ok so ive built a few of these things, each one a bit different than the last. my most recent and the best by far boils a cup of water in 7min! i dont know what im doing wrong. i have 20 holes just below the bend so they are on the side. if i fill it half way up it it takes about a min and a half to get going then it burns for just over 10 min with a pot on it( MSR ti Tea Kettle) any clues what i could be doing wrong?

ok so ive built a few of these things, each one a bit different than the last. my most recent and the best by far boils a cup of water in 7min! i dont know what im doing wrong. i have 20 holes just below the bend so they are on the side. if i fill it half way up it it takes about a min and a half to get going then it burns for just over 10 min with a pot on it( MSR ti Tea Kettle) any clues what i could be doing wrong?

A question just to clarify-Are you setting your kettle directly atop the stove-or do you use a potstand?

"filling it halfway up".... that's a lot of fuel... you should only need a half ounce to get a boil... too much fuel, and it takes to long to heat up, which sounds like part of the issue.

echo the potstand... need about 5/8" to 3/4'' clearance, but they're all different, so you'll have to keep playing with it (half the fun!) to find the optimum... flames should go just to the edge of the pot bottom, but not up the sides.

pot goes directly on top of the stove, no potstand needed

pot goes directly on top of the stove, no potstand needed

Yours is a "pressurized stove" that is burning slow for some reason. Are your side burner holes 5/8-3/4" down from the top of the can? Is there a double/inner wall inside the outer can to help "vaporize" the fuel? Are you using a few milliliters of fuel to prime the stove? Are you perhaps setting your pot atop the stove too soon( before the stove blooms )?

Just a few points to consider. Don't worry;it's probably something simple.:)

Got a windscreen? The wind screen can also server to reflect much of the heat radiated outward back toward the pot. I note of warning though, one of my stoves with side burner holes tended to burn through my oven liner wind screens. The side burner design really didn't work for me in that case because I was trying to pair the stove with a very tall narrow pot (Heineken keg can) and most of the heat was blasted out sideways.

Simple aluminum foil is the best place to start. Heck some people never use anything else. In the end I prefer something a bit stronger. I have a couple from an oven liner right now and may eventually pick up some roof flashing.

...Simple aluminum foil is the best place to start. Heck some people never use anything else. In the end I prefer something a bit stronger. I have a couple from an oven liner right now and may eventually pick up some roof flashing.

Michael's craft stores carry stiffer foil in rolls in various colors. I think that's what SGT Rock uses for his soda can stoves. I plan to pick up a roll to use for windscreen material. It's stiff enough to stand up on its own, unlike aluminum foil (what I mostly use now, doubled or tripled).

Rain:sunMan

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