Nova priming help!

[Bowser]

Hi folks, after years of using Campinggaz stoves I decided to invest in something a little more compact and flexible, so I invested in an Optimus Nova stove.

A little Coleman fuel later, I'm sitting in my back garden, trying to light the damm thing.....

I'm not used to having to 'prime' anything when using stoves and even when following the instructions, I'm having no joy.

Anyone else got one and can offer me some tips? If more information from me would help, please shout.

Ta!

 

[innocent bystander]

If it's anything like an msr, then you pump like mad, and the tweak open the tap to allow a small amount into the priming bowl / wick. That's the bit you light and it preheats the fuel. When that's almost out you then open up the tap and get a nice blue roaring flame, the cooker glows red and is real scary to be near

 

[retrohiker]

Bowser,

I've had one of those stoves for a couple of years now after getting it quite a bit off the list price. It's actually one of the easier liquid fuel stoves to prime (even if it doesn't seem so now!). After hooking everything up and pumping the fuel bottle 15 or so strokes, just crack open the valve a little (maybe a quarter turn or so) and watch for fuel to spray out onto the wick underneath the stove. You just need to spray a little fuel on the wick for a couple of seconds and then shut off the valve. Light the wick with a match or lighter and stand back while the stove appears to erupt into a small ball of flames -- no need to worry unless you happen to be leaning over the flaming mess! It should burn like this for 20-40 seconds or so (I've never really timed it). But here comes the important part -- as the flames begin to die down and just a little before it looks like the fire might go out, open the valve again a half to a full turn and you should hear it catch light. It's not disturbingly loud but you'll definitely hear a low roar. Let things settle for a minute and then adjust the flame to whatever setting you need. When you want to shut it off, don't close the valve!!!!! Just take the fuel bottle and and flip it over to that side that says "off" stamped on the pump body. The flame will take a minute or so to die out and then you can close the valve. Oh yeah......when trying to light it, you did have the pump/fuel bottle laying on the side that says "on", right????? I know it seems a lot more involved than your gas canister stove but the Nova is an all around great stove, especially in the winter months when gas canister stoves can lose their effectiveness. Good luck and since the Nova's flame is quite adjustable, don't limit yourself to boil water and pour meals.... get creative and it'll give you one more reason to look forward to an outing!

 

[Bowser]

Many thanks for taking the time to post your answers guys, much appreciated. I'll give it another shot......

Watch this space!

 

[swamp donkey]

As usual I have a slightly different slant which works for me and many others
I have taught

This may be egg sucking for some but may be not

Firstly you have to understand what ,you are trying to achieve. All pressure stoves etc work by burning fuel VAPOUR not liquid fuel . Once this is understood its easy to see that pre heating is about turning liquid fuel in to burnnable vapour.

Secondly there is no need to rush , there is plenty of time but you do need to keep your eye on the flame

Thirdly if you have a ball of yellow flame any time during the lighting process you are doing it wrong (what ever fuel you use) and your stove will continelly soot up and fail to work properly.

Fourth Allways have a match ready to light the vapour. Most times you do not need the striker just touch it to the spreader which will be hot and should cause it to burst into flames

Above all DO NOT PANIC

I have yet to find a stove that requires more than two , thats right two pumps in the first instance to get it started. Most actually do not require any.

So . Once he stove is fitted together correctly (is it the right jet for the fuel you are using ?) and in the case of the Nova and Omnifuel check that the fuel bottle is the right side up Can you read ON . Give two good pumps . Open the valve on the stove so that fuel dribbles out onto/into wick well or pour in meths if using parafin (you will need to practice to establish the required amount for you stove) light the fuel .watch the burning fuel (with match ready ) just as it is about to burn out , slowly turn on the stove and vapour should come out , (If liquid comes out turn off and start again. ) If you are clever the last bit of flame will ignite the vapour, if not use the match Then pump to achieve required output.


Hope this makes sense Its one of those things which is easier to show , that write about If you are me anyway

 

[addyb]

Optimus Nova's are amazing stoves. If I had the money, I'd probably buy one. The flame adjustor right at the burner is lovely, it makes adjusting burner output far easier than on an MSR stove, which seems to only have two settings: Very hot. And Off.

Anyway, here's what you gotta do:

The manufacturer will have a recommended number of pumps necessary to use the stove. Keep in mind the following:

How much fuel is inside the bottle will dictate the number of pumps needed to generate pressure

As will weather

Altitude

And temperature.

If you really want to get that sucker burning, I do what my father taught me to do, years ago.

Crouch down, holding the bottle between your thighs, pump facing upwards. Grab the pump in the opposite hand, and really pull it up and down. Keep doing this until it's really difficult to pump. If you push the pump handle down, and it takes a good deal of force, and it pops back up, that's a sure sign that the bottle has enough air pressure into it. It may take as many as 150 up and down motions. And don't worry, it's not going to explode on you!

The fuel hose. Stick the end in your mouth, and moisten the part that goes into the bottle. It helps in cold weather.

Set up your windscreen, put it off to the side. Turn on the fuel valve a bit. You should a gurgling sound as the priming tray fills with fuel. Don't overdo it. Take your lighter, and spark that sh*t. MAKE SURE THE FUEL VALVE IS IN THE OFF POSITION WHEN YOU DO THIS. Losing eyebrows is not fun!

You'll hear a "poof" as the fuel catches, and orange flame (like in a Zippo) will appear. Let them burn. This heats up the fuel to a vapour, so the jet can ignite.

Okay, so you've got your orange flames. This'll take a minute or so, it's enough time to dig into your pack and take out your messkit. When the flames are JUST ABOUT to die down, turn on the fuel valve again. Not before. If you see a blue glow from the stove and hear a dull roar, congratulations, you're succesfully primed a petrol stove!

If you don't see blue, and you see an orange fireball, turn the valve off again, and wait until the flames die down again.

And that's it. It's easy. (Well not as easy as a Trangia, but that's another story)

Now's a good time to put the windscreen around the stove, and start melting your snow for dinner.

Cheers,

Adam

 

[swamp donkey]

Please , please, please do not follow addyb,s advice and over pump ,It does not make any stove work better. Sticking with he nova a couple of things can happen
1. The fuel bottles are ali and are easily damaged and what happens is a very fine spray of fuel at high pressure is squirted out which can turn the fuel bottle into a nice hand held flame thrower.

2. If the spreader happens to be not quite fitted propely the initial high pressure blast can unseat it yet another flame thrower .

This not in away a put down of adyb but I have seen the consequences, not nice

 

[addyb]

No man, don't worry about it, I won't hold it against you!

I really don't deem 150 pumps "overpumping" on a $90 dollar piece of sh*t MSR Whisperlite. I hate those things with a passion. But, my Dad's had the same one for 15 years, it still works, and sadly, I've been brought up on them.

It's only in the last year or two that I started using Trangia's and I haven't looked back since. Only thing I haven't done is use a trangia in winter, for melting snow. Some people say that meths are less affected by cold than petrol, so they melt snow fine; others say they are even worse in the cold, and don't melt snow even if you have all day.

What I meant by "overpumping" is this: Obviously, when your fuel bottle is full, well, you only really need a small number of pump strokes to bring the stove into action. But, when it's 20 below zero, snows falling, and the bottle's a quarter full, using twenty or thirty pumps simply won't melt your snow for dinner. Dig? I've had the nasty experience of underpumping, and halfway through cooking dinner, the stove starts dying, so you've got very carefully pump pressure back into the bottle without spilling your food and burning a hole in your overly expensive "doesn't keep you dry" gore-tex jacket.

What I REALLY hate is not priming the stove properly, and so you've got to stick your lighter under the jets and quickly spark the vapour and move your arm away fast enough so you don't burn it. Or even worse is when the seals go on the bottle halfway through a two week trip, and you've got to jury-rig the MSR for the last few days and hope you don't blow up.

Gee, does it sound like I'm sick and tired of MSR stoves? Mmm....Trangia. Fill the hole up, light it, cook. That's about as simple as putting your pants on the right way, and there's also nothing to go wrong. See, if I could afford it, I'd go buy a Brunton Nova. I've only fiddled with one once, and it was enough time to convince me to buy one sometime in the near future.

Okay, that's my stove rant. Thanks for listening.

A.