SVEA and burn time for a full tank

[nutlub]

Hey Y'all,

How long does a SVEA run on one tank of gas?

I am going on a week long hike and I am wondering how much fuel I should bring.

Thanks!

[Johnny Swank]

Wow - I've got a SVEA that I haven't lit up in ages. Great stove, albeit a bit heavy.

You should get around an hour or so of burn time. How many folks is this for?

[Two Speed]

Nutlub, I'm gonna bump this for you. If it was my old Peak One the smallest bottle Sigg makes would be plenty, as long as the tank was full on the Peak One. I think the Svea and the Peak One have about the same fuel capacity, output and burn time, but really don't know.

Hopefully one of the folks with a Svea will see this and get a better answer for you.

[Weldman]

NutLub,

I get about 2.5-3 days for a full tank on a Svea. If you are just boiling hot water( 1 qt per meal) for 2 meals a day and hot beverages. 10 mins boil time for each meal ( adjust the flame to 3/4 not full ) . Altitude and outside temp plays a part too, my cooking was done below 10,000 ft. You may getaway with just 8oz extra and plus a full tank ( I like to add a few extra oz for safety).

Mike

[Weldman]

Nutlub,

Sorry,

Here is my setup and what I use with my Svea- may help

I'am using the new Coleman Fuel mixture in the plastic red bottle( $3.99). Burns cleaner and hotter, I did some testing at home before my trip. Boiled 1 qt in 5 1/2 - 6 mins at home, also I use a MSR Stowaway 1100ml SS pot.

Mike

[nutlub]

Thanks for the very informative responces....

I've got one more SVEA question....

For some reason my SVEA seams to clog up very easily. If I don't light it just right the first time I seams to build up soot in the little nozzle thingy. Its the old SVEA and so it does not have a built in nozzle cleaner...Anyway, is there something I am doing wrong when it comes to lighting the thing?

[generoll]

the old Sveas came with a cleaning pick. Does yours have one? don't forget to equalize the pressure when you try to relight the stove after its cooled down. I usually just loosen the cap on the fuel tank and then retighten it. Again, you do this only AFTER it has cooled down.

[Minot]

By the way, "full tank" should mean four oz. of fuel.

Don't fill it up completely or your stove will vent, and that ain't cool.

It needs some space in the tank for expansion when the fuel heats up.

[ARambler]

NutLub,

I get about 2.5-3 days for a full tank on a Svea. If you are just boiling hot water( 1 qt per meal) for 2 meals a day and hot beverages. 10 mins boil time for each meal ( adjust the flame to 3/4 not full ) . Altitude and outside temp plays a part too, my cooking was done below 10,000 ft. You may getaway with just 8oz extra and plus a full tank ( I like to add a few extra oz for safety).

Mike

While theoretically possible, this is typical WB bragging. If you could really get by on 1 oz/day, you would know. I recommend 2 oz/day/person for 2 meals a day, until you are sure you use less fuel. Most places in November could require more.

Your nozzle should not clog frequently. Look inside and see if you see any charring or browning of the wick. If it looks good, you still may have crud that is slowly leaching out. The cleaning wire frequently gets lost, so yours may have been lost and replaced with one that is too small. You might want to look for a larger orifice cleaner. (From your post, I assume you are cleaning the orifice between blockages.) I have never taken the stove apart, but there might be some deposits just behind the orifice. A non-self cleaning Svea is >30 years old, so be careful if you start undoing corroded fittings. The Svea should work reasonably well with any of the commercial fuels. I will not insult you by suggesting that you are using regular gasoline, but this stove is old enough that it might have seen leaded gas.

Good luck.
Rambler

[Weldman]

Rambler,

You can say anything you want about my comment but I have done it.

Just have to know how to set the output right, a Svea burns roughly 1 oz every 12-15 mins, you need to know how to adjust the key Properly and the sound of the jet. I get a max of 45-55 mins burn time on 3.5 oz

Mike

[ARambler]

Nutlub,
Are you taking this trip soon? Can you measure your beginning and ending fuel, count your meals, and give a rough description of your cooking?

Weldman,
Are you giving me odds on Nutlub's consumption?
I didn't say you were not getting by with 1/2 oz/meal. Other than possibly exaggerating about boiling a full qt each meal, I'm sure you are right. However, fuel usage can vary greatly. That's what make this a good question. Even if Nutlub had a 50:50 chance of getting by with 1/2 oz/meal, I still think he should bring much more, in case he is in the other half. In addition to environmental conditions (winter), simmering is the biggest waste of fuel. It is unlikely Nutlub will have the ear and fine touch of Weldman. So if you are actually cooking, or going to let the stove coast or re-prime for the second cup of coffee, take extra fuel.

Rambler

[Johnny Swank]

Just want to throw a plug in for ditching the SVEA for the trip and just taking an alcohol stove. You could carry enough fuel for a week easily in just what the SVEA weighs by itself. 10-12 ounces (or one yellow HEET bottle) should get you though fine, but go ahead and fill up a 16 oz soda bottle if you want the extra.

The stove I've used for about 2,000 miles is just an alumninum Frito Lay refried bean can with about 4 1/4"x.75" slots cut out of the can near the rim. It'll take longer to eat the beans than make the stove with a pocketknife.

It ain't fancy, but it boils water fine.

[rik_uk3]

You should get around 50 to 60 minutes at full power, less when you lower the heat obviously. Use good quality clean fuel like Coleman for best results, never use gasoline

[Critterman]

Thanks for the very informative responces....

I've got one more SVEA question....

For some reason my SVEA seams to clog up very easily. If I don't light it just right the first time I seams to build up soot in the little nozzle thingy. Its the old SVEA and so it does not have a built in nozzle cleaner...Anyway, is there something I am doing wrong when it comes to lighting the thing?


I have an old svea 123r with the cleaning needle build in but I had the same sort of problem. I took the orifice nipple off and found a bunch of crud had accumulated in there. I cleaned it out and it worked much better. I never used anything but coleman with it.