Origo loses fuel

OceanSprint

OceanSprint

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I am constantly refilling my origo spirit stove - always between light-ups.

I notice as spares I can buy foam pads for my stove.

Do these stick under the metal plates which control the size of the flame, and then cut it off?

Presumably they are flame proof?

Currently I just have bare metal plates.
 
OceanSprint said:
I am constantly refilling my origo spirit stove - always between light-ups.

I notice as spares I can buy foam pads for my stove.

Do these stick under the metal plates which control the size of the flame, and then cut it off?

Presumably they are flame proof?

Currently I just have bare metal plates.
Click to expand...

You should have a rubber mat. Wait for the stive to cool then open it up, pop the mat over the opening and close. It seals the meths in.

It takes about the same time to cool as it does for me to drink my tea and wash up, so it's the last thing I do in my clearing up routine.


Btw in case you missed previous threads on the subject, bio Ethernal from b and q is mucher cleaner and smells less than meths but it's only available in the bigger stores.
 
I used a small offcut of thick tarpaulin to do the same job. When I misplaced that, I used a sheet of bubble wrap folded over in two. Worked absolutely fine. The filling container rests on tabs that compress anything placed inbetween it.

Don't beleive this is a specialty item! It is merely a layer of waterproof material designed to compress slightly and stop evaporation.

Hope this helps.

Regards

Carl

PS I ordered a flame spreader from Norfolk Marine. £1.25 for the part and a fiver postage. Couldnt find the part, so had no choice!
 
I saw the flame spreader. What is it for? ( please don't say to spread the flame. Why would you want to do that?)

Also, I normally just put in enough to do the job needed. Are you meant to fill up the whole of the round fuel tank and leave the fuel in it between uses?
 
Sadly enough it IS to spread the flame - so that the flame area spreads around wider under a pan or kettle. Your origo should have one already!

Yep - you fill it right up. Mine takes almost 3 of the 500ml bottles. When full it cannot spill out, which is quite clever (I think anyway!)

Regards

Carl
 
I though one of the down sides of Origo cookers was that they use as much fuel when not in use as they do when in use. Hence the need to fill them with just enough fuel for the job in hand immediately before use.
 
If you have a decent seal, it should not be able to evaporate (not much anyway!), just as it would't if it was in a sealed bottle.

I can't think of anything more fiddly to fill every time you use it!

Regards

Carl
 
carl170 said:
Sadly enough it IS to spread the flame - so that the flame area spreads around wider under a pan or kettle. Your origo should have one already!

Yep - you fill it right up. Mine takes almost 3 of the 500ml bottles. When full it cannot spill out, which is quite clever (I think anyway!)

Regards

Carl
Click to expand...

I definitely don't have the flame spreader, but it seems to heat kettles, and I can cook on it just fine.

I never fill it up. Might try, and use some lino floor covering to make pads out of?
 
The advantage of filling it up is that you worry less about it running out of fuel. I'm not taking the p*ss, but mean that trying to re-fill when it is hot, but your half cooked meal is going cold, is not advisable.

I can confirm that the official foam pad can be set alight by an idiot with a long lighter so probably best to save money and improvise as others have suggested.
 
I buy 5l of bio Ethernol and out about 2l in to fill the tank. Last a full week or a month of weekends.

I tend to top up way before I need to as I hate running out half way through cooking.
 
Each Origo / Cookmate burner holds 1.2l although you can overfill them up to about 1.4 to 1.5l if they are totally dry but that's not advisable on a saily boat as the last couple of hundred millilitres will remain floating around the top of the canister rather than being absorbed into the fibres (and can thus spill out of the canister if the boat is heeled)

For simplicity and ease of use, we use 1l bottles of bio-ethanol at £2.71 per litre from Bioethanol Fires UK (via Amazon) as this is only a few pence per litre more than the best prices for 5l bottles (which then have to be dispensed and also stored whilst partially empty)

When a burner flame gets low, its a couple of minutes work to empty a 1l bottle into it with no danger of overflowing - it is, of course, important to wait until it cools down

The foam pads are essential if the stove is being left unused for any period of time (whether the original or a home made alternative - whatever they're made of it needs to be impervios and slightly compressible). With them in place, there will be very little evaporation from the canister between uses. Without them, a full canister will become an empty canister in perhaps two or three weeks. It's not a safety issue but clearly it's not desirable on cost grounds
 
OceanSprint said:
I use one of these to keep topping it up,
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/trangia-trangia-camping-stove-p141013?gclid=COTGoPSSh8ECFa7KtAodnT0AKA

But yes, I can't do it when the stove is still hot.
Click to expand...
I use empty 50 cl water bottles, the ones with the 'sports' spout. Fill up a few with meths at start of season. I am sure washing-up liquid bottles would do same job as long as top is secure.
Never have a problem topping-up, just lift up top and squirt away. Hob is gambled and does tilt if required, sometimes pan-holders need to be moved slightly.
As I only sail on weekends and odd times off I tend to go for the top-up as you go method, one bottle usually cooks Sat meal and Sunday breakfast plus drinks and washing.
Came with a thick black rubber disc obviously homemade, bought a second proper one which was a bit rash. Prefer the homemade one.
Gimballed has become gambled on a stealth spellcheck.
 
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I have two round rubber 'gaskets' that seal the container openings when not in use. I think they are original. I'd recommend going to a tyre place and seeing if they have any used car tyre inner tubes. Cut two circles (use a mug as a template) and you have two rubber gaskets. I'd consider these essential for an Origo.
 
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