BRS 3000 deluxe?

[Jan Rezac]

It’s well known that the BRS 3000 stove does not perform well in wind. The flame gets blown away very easily. In the past, I made a nice windscreen for the stove and it helps a lot, but it is quite complex to set up and I don’t use it on short trips.

I wanted to try something with less fiddle factor. The design of more windproof stoves such as the soto windmaster or pocket rocket deluxe inspired me to try similar approach here. Both these stoves have a raised rim around the burner, and it brings the flame closer to the pot (I think this is more important than “shielding” the burner itself). I made similar windscreen for the BRS burner, for now just a prototype out of a piece of sheet metal cut from a tin can (weights 1.5 grams and is sturdy enough). It looks like this:

I tried also a conical version (on the right) but it does not work so well.

A first simple test suggests that it works. Under controlled conditions (indoors, with a fan providing steady breeze), it reduces the boil time significantly. I used a narrow pot (toaks 650) and without the mod, the flame gets blown away a lot. The stove was set on medium power, opening the valve more would result into too much flames escaping from below the pot. This is a realistic scenario in windy weather, using more power just wastes the fuel. The stove was running continuously, I just removed the tube while it was burning and replaced the pot.

At this (unknown) wind speed which felt more like a breeze than a wind, without the mod I was able to boil 250 ml of water only in 10 minutes. With the mod, it took 4:30. Nice improvement, but still nothing to rave about. Here’s the thing in action, it is clear that it helps:

This was just an experiment – I don’t know if it is safe for real use. Overheating is likely not an issue, the windshield doesn’t get red hot, and the pot supports stay even cooler. It would be really useful to measure the CO emissions of the stove without and with the mod, but I don’t have the equipment for that.

Also, the boil time is still rather long for such a tiny amount of water. It is probably better to use a more windproof stove than try to fix the BRS. I’ll test it against some more windproof stove in the future.

[Jerry Adams]

interesting hack.  The flame still looks blue which is good.  The BRS 3000 is so lightweight – it would be worth it making it work better

[Casey Bowden]

Very nice.

What is the diameter and height?

[Glen L]

Excellent mod. The fuel savings is very good. Doesn’t look like it will add much bulk or weight to your kit. If you find a relatively sheltered place to fire the stove this might be all that is needed for efficiency.

[David Gardner]

Whoa. Brilliant! So small and light, and minimal fiddle factor. I need to give this a try!

[jscott]

yeah. great mod! great design targeted at the problem area. does it restrict oxygen intake or create a build up of gasses? Probably not.

I use the outer portion of a Caldera Cone as a wind screen (as people are sick of hearing). It weighs about an ounce and can function on its own as a pot support for a wood chip fire underneath if things go wrong with my stove. Never happened, but…it’s an excellent wind screen! I cook solo so water boils quickly and the canister never gets hot with this method–altho I test it with my finger every time.

[Jan Rezac]

The dimensions are: internal diameter 18 mm (tight fit on the burner), height 16.5 mm.

The height is just a first guess. There’s 7 mm clearance between the tube and the pot and it works and doesn’t restrict the flame too much.

I may try to make the clearance even smaller to increase the velocity of the flame leaving the tube. Quick calculation shows that to keep the free cross-section the same as the surface area of the burner itself, the gap would be only 4.5 mm. Some margin should be added for the change of the direction of the flow which adds some pressure, but something like 5 or 6 mm may work.

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

If you put a hole on the side and a flame comes out, the internal pressure may be too high.  That might help you to tune in the gap.  My 2 cents.

[Roger Caffin]

Now that is cute!
Cheers

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