UKH

Anyone know the best procedure for trying to clean the jet on a standard epigas type stove? (Primus Spider in this case).

I have one that has spent all its life working just fine, then on a recent trip suddenly and with no warning went down to a very tiny and slow flame, then to virtually none at all (plenty of gas in the cylinder). This was annoying, as it meant cold breakfasts for several days. Fortunately I was in Italy in Summer, so it wasn't the end of the world, had it been a colder or more remote place, it could have been a serious problem.

As far as I can conclude, the jet has suddenly become blocked, but I can't find much information about how to clean it. As there is nothing else wrong with it (apart from not working at all that is!), and it is not that old, I would rather get it functioning again.

I have done the usual web searches, also emailed Primus, not turned up much so far, so any useful hints are welcomed.

In reply to Simon4:

You can get a stove pricker to unblock them, I keep one with my stove permanently for emergency use, they are very small and weigh virtually nothing. They look something like this
https://images.bigcartel.com/bigcartel/product_images/160980181/-/PRIMUS_12...
Search for stove pricker on Ebay and you'll get plenty of results.

Ideally you would unscrew the jet first so the dirt doesn't get pushed back into the stove. Easier to do at home than whilst camping of course, but I've used a stove pricker successfully without doing this.

In an emergency I have used a strand of copper wire from some electrical flex, the multi strand stuff on electrical appliances not the more rigid (and thicker) cable used in house wiring. Just strip off the plastic coating, cut off a length and untwist the strands to get a single piece.

In reply to pec:
Thanks mate, I will give that a try.

I did manage to borrow some tools from the Italian campsite (well a brand new pair of pliars really), but having unscrewed the bits that I could unscrew, and blown down tubes a lot, I didn't really have much more in the way of ideas.

In reply to pec:

Stove prickers should work but try to use the exact diameter one as recommended by the manufacturer.

I had this problem on holiday about 30 years ago but could not find a suitable wire.
My mate, who was watching on bemused and shall remain nameless, but is a true font of knowledge in these situations,
said to try boiling the nipple with some water.

Two minutes later the blob of gunge ( from sh**ty gas ) had melted and dissolved out.

Result.

WWTD? Always works. Eh, Steve?

In reply to Rick Graham:

I will try the boiling expedient as being quicker and easier than getting the correct pricker.

Of course, in the field, there could be a bit of a problem with that, one can envisage the joke conversation :

"This chap says we have to boil the jet to get the stove working"

"OK, I'll just put the stove on to get some boiling water, so we can stick the jet in it"

"Have you cleaned the jet yet?"

"Na, still waiting for the water to boil, doesn't seem to be getting hot at all"

In reply to Rick Graham:


Hmm, no luck with the hot water treatment. May have helped a bit, but only very slightly.

In reply to Simon4:

If you've a friendly garage nearby a spray of carb cleaner may do the trick however i would boil again afterwards to clean away the cleaner as it's horrid stuff.

In reply to Simon4:


Perhaps try it again? Any progress is a good sign..

In reply to Timmd:

Well to their credit, Primus did come back with a response, and pretty quickly too!

And the response was personal and not just bland corporate "well its probably your fault anyway".

I will try what they suggest, then look at other suggestions here.

Now, does anyone know what to do about the screen on a Nook E-book reader getting funny lines and marks across it (:

In reply to Simon4:

I was pondering whether slooshing petrol through it might work..?

In reply to Timmd:

Well I tried several of the suggestions here, and some suggested by Primus - and the stove is now back roaring away!

Now about that Nook .....

In reply to Simon4:

Nice to hear your stove is working.

Might be useful for everybody if you listed all the suggestions.

In reply to Rick Graham:

Well first, thanks to everyone who gave advice here.

The suggestions - like I say, I tried the "putting the jet in hot water", twice in fact. It was easy to dismantle the stove with just a pair of pliers, I could in fact have done it on the Italian campsite and I am sure I could have borrowed some hot water.

Trying various solvents - I didn't have any petrol conveniently to hand, so tried some household ammonia

Having got the jet out, I pushed the smallest possible needle I could find into it, this may have been the thing that really did the trick. A proper pricker would probably have been better, I have ordered one.

Blew out all the resulting tubes/jets with a compressed air can intended to clean photographic slides (if anyone remembers what they were)