HUGE storm kettle!

[tiger stacker]

You could ask those nice Kelly kettle people to build a extra large one. Stranger things have occurred.

 

[Midnitehound]

That lifting sure gets you burnt fingers, I forgot the first couple of times on my kelly kettle, ouch.

Luckily Dave never burns himself!

 

[Dave Budd]

i don't think I've ever burnt myself on a kelly kettle.





yet

 

[tombear]

Due to the foot incident I've not had a chance to use this big boy over the summer. 22 pints worth of powder coated stainless steel Kiwi fun!

Still, may get the chance yet.

atb

Tom

http://www.trademe.co.nz/Members/Listings.aspx?member=1360815

 

[IanGiblett]

How much did that cost to buy from New Zealand if you don't mind me asking.
Are there any UK websites which stock that?

 

[tombear]

I'm afraid i got it as a swap for some old armourers tools and gauges if I remember right so I didn't note how much it cost to send to the UK and I haven't heard of any stockists over here.

ATB

Tom

 

[IanGiblett]

Hi, Ian. is it worth asking kelly kettle if they have any plans to build a larger unit? i for one would be intrested. carl

I have actually contacted Kelly Kettle on a few occasions to ask if they would consider making a larger kettle. They told me there was not enough demand in larger kettles to make it cost effective.

 

[tombear]

Spiroloc did ship to a guy in the US (I believe he got two sizes) so it may be worth getting in touch with them directly. Even with the freight the low (compared with the companies over here) cost of the unit may balance out the increased freight charges.

mines been a grand bit of kit, there's no base to the hearth but prefer it that way, using a folded piece of heavy weight kitchen foil as a fire surface.

Best time yet 12 minutes to raise 22 pints of cold tap to boiling so when you opened the tap ( which has proved strong and reliable) you got a burst of steam like Ivor blowing off at Llaniog before the water came out.

i keep meaning to make a simple pace counter like device to keep track of how many pints are in at any time, taking them away as used, adding when topping up.

atb

Tom

 

[knighthawk]

Following on from a thread a little while ago where I mentioned that I have been on the look out for a group sized kelly kettle, I found one at a show a couple of weeks ago

I had been struggling to find anything larger than the 1.4L kelly that I have been using for years. All I could find were some very nice ones in New Zealand, but nothing here It seems that I was being completely weak in the google-fu as I have since seen the one I now own all over the internet!

Anyway, the kettle...

it's the Triple S Storm Kettle made by the Storm Kettle Company. It's made from stainless steel and holds 5 litres of water. It costs £69

Diameter of body: 23.0 cm (9")

Height: 42.5 cm (16.75")

Weight empty: 1000 grams (1lb 13oz)

I bumped into the chaps from Wild Stoves at a show and got mine from them. I've no connection to them, but they are very nice blokes and had a fantastic array of rocket stoves, woodgas stoves, storm kettles, etc with them to try out.

I filled the kettle to the brim and lit it with a hand full of wood shavings. The air holes on this are quite small (about 14mm from memory), but are spread out around the integral base so the wind will get in there even when it changes direction (a problem I find with my Kelly).

Here it is alongside my large Kelly for some sense of scale.

I fuelled it with dry twigs (mostly birch and hawthorn today) and there was very little breeze, in fact at times the smoke was going straight up! It didn't use very a lot of fuel, but I forgot to record how much I did need, sorry. It got the full 5 litres up to a spurting boil in 9 and a half minutes! which isn't bad I would say!

As I was bored I got the thermocouple out to see how it held the temperature. I took the kettle off the fire once boiled and closed the little flap on the top. The disc, so far as I can tell, is placed over the hole to keep the water warm for longer (it means that cool air isn't being sucked up the chimney and cooling the water by the same mechanism as it was heated).

With the disc in place, the water was still at 97C after 10 minutes! After an hour it was still at 70C You could top it up whilst a fire is lit but I don't think I would bother trying as the filler hole is quite small (30mm ish) and the lid is a right PITA to get on, especially when hot.

so, good points:

- large volume
- fast and economical boil
- no separate base (less bits to break/loose)
- Proper spout (makes pouring easier)
- Not likely to drop stuff into the water chamber whilst topping up the fuel
- the handle at the bottom stays pretty cool even when the water is boiling.
- Stays hot for a good long time
- Stainless Steel
- 12 month garuntee

Bad points:

- the steel is very thin! (about 0.2mm), so is likely to dent easily. Only time will tell.
- water filler cap is a sod to put on, mostly due to the thin metal it and the hole are made off. I might just replace it with a cork!
- lifting the kettle from the fire is 'interesting' when the flames are still up! I didn't think to try the 'horizontal handle lift' I normally use with the kelly, so I'll see if it can manage the weight of 5 litres next time
- spout is an aluminium one from a teapot! purely an aesthetic niggle

All in all I'm very happy with it and I'm going to be using it a lot. Mostly I wanted it to use when I have groups of 6 or 8 and the kelly would have to be boiled twice. Also because I don't have water on site at work I have to carry it in, so I normally just drink it straight from the water butt. Most of the year that is ok for me, but right now it has quite a lot of interesting critters swimming around in it! So I'm boiling my drinking water and being able to boiled a few days worth at a time is very handy (especially if I want to drink cool water rather than tea/coffee)

great revue..just got mine today for base camp..not had chance to test it yet..but I am sure it will be fine.
Barry

 

[knighthawk]

great stoves ..just tested mine,,the speed it boils is fantastic.
Barry

 

[mitch66]

Very nice thinks me better get one. Thanks for the review.

 

[sonofxe8]

Hi you can get a jacket for storm kettles from 1ltr to the treble S. I have seen some on eBay and bought one for my kettle it makes it easier to handle.
It also boils quicker to.