I am new to camping and have borrowed equipment from a friend including a stove like this: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/campingaz-camp-bistro-2-stove-p396379
It is the type with a small gas canister which "clicks" into place.
Obviously I will only cook outside, but I am wondering where to store the stove and canister over night. The instructions say "Check that the lever is in the unlock position. Store the equipment and the cartridge in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area."
I assume that means I can leave the canister in the stove, but unlocked so not engaged. I am wary of storing it in the tent in case of some sort of leak. I don't want to leave it outside because then it will get wet. We are using a large tunnel tent, but don't have room in the car to take the porch. How do others store these things over night?
Why don't you store the stove in the car overnight? I don't use camping gaz products cars myself so I can't answer the technical aspect that f your question but I'm sure someone will.
I've always kept this kind of stove in the living area of the tent, unlocked of course, though if you're really worried you could remove the cartridge and tape its cap on (advisable in any case when packing loose cartridges in a car boot, for instance, where other items might press on the valve).
In the unlikely event of the leak you're concerned about, you'd almost certainly be made aware by the smell of the gas, which, like domestic gas, has a "stenching agent" added for that very purpose.
I use this type of stove and always unlock the gas cannister when not in use
I keep it in the tent overnight with no issues as it won't overheat, I wouldn't leave it indoors during the day as the temperature in the tent can get too hot and cause it to overheat
The larger gas canisters (>15Kgs) are often kept outside in cages at petrol stations in direct sunlight in some cases, the smaller one's I think on ours we keep it locked in the burner otherwise gas escapes at a good velocity, but its no different to spraying a normal alcohol based deodorant can, but that might be the brand of cartridge it is, ie a cheap one that doesnt self seal like the more expensive cartridges do.
As to keeping it in a tent, out of direct sunlight will probably be good enough.
Theres more ventilation inside a tent than say a car especially if you keep it in the part with no ground sheet because gas sinks, smoke rises. Its one of the things that gets drilled into you when doing building rescues if you dont have breathing apparatus.
If you dont have a tent section with no ground sheet and are still a bit concerned, stick it under the tents groundsheet because its out of direct sunlight and the ground will keep it that little bit cooler than inside a tent, just remember where it is so you dont twist an ankle or break it when you step get back and step inside your tent.
Cars can get hotter than I've ever found a nylon tent and have less ventilation imo judging by how easily they steam up.
If its a self sealing cartridge, for extra piece of mind, you could always stick it in a cool box.
On this link https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propane#Density
it suggests propane expands at 1.5% per 12 Degrees C, and most canisters have a concave base which would probably give you the expansion before the seal broke or canister broke.
Either way it would have to be a really hot day to blow one of those up, maybe in a southern Europe or Middle East heatwave in direct sunlight it might be possible BUT...
Have you ever chucked an aerosol or deodorant can on a fire?
It would be much like that but a bit bigger, massive enough to destroy your tent but not a neighbours and as theres typically no spark or ignition source when storing in a tent or under a tent, the air temp would probably just blow the cartridge to pieces and you'd have a tent stinking of gas until you ventilated it.
Heres the type & size of explosion to expect when you have an ignition source.
Note that the explosions are not instant, the heat is needed to convert the liquid into gas ie direct sunlight and anyone who has done physics knows you'll always have the latent period to rely on as well, so if you fancy some excitement with one of these on a campsite around a camp fire, you could play a game of chicken by throwing one of these on the fire and then reach in and get it out again, but you could only do this to the cartridge once or twice as the liquid will take time to cool down unless you had some liquid nitrogen to hand to chill it quickly.
Obviously not recommended for insurance reasons, but I think it gives you an example that these are quite safe to a point. In fact you are probably more likely to have an explosion if your car was involved in a bad accident and one of these was in your boot as the chance of metal scraping metal could be a source of ignition, but even most boots in this scenario will be packed with fabrics which will restrict any spark from getting close to the canister and the fabrics will also likely absorb the liquid if the cartridge was damaged, initially giving you a bit of time to get out of the car and a safe distant away in case anyone else smashes into the car creating another ignition source. Most clothes/fabrics dont go up in flames if you have ever chucked a bin liner full of packed clothes on a fire.
Interestingly, there doesnt seem to be any easily found online advice about storing these small cartridges which also probably indicates how safe they are provided you know if you have a self sealing one which can be left unlocked or a non sealing one which means keeping it locked.
Plenty of mentions in the links below of the 15KG size canisters and upwards but nothing for the smaller one's, its also interesting to see some text quoted virtually verbatim like here.
http://scouts.org.uk/media/305999/Safety-guide-to-camping-fuels-Butane-propane-camping-gaz-.pdf
and here
http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/expert-advice/guide-to-fuel-and-gas
https://www.calor.co.uk/storing-gas-bottles
Of course, you might be more successful at getting a smartphone to explode by getting it damp and shorting the battery than blowing up a gas cartridge because its the unknowns that can catch people out.
Dont forget the chance of getting hacked using camp wifi is not that different to using wifi when abroad either which is something I'd be more interested in as GCHQ wont see the network traffic if its coming from a tent across the site having set up a fake wifi hotspot that looks just like the real camp wifi. ;-)
Quote: Originally posted by LoveChoc on 09/8/2017
Hi
I am new to camping and have borrowed equipment from a friend including a stove like this: http://www.gooutdoors.co.uk/campingaz-camp-bistro-2-stove-p396379
It is the type with a small gas canister which "clicks" into place.
Obviously I will only cook outside, but I am wondering where to store the stove and canister over night. The instructions say "Check that the lever is in the unlock position. Store the equipment and the cartridge in a cool, dry, well-ventilated area."
I assume that means I can leave the canister in the stove, but unlocked so not engaged. I am wary of storing it in the tent in case of some sort of leak. I don't want to leave it outside because then it will get wet. We are using a large tunnel tent, but don't have room in the car to take the porch. How do others store these things over night?
Many thanks
We use these Campingaz suitcase stoves. Just disengage the canister when you've finished, give it a wipe over when it's cold and put it back in the suitcase. Store it in the porch or inside the tent or leave it outside (only the case will get wet and that's hard plastic), it'll be fine.
Thanks v much for your replies. I am feeling much reassured. I'm not worried about it over heating from sunlight - we're camping in the UK! I was worried about some sort of leak during the night. I would be most happy if we had an area inside the tent without a sewn in groundsheet to keep it. May be I will take the porch after all . . .
Amazing family weekend with old steam engines, classic car displays, market stalls, and full catering and bar. And camping on site - Save £25 by booking in advance.
Topic: Camping stove storage advice
