo]

Why not splash out on a proper fuel bottle for peace of mind. Trangia do a 500ml and a 1 litre version.

http://www.sportswarehouse.co.uk/acatalog/Trangia_Fuel_Bottles.html

Pablo

Oooops...just realised your Whisperlite is mostly fuel bottle

 

[cyclist]

never fill a fuel bottle completely to the brim, make sure to have an "air" reservoir - simply to avoid building up extreme pressure for those days when the sun ....
It´s wise to carry a spare seal

Those Trangia bottles IMHO are quite heavy, the 1l bottle I´ve got doesn´t hold a liter, even when filled to the brim. Not to mention the suggested filling mark.
For pressurized stoves (like MSR and the newer Optimus and Primus types) it can´t be used.
Just a thought: It´s made out of plastic, not sure how dangerous it is - petrol + electricity :Wow:

UCO (the candle lantern company) makes a nice spout and light (~15g) for Sigg, MSR etc aluminum bottles

 

[FGYT]

never fill a fuel bottle completely to the brim, make sure to have an "air" reservoir - simply to avoid building up extreme pressure for those days when the sun ....
It´s wise to carry a spare seal

The air is the compressable bit if you fill fully with liquid and heat it wont put up the pressure

however an air gap does increase pressure when heated and allows fuel space to evaporate into giving a Fuel air mix (which is what burns )
the main thin NOT to fill fully with fuel is the container supplying the burner which you pressurize by pumping as a small air gap will drop pressure quickly and you will need to repump regularly untill enough fuel is used to give a sufficent head of air presure and volume. these type are already designed to take pressure in their normal use and its going to be more than the sun warming

if you use common sence and look after your kit (seals etc) this type of fuel isnt a danger if it where the Laywers would be all over it as would HSE

 

[big_swede]

Just a thought: It´s made out of plastic, not sure how dangerous it is - petrol + electricity :Wow:

When you buy naphta fuel you usually get in a plastic bottle. Chemicaly pure petrol (such as the coleman fuel) is also available in plastic bottles. Chemically speaking, ethanol is much more aggresive than petrol, so if you can store ethanol in it, it isn't a problem. Modern jerry cans are also made out of plastic. I usually use pet-bottles for carrying both petrol and ethanol.

Of course I use a regular metal bottle when I use the stove. But the weight saved by using a small pressure bottle and using a couple of pet bottles, compared to just carrying pressure bottles is great. This is maybe only valid if you carry 3-4 ltrs.

 

[spamel]

Obviously, the main reason not to overfill the bottle is the big lump of plastic that goes into the bottle to pressurise the bottle with. If it is brimmers, the plastic pump tube will displace the fuel and it will go everywhere. There should be an external fill mark, it's calculated so that you get the maximum fuel without waste when you put the pump on.

 

[addyb]

I've never had a problem. I actually prefer the Trangia type bottles over the MSR or Sigg variety with the safety valve being the reason why.

Secondly, you shouldn't worry about your fuel bottle exploding. Heck, on long trips I used to re-fuel my Zippo lighter with stove fuel. And that lighter saved my rear end on more than occasion.

Thirdly, about the only thing you really need to be careful of with MSR stoves are flare-ups. I've singed my eyebrows a few times, it's an accident but it does happen. It usually happens when you don't prime the burner properly and it goes out. The trick then (not recommended but I do it anyway) is to turn on the fuel valve (the fuel should be in vapour form now) and quickly flick your lighter underneath of the burner to get it going again whilst at the same time moving your head out of the way. I know it sounds silly, but when it's below freezing and the snow is coming down in buckets, visibility sucks and you need to get some food into you so you can crawl in your shelter...it becomes a necessity.

Take it easy,

Adam

 

[cyclist]

The air is the compressable bit if you fill fully with liquid and heat it wont put up the pressure

no? whats about the expansion of materials - eg. you heat up an aluminum gearbox housing and cool the steel bearing ....

The air in the fuel container will act similiar as a spring on a vehicle chassis .....

Ever filled a fuel container completely in the (cool) morning on a hot summer day? Trust me, it´s not comming an air-fuel mix out of it at noon. Made my experience the hard way, luckily no sparks around.

 

[cyclist]

I've never had a problem. I actually prefer the Trangia type bottles over the MSR or Sigg variety with the safety valve being the reason why.

those valves are sold seperately as "Säkerhetskork" www.trangia.se and fit MSR/Sigg/etc bottles
As mentioned UCO http://candlelantern.com/stove.html -scroll down- has a similiar spout at about half the weight. It´s sold in the US and be sure it works, otherwise lots of attorneys ....

I know it sounds silly, but when it's below freezing and the snow is coming down in buckets, visibility sucks and you need to get some food into you so you can crawl in your shelter...it becomes a necessity.

Take it easy,

Adam

good point. Done that on a cold winters day with temperatures way below freezing point (-23°Celsius) with a Camping Gaz Bleuet on a glowing piece out of the campfire. All the experts telling-how-to-start-a-stove suddenly disappeared and my mate & I had a nice breakfast

 

[Gailainne]

The air is the compressable bit if you fill fully with liquid and heat it wont put up the pressure

Totally disagree, leaving an air gap is essential in any sealed fuel container, the expansion from thermal energy of the sun alone is significant. Liquids in general dont compress, gases do, the air gap allows the fuel to expand, compressing the gas, acting as a safety device, no air gap, fuel will still try to expand, risking failure of the container. BTW these containers have been put thru a rigorous safety regime to make sure they are fit for purpose.

if you use common sence and look after your kit (seals etc) this type of fuel isnt a danger if it where the Laywers would be all over it as would HSE

Agreed

Stephen

 

[stevec]

do you drive a car or motorbike?

if a bike then you have in the region of 21litres of hot petrol sat in front of your face on a hot day, if a car then up to 70litres under the rear seats.

don't worry about it, don't over fill it and if you are that worried about it, release the pressure every now and then

sc