unable to cook with propane

[elcapitanmas]

Can anyone explain to me why I can't cook with my coleman one burner/grill on the ice?  I know that the stem freezes...... obv, its not warm when were ice fishing, but comeon.  I have to cook inside my portable otherwise it doesn't work AT ALL.  A buddy brought his small weber grill out this weekend and had NO problems whatsoever.

[stevek]

I never had a problem with my old one. I have one of the upright bottle top burners and it always worked fine, except being top heavy and wobbling. I bought a new low profile type last spring and haven't tried it on the ice yet.

[smj8322]

Can anyone explain to me why I can't cook with my coleman one burner/grill on the ice?  I know that the stem freezes...... obv, its not warm when were ice fishing, but comeon.  I have to cook inside my portable otherwise it doesn't work AT ALL.  A buddy brought his small weber grill out this weekend and had NO problems whatsoever.
I could be wrong but I think the cold temps have and effect on the pressures in the propane tank.. now why one grill works and not the other i have no idea...

[Kevin23]

Probably not enough BTU's.

[gasman707]

WIND. The slightest breeze will affect some propane appliances. My cheap (walmart) small propane grill is terrible unless protected. My big buddy heater will  flash or go out if someone opens the shelter door when there's a strong wind

[elcapitanmas]

def not the wind, zero wind behind a shack and its the same deal.  Its a pressure issue, but I still dont get why one grill would work and one wouldnt.  If you wrap a sock or heatpack around the stem, it works fine.  Im assuming that a white gas stove would not have the same problems.

[gasman707]

Are you using  a 5-20 tank with an OPD valve? If so maybe the excess flow is checking up. Always open the valve slow, turn off and open again. When you open the valve fast it senses to much gas flowing and locks up and only lets a small amount of propane through. When you turn it back off listen close you will hear a faint click then you know for sure this could be the problem.  The colder it gets it seems the more it acts up.
 I thought it might be the wind because in your first post you stated it worked inside the shanty but not out.

[mongosmash]

def not the wind, zero wind behind a shack and its the same deal.  Its a pressure issue, but I still dont get why one grill would work and one wouldnt.  If you wrap a sock or heatpack around the stem, it works fine.  Im assuming that a white gas stove would not have the same problems.

my thouhgt is you have to get it up off the  ice. i have a small two burner stove that i use all the time. i was first using it on the ice and it wouldn't work i got it up off the ice and no problem. but the wind will drive me crazy. i now place it inside my sled that i stand up on end. I'm also tiring something with a small bucket, I'll post a pic of that after this coming weekend.

[Drifter_016]

Are you using  a 5-20 tank with an OPD valve? If so maybe the excess flow is checking up. Always open the valve slow, turn off and open again. When you open the valve fast it senses to much gas flowing and locks up and only lets a small amount of propane through. When you turn it back off listen close you will hear a faint click then you know for sure this could be the problem.  The colder it gets it seems the more it acts up.
 I thought it might be the wind because in your first post you stated it worked inside the shanty but not out.

I have a cheap BBQ that refuses to work with anything other than a 1# cylinder.
Good thing it only gets used on camping trips.
I may try that slow valve opening thing though.  

[pgachef]

def not the wind, zero wind behind a shack and its the same deal.  Its a pressure issue, but I still dont get why one grill would work and one wouldnt.  If you wrap a sock or heatpack around the stem, it works fine.  Im assuming that a white gas stove would not have the same problems.

Had that same thing happen to me today. I took a match and heated up the stem than screwed the bottle on and it worked great all day.

[andercee]

May be some rust/debris blocking the gas flow.

[elcapitanmas]

Its a coleman stove that runs on 1lb bottles.  I usually run the stove on top of a rubbermaid bin, and the bottle is off the ice, If I want to cook outside, I have to put my heater right next to the stem in order to keep it warm enough.  Just doesnt make sense to me, going to start looking for a white gas stove.

E

[mongosmash]

Its a coleman stove that runs on 1lb bottles.  I usually run the stove on top of a rubbermaid bin, and the bottle is off the ice, If I want to cook outside, I have to put my heater right next to the stem in order to keep it warm enough.  Just doesnt make sense to me, going to start looking for a white gas stove.

E

sorry to hear that, because that's how i fixed mine. works great now just fighting the wind now.

[gasman707]

Its a coleman stove that runs on 1lb bottles.  I usually run the stove on top of a rubbermaid bin, and the bottle is off the ice, If I want to cook outside, I have to put my heater right next to the stem in order to keep it warm enough.  Just doesn't make sense to me, going to start looking for a white gas stove.

E

OK now that you given this info I have a better understanding of what might be happening.
 The  stove runs on propane vapor.
 The Cylinder has 1 pound of liquid propane in it (1 pound of liquid = 63.7 gallons of vapor).
 If its cold and the cylinder is tipped on its side- not standing straight up liquid can enter the stem and cause the freezing and lock up you describe.
 So try keeping the cylinder vertical and see if it helps.

P.S. not trying to be a smart you know what... just don't want to hear about anyone getting hurt.  NEVER TRY AND HEAT A PROPANE TANK OR PROPANE ACCESSORIES 

[indeeptreble]

I have a Coleman stove with a burner and barbecue grill always works for me on the ice as far as liquid when the bottle is tipped Coleman designed the thing to work with the tank on a angle  are you refilling the tank I have had trouble with snow inside the coupler. propane looses pressure about -35C

[mjolnir]

None of my buddies have had much luck with their propane stoves in the winter either.

I'll stick with my old-school camp fuel coleman, never gives me any troubles (except when I spill fuel all over myself cause I can't pour well  )

[mongosmash]

None of my buddies have had much luck with their propane stoves in the winter either.

I'll stick with my old-school camp fuel coleman, never gives me any troubles (except when I spill fuel all over myself cause I can't pour well  )

they sell refill bottles that you can fill at home. when you need to fill up on the water you simply take the cap off place this pour ring on then put the cap back on and pour away. when it's full remove the cap and ring and your done. no mess and it's not on your hand. they have them in pretty larger sizes.

[tehet]

Gasman707 has it right. I've chased this problem for some time.
With your appliance valved closed, open the tank valve just a bit
to let the hose pressure build slowly or else you may run into the
problem of checking where the valve does not fully open. I've tried
this both slow and fast opening and I would bet this is your problem.
A good explanation of the operation of the OPD valve can be found
if you Google "Bradfords Tips" from Bradford RV Center. This problem
had me scratching my head for a couple of years!