Last year I bought a cheapo gas cartridge heater and stove off eBay. Both worked great on our summer holiday, although in fairness we didn't need the heater as it was boiling anyway :-)
The stove worked fine, and we often cooked out of the back of the car. We've been getting all the "gear" out of the garage for our upcoming Easter holiday, and I stuck in a new cartridge with it sat on our kitchen worktop. I could hear a hissing sound, and there was a smell of gas. With a bit of investigation, it was soon evident the gas was leaking where the can seals (or doesn't) against the rubber ring. Who knows, it could well have leaked last year, but been outside, I didn't smell anything.
So I'm looking for a replacement, and I've seen the Campingaz Camp Bistro. It looks identical, but three times the price. The carry case looks identical, so wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility that these come out of the same factory.
Any use one of these, and would you recommend one? I don't want to spend a lot more than a unbranded one, and find it turns out to be the same load of rubbish.
we have one .. but had no trouble with it. there have been reports of these 'leaking', various 'makes/brands', I have not looked into the connection area but it may be the rubber has become 'unseated' ... may be stuck to the cylinder and 'pulled away' from its seat.. gas appliances should only be used in 'well ventilated' areas.
try a different canister and see if it may just be a canister fault...
I wonder if the seal has become dry or not seated correctly? You could try putting a small amount of Vaseline on the seal and trying it outside!
Although, I would imagin a kitchen is quite well ventilated, as we have a gas hob with 5 rings so assume it would still need adequate ventilation or we'd all be dead.
I had this problem with mine the second year. I took it to pieces to see what had caused the problem, but the o ring looked perfect. I put it down to cheap refills, but this was not the problem as I checked the measurements with a micrometer and they were identical. I now have a Campingaz Bistro in its second year with no problems so far. I did not try to repair the first stove, I just wanted to find out what caused the fault.
------------- Canvas tent, paraffin light, petrol stove. Heaven
I'd rather be kayaking.
Spent up, not pent up, just had my new tent up.
Many thanks for all the replies. I've tried vasoline, and another can, but you can still hear the gas escaping, only thing I can think,is that the rubber seal is slightly smaller than it should be.
Going to invest in a new one, don't fancy an al fresco explosion :-)
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Topic: Cartridge Gas Stove
