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Should I disconnect my stove or keep it connected to the canister?
I always wondered whether I should leave my stove connected to my fuel canister or if it was better to take it off. Here's what I found...
Paul Bodnar Educational 1/12/2021
Paul Bodnar
Educational
1/12/2021
Every time I connect and disconnect my stove it sounds like I am wasting a lot of fuel –I have always wondered exactly how much fuel is lost in this transition.
Detach the stove from the canister after the stove cools down.
From my experience with stoves, I suggest disconnecting the stove from the canister after use, and after it has cooled. Keeping a stove attached to the canister for long periods of time increases the chance of a leak. However, I still wondered: how much fuel is lost with every disconnection?
About 0.05 grams of fuel is wasted when you connect and disconnect your stove.
It is always important to follow the instructions that are included with your stove. But in general, you should disconnect your stove from the fuel canister after the stove has cooled off (about 5 minutes after use). Our experiments show that only about 0.05 grams of fuel is lost during the connection and disconnection cycle. To waste just 1 gram of fuel you would have to connect and disconnect the stove about 20 times. Therefore, it is best to disconnect your stove from the canister when the stove is not being used. You will not be wasting much fuel even if it sounds like you are, and you will avoid the possibility of leaking fuel or damaging your stove threads.
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Photo by David Getchel
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Photo by David Getchel
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About the Author
Paul Bodnar
Paul has always liked hiking and thru-hiked the Pacific Crest Trail in 1997 after college. After years of working in chemistry, he wanted to create a career involving the outdoors, so he hiked the PCT again in 2010 to do research for his guide book, Pocket PCT. He realized that creating a smartphone app for navigating the outdoors would make it easier to keep the data current and provide a better way to navigate. While hiking with Ryan (aka Guthook) in 2010, they decided to work together to create the first comprehensive smartphone guide for the PCT.