# old coleman stove..worth fixing?



## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

Hello,

I am new here and have posted in the general preparedness discussion forum. I decided to go into the basement and get out my old coleman gear. I have a "peak 1" single burner stove which is still working good. The double burner stove (model 413H) seems to need a generator. From what I have seen online they are $25. For $29 I get the complete valve & generator assembly.

I bought this stuff 25 years ago. I don't know whether the technology has advanced significantly since then. In other words is it worth repairing or perhaps getting a newer stove?

Also how long will coleman fuel last in a metal can? I have one that was opened years ago and another which has never been opened.

Thanks!


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## Grimm (Sep 5, 2012)

Personally I think it is worth fixing just for the knowledge that you can should anything else happen to it.

The only reason I'm planning on selling my old stove is because I can get enough money from the sale to replace it several times over. Sometimes those older models are collectibles and can fetch a pretty penny.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

Thanks again Grimm! Do you know about the coleman fuel storage question? I picked up a couple more gallon cans at walmart over the weekend. I figured that I should try to pick up a gallon or two every now and again.


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## cowboyhermit (Nov 10, 2012)

You won't find a definitive answer on how long coleman fuel lasts but it is a long time. I have used stuff that was 15-20 years old, the can was rusted but not right through, it burned fine. I wouldn't recommend that of course and others have mentioned it going "bad" I just haven't seen it. Moisture is a real problem but a sealed container will be fine.
Coleman stoves have not changed much at all over the decades and parts are usually readily available to fix old stoves. Whether or not it is worth it is hard to say, if nothing else is wrong with it then why not?


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## GrinnanBarrett (Aug 31, 2012)

I would fix it myself. Just because it is old does not mean it is bad. I have Coleman Equipment that is 50 years old and still works. When I buy new Coleman i go with the US made stuff. The US made products come in a plain looking brown box and are marked on box USA Made. When I am in Wichita, KS I go by the Coleman Museum downtown and pick up repair products and closeouts from the store. 

Remember also the old stuff is still worth something to collectors of Coleman products. More than you might think. GB


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## IlliniWarrior (Nov 30, 2010)

questions about anything Coleman .... www.oldcolemanparts.com


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

I actually took apart the generator, and the control valve today. I gave it a good cleaning. There was a lot of gunk inside. Anyway I put it all together and I got a strong blue flame. There was a slight flame coming back out of the end of the generator where it meets the manifold. But when I went to shut it off I could still hear the fuel coming out of the end of the generator. There's a packing inside the valve which looked worn. They don't sell individual parts. But they have a complete genertor & valve assembly for $29.79 I'm going to order it. Thanks


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

cowboyhermit said:


> Others have mentioned it going "bad" I just haven't seen it. Moisture is a real problem but a sealed container will be fine.


It will get cloudy looking if there is any water in it. 
If it is "Crystal Clear" liquid, nothing will be wrong with it.

I used to believe its just 100% Aliphatic Naphtha. An MSDS search should say what it is. Also search for " CAS # 68410-97-9 " to tell you what the makeup of it is.

http://www.thedaringdouglasses.com/2008 msds sheets.pdf
PRODUCT NAME: Calumet Lantern Fuel (Coleman)
PRODUCT CODE: 0170-00
CHEMICAL NAME: Light Hydrotreated Distillate
CAS NUMBER: 68410-97-9
CHEMICAL FAMILY: Petroleum Hydrocarbon Naphtha
CHEMICAL FORMULA: C5-C9
Light Hydrotreated Distillate
CAS NUMBER: 68410-97-9
Petroleum Distillate (Naphtha)

INGREDIENT NAME, CAS #, EXPOSURE LIMITS, PERCENT BY VOLUME
--------------------
Hydrotreated Light Distillate, CAS # 68410-97-9, OSHA-500 ppm, 100.0
This product contains:
*Cyclohexane, CAS # 110-82-7, OSHA-300 ppm, ACGIH-300 ppm
*Nonane, CAS # 111-84-2, ACGIH-200 ppm
*Octane, CAS # 111-65-9, OSHA-400 ppm, ACGIH-300 ppm
*Heptane, CAS # 142-82-5, OSHA-500 ppm, ACGIH-400 ppm
*Pentane, CAS # 109-66-0, OSHA-1000 ppm, ACGIH-600 ppm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Coleman_fuel
Fuel?

Coleman fuel is simply Octane; plus possibly some Heptane or others. It is white gas--or, unleaded gasoline. Like what they sold in the 'sixties sans tetraethyl lead. Used to be big stickers warning you of it: "For use as a motor fuel only..."; etc.It is Not Naphtha; that is Lighter Fluid. At least, in the United states. What they call Naphtha or Kerosene varies from country to country. The "paraffin", for example, in British texts means Lamp Oil--Kerosene (Rock or Petroleum oil, sometimes, here), or Whale Oil, etc; not the paraffin wax as it means in the U.S. Unleaded modern gasoline will work in a Coleman stove; but the original Coleman fuel is better. It has no lead or other additives for anti-knock--that is why you shouldn't use it in internal combustion engines; not that it is "naphtha".68.231.189.108 ,talk) 15:45, 4 December 2009 (UTC)

The discussion above about the differences between the various fuels - white gas, unleaded gas, octane, naphtha and Coleman fuel - is sort of right, but also a little off the mark. It can get a little confusing because some of the terms have different usages over time and/or in different contexts.

It's correct that white gas (or "white gasoline") at one time referred to pure automobile gasoline - that is, gasoline without lead or other additives. It's not the same as unleaded gasoline sold today, which has different properties than "white gasoline" (notably a higher octane rating than "white gasoline," as well as a number of other additives). "White gas" as that term is commonly used today generally refers to naphtha or Coleman fuel.

Naphtha is a general term that covers a range of light petroleum distillates. Naphtha has a number of applications in the refining process ("light" naphtha is used as a feedstock for production of olefins, for example, and "heavy" naphtha (a low octane product) is converted into higher octane "reformates" using a catalytic reforming process). The type of naphtha typically available at the retail level is VM&P ("Varnish Makers & Painters") naphtha, which is used as a light solvent and thinner for oil-based paints. And (as noted above) naphtha is used as a lighter fluid for wick-type lighters.

Coleman fuel (CAS No. 68410-97-9) is not "simply octane," but is a blend of light petroleum distillates that includes octane, nonane, cyclohexane, pentane and heptane. Its properties (volatility, vapor density, etc.) are similar to naphtha (VM&P naphtha) and both are suitable for use in liquid fuel campstoves and lanterns. In the UK, naphtha is sold under the trade name "Panel Wipe," and is often used in campstoves due to the high cost of Coleman fuel there. Unleaded gasoline can sometimes be used in stoves and lanterns that are designed for Coleman fuel or naphtha, but not always.

Kerosene is a totally different beast from naphtha - significant differences in vapor pressure, density, boiling point, etc. It is correct that what is called "kerosene" in the US is called "paraffin" in the UK, and is not to be confused with "paraffin wax." Stoves designed for Coleman fuel generally cannot use kerosene, without modification (e.g., different burner jets). John Fogarty (talk) 17:48, 9 October 2010 (UTC)

No merger with "naphtha"

Coleman fuel is a specific range of hydrocarbon mixture, a "clean fuel" used around households as an emergency fuel.

Naphtha is a huge range of hydrocarbon mixtures with various impurities. To reduce confusion, avoid substitution of the wrong naphtha mixture, I strongly suggest no merger. When the lights are flickering near stores closing time in a storm, one doesn't want to wade through a refining or pedagogical article. My side of town recently spent 3-5 days without power. A specific fuel article addresses common confusions that helps prevent economic loss and safety problems. Please leave this stand alone article as is.


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## LincTex (Apr 1, 2011)

The same website shows Zippo fluid as nothing more than V M & P Naphtha

http://www.thedaringdouglasses.com/2008 msds sheets.pdf

My old flight instructor always used 100LL AvGas in his Zippo.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

I remember many years ago (about 25) they said you could use the Amoco Ultimate 93 octane gasoline in the coleman products. It was a "white gasoline" back then. But I'm sure with the introduction of ethanol in recent years everything has changed. I'll pick up a couple of gallons of the coleman fuel every now and again.


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## hangman (Feb 18, 2013)

BTW, how do the Coleman stoves which work on propane perform? I have seen them online but I don't know much about them.


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