Butane--how full when empty?

B

bmacpiper

New member
The butane stove was working flawlessly this morning, and suddenly quit. the canister is still about 25% full, but I don't know how much gas is left when they are considered empty. I don't have any other good explanation.

Anyone out there able to save my morning coffee?

bmc
 
When mine are empty they don't feel like they have any liquid when shaken. If the can is really cold it may not flow well. Ie morning below freezing trying to get the stove going. I keep a canister in a towell on the dinette floor to keep it warmer in freezing weather. It could be a dud can have you changed it out? Not much to go wrong. Warm the cannister up also and retry. George
 
Okay, I have purchased a new cartridge, and it doesn't work either. What lead to the problem was that I put the old cartridge in a little crooked, and the collar was bent when I closed the plastic cap. When I look down inside where the cartridge goes, I don't see anything obviously damaged. The small rubber O ring that seals around the cartridge is still present, and there is a small brass slot screw where the nozzle goes.

When I turn the burner control on to the full or light position, I do not hear any flow of gas at all. I am having a hard time understanding how my mistake could have broken the gas valve, but it sure seems that way.

Further thoughts?

b
 
Hi this is the Kenyon kiss stove? Be sure the lock lever is in the up position. Put the cartridge in and be sure the slot on its lip is up to catch the lever locking it in place. Don't force anything. If when locking down the lever no gas flows there may be a blockage in the fuel inlet or maybe the vent is blocked. If it wont go Id give Kenyon service techs a call. Shouldn't be much to go wrong if it's a kiss stove. George
 
Tried shaking it and that didn't work. I was manipulating the cartridge with my thumbs, and kind of twisted it one way or the other and I heard the gas fill the line. I was able to light it for one or two seconds, two times. Then, nothing further.

The stove has sat unused for a while, I wonder if there is debris like a spiderweb or something in there. I guess I will pull the unit out of the boat and see what I can disassemble and clean.

Also have a call in to the manufacturer. Will keep you posted.

bmc
 
Call the Kenyon customer service representative at 860-664-4906. They are still in business and they still manufacture stoves in the USA.

They say for $60 (includes return shipping) they will replace the regulator (the most probable cause of your problem) and any gaskets that are dried out.

The technician says the new regulators should allow this stove to burn 3 to 4 HOURS on a single can of butane.

My new KISS stove on my old sailboat had the same problem and they replaced the regulator for free under the warranty. The stove still works OK the new owner says. :lol:
 
Thanks fOr the tip. Tech guy is out, so the president of the cOmpany is supposed to be calling me back. (!)

Will let you know how it goes. The stove lit for three seconds this morning.

b
 
No word from the manufacturer yet, but I pulled the stove out today. For starters, the pie o starter is totally burned and turned into ash--yeah hat a wire remaining there. I took apart the regulator, and all rubber parts are very pliable and nothing seems dried out. So I am guessing there is something clogging the regulator, because there is pressure from the butane leading up to the regulator. There also is a small red button that says "push" on it, and it was pulled out about a quarter of an inch. any ideas what that button is for, and whether it should be pushed in or pulled out? (tried it both ways, no difference). Standby for more.
best,
bmc
 
Hi Boris I believe this one is the Kiss built in, they go for $500 ish and use up the counter space. Pretty simple stove. I'll bet a spider has gone in and blocked up the gas workings. I use one like you are talking about outside. I have the kiss going inside and a cheap one outside for when I make complex two pot dinners. George
 
Correct, built in Kiss stove.

Man, I just looked at my last post, and the dictation software really didn't do a great job this time around!

Maybe some compressed air tomorrow...

b
 
OK, got in there today and pulled everything apart. Was able to blow butane from the canister to the reg, so disassembled the reg completely except for the rotating brass shaft (seems to be a press fit). Ran WD-40 through that from all sides, and reassembled everything. Wrapped the wire from the piezo onto the sparker itself, and called it good. Added butane, and voila, working stove again.

Throughout I noticed that moving parts were oily, presumably buildup from butane going through there? Kind of surprised by this--and I wonder if this is a function of the quality of the butane cartridges perhaps. I've never had this happen with butane lighters that are refillable, but of course haven't run even a fraction of the butane through them that a stove sees.

In any case, I'm pretty confident that this will be a good repair and I'll just perhaps have to do it again from time to time. The stove was installed in 2007, so five years ago, and all rubber parts were pliable and so forth.

Thanks again for all the help!

bmc
 
Back
Top