Canister Gas Stove Reliability & Maintenance

Canister gas stoves are extremely reliable.  Reliable equally they are, gas stoves are a mechanical device in addition to create receive got their problems including:

• Blocked jets due to either carbon create upwards or detritus from the canister or fuel line. 
• Kinked fuel hoses (due to improper storage typically).
• Stripped threads due to cross threading or long term heavy use.
• Melted parts due to using something that deflects oestrus downward somehow (improper role of a windscreen, besides large of a pot, a oestrus diffuser, etc.)
• Crud inward the threads (due to beingness laid base of operations downwardly inward the dirt or the like)
• Hardened "O" rings, gaskets, or seals (don't shop canister stoves inward your torso or other hot places for long periods in addition to never shop inward straight sunlight)
• General mechnical failures.  I've genuinely seen a inexpensive Chinese stove neglect at the stove's valve: the valve jammed, in addition to the knob unscrewed itself off the valve shaft. The exclusively agency I could create it was to dissassemble the whole thing. The valve was poorly designed in addition to poorly machined. Not all Chinese stoves are bad, but I personally would remain away from "no name" cheapies.

One fox to keeping your stove inward expert operating condtion is to shop the stove inward your pot.  Your pot should protect it in addition to continue crud out of the threads.

Packing your stove inward your pot helps protect your stove in addition to continue it clean.
The pot is an 850ml MSR Titan kettle.  The stove is a Kovea Spider (KB-1109).

 With aid in addition to proper use, you lot tin avoid most of the problems except the occasional blocked jet. It's in addition to then rare on upright gas stoves that most people don't behave whatever tools to run on such a stove.  There's a piddling to a greater extent than jeopardy of your jet jamming all the same if you're using a remote canister stove alongside the canister upside downwardly (for mutual frigidness weather). Think nigh it: You're sucking fuel off the bottom. If there's whatever rust or crud inward the canister, it's going to larn sucked correct into your jet.

A Kovea Spider (KB-1109) remote canister stove running alongside the canister inverted.
The pot is an Evernew 1300ml ultralight titanium.

If you lot desire to live prepared to clear a blocked jet, you lot need to behave a) the tools necessary to disassemble the stove to the betoken where you lot could larn at the jet in addition to b) a very thin wire that you lot tin role to "prick" the jet (slide the wire through the orifice in addition to physically clear whatever blockage). Be careful though.  If you lot role a wire besides much or role a wire that's besides large, you lot tin alter the soft brass of your jet in addition to ruin your stove.  Some stoves, similar the 2 shown below, only unscrew; no tools are required.

Dissassembling canister stoves to larn at the jet.
An MSR Superfly (left) in addition to a Monatauk Gnat (right).
The jet is the pocket-sized brass object at the transcend of the base of operations part of each stove.
Always dissassemble on a create clean surface!

Ad hoc champaign maintenance:  Once I met roughly Boy Scouts who had a gas stove that wouldn't work. I disassembled it for them in addition to blew out the jet inward the direction reverse that the gas would ordinarily flow. I reassembled the stove, in addition to it worked fine. Moral of the story? Sometimes "mouth power" industrial plant works inward a pinch. :)  Note:  Some stoves aren't necessarily meant to live disassembled.  Check your instructions. 

The exclusively other cast of maintenance (other than keeping the stove to a greater extent than frequently than non create clean in addition to keeping the threads clear) you lot mightiness desire to create is to role silicon lubricant on your "O" rings equally a cast of preventative maintenance, but personally I've never felt it necessary.

Always continue the connecter on your stove gratis of debris. 
Silicon lubricant tin live employed to assist save "O"rings similar the dark ane shown to a higher house (inside the connector).

Also canisters themselves receive got their problems. Sometimes the canister's valve doesn't re-seat properly. Rare, but it happens. When it does happen, gas rushes out of the canister inward an uncontrolled fashion, sometimes at total volume.  Therefore, NEVER spot on or receive got off a canister past times candlelight or nigh a hot lantern or stove. If you lot receive got a valve that doesn't reseat properly when you lot take the stove from a canister, exactly calmly screw the stove dorsum on. The valve on the stove volition concur dorsum the gas exactly fine. Try unscrewing the stove again. Often, only putting on in addition to taking off the stove over again volition live plenty to reseat the valve properly. If not, exactly move out the stove on the canister in addition to role the stove's valve to command the gas. Be really careful if you lot pack a canister alongside the stove attached. You mightiness desire to spot duct record or something over the valve knob to create certain it stays closed.


Always continue the threads on your canister in addition to your stove create clean in addition to gratis of debris.

Lastly, ever salve (and use!) the cap that came alongside your canister when it's non inward use. Keeping those threads create clean is important. Coleman create canisters don't come upwards alongside a cap, in addition to then I ever salve a few caps from used canisters exactly inward example I purchase a Coleman canister or lose a cap out on the trail.

Always continue the plastic cap on your canister when non inward use.
Always continue the threads on your stove clean.  Be careful non to laid them downwardly inward the dirt.
The pot is a Snow Peak 780ml titanium pot.

I give thank you lot you for joining me,

HJ

P.S. February 28 2013:
Reader Jim H. reminded me of the burning downwardly of the Gleann Dubh Lighe "bothy" (a bothy is bascially a mount hut) which was caused by, you lot guessed it, a canister stove. 

The gutted Gleann Dugh "bothy" (shelter) -- destroyed when a canister was taken off a stove past times candlelight in addition to the valve stuck open.
Photo copyright © 2011 by Allan and used nether a Creative Commons license.

Apparently someone took their canister off their stove past times candlelight, the valve on the canister stuck open, the gas ignited, in addition to within seconds the whole house was ablaze.  The people within evidently lost all their gear in addition to basically were really lucky to escape unscathed.  Had they been inward a tent alongside exclusively ane door inward the halt of the tent, the results mightiness receive got been really different.  Canisters are ordinarily really safe, but
NEVER modify a canister nigh an opened upwards open fire or a oestrus source.