Topic
Cleaning heat exchanger fins of esbit residue
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Gear (General) › Cleaning heat exchanger fins of esbit residue
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Dec 17, 2013 at 9:19 am #1311113
Many results with search of fins & esbit residue, but can't find this combo: anybody use a finned jetboil type pot with esbit & find cleaning fins easy? I find alcohol easily cleans soot and esbit (Coughlin's in my case) when back home, but always with a bit of wiping–simple on flat surfaces. Is one esbit cooking the swansong of your heat-exchanger pot? Have a notion you could just let them stand in alky for a day, but don't want a $$ penalty for an off-notion here.
Dec 17, 2013 at 9:33 am #2055177You're not going to hurt the pot or the fins by leaving it in alcohol for a day.
I'd start by putting it in the dishwasher with normal dishwasher detergent. That cleans most everything quite well (guacamole being an exception).
Extra, free tip: Know how to clean your dishwasher? Tang. Dishwashing detergent is alkaline and works great for almost everything, but over time, scale can build up and a mild acid (citric acid in the Tang) takes that off nicely.
Dec 17, 2013 at 9:37 am #2055178I tried using a Olicamp HX pot with esbit and found that there was no performance increase and I was left with a weight penalty which didn't offer any benefit.
My experience has been that Coghlans is tougher to clean off of the pots than Esbit. I'm not sure which pot you are using but if it won't ruin the finish, you may want to try some carburetor cleaner and a brass gun chamber brush.
Dec 17, 2013 at 9:54 am #2055184I don't mind a tiny weight penalty I'm unlikely to manage closely enough (weight of fins vs fuel margin). And I'm not worried about hurting a titanium pot with solvents; just need them to work. What I definitely don't want to do is spend time with small brass brushes and pipe cleaners, or looking at fins that, once gunk encrusted and heat non-transferrable, look like expensive lead anchors, no matter how little they weigh. ;)
Clarity edit: "off-notion" concern is buying an $$ pot and ruining its signal advantage with one use.
Dec 17, 2013 at 10:38 am #2055198Charley,
Again, I had no problem cleaning Esbit residue off with just water and some elbow grease. Coghlans is a bit more difficult but I found that with just water and a mild dish detergent, I was able to get the gunk off but was left with a black stain that doesn't affect its performance. I learned early on that for me, a HX pot and esbit are not a great pair so this hasn't been an ongoing problem for me and not a technique I needed to perfect. I'm glad this works for you.
You still haven't mentioned which pot you are using. If you are really that concerned about it, I'd look at the cleaning instructions that came with the pot or contact the company directly and see what they recommend. Some ti Jetboil pots have had fin problems.
Dec 17, 2013 at 2:52 pm #2055290Ian,
I don't have any HX pot yet. Mention here of some you can mail order from China renewed my thinking. I was checking to see if someone said "sure, I use the combo all the time. Effortless and superior." Think I'll keep on keeping my boilware on the smooth and simple side for a while longer.
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Our Community Posts are Moderated
Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
Get the Newsletter
Gear Research & Discovery Tools
- Browse our curated Gear Shop
- See the latest Gear Deals and Sales
- Our Recommendations
- Search for Gear on Sale with the Gear Finder
- Used Gear Swap
- Member Gear Reviews and BPL Gear Review Articles
- Browse by Gear Type or Brand.