Pocketrocket maintenance question

[AG]

I bought an MSR Pocketrocket Deluxe. A curious cat, I immediately unscrewed the burner from the housing. Oops, wish I hadn’t done that.

There’s a metal wire spike inside the housing, and a plastic tube stem coming down from the burner. Do I need to push the tube on to the wire before screwing the burner back on? Or just screw it back on normally?

I’m also curious what the wire and tube are for?

(I emailed MSR to ask, but no reply. And I can’t find any stove maintenance instructions or videos online — so i figured my pals at BPL would know the answer!)

[Jerry Adams]

That’s the wire to the piezo lighter

If the wire doesn’t go into the tube, the lighter won’t work

When you put the burner back on, make sure the wire goes into the tube

[AG]

excellent — thanks!

[Jerry Adams]

I can think of a couple people that have had the same problem.  Except I think it came from the factory that way.

There are probably a lot of PR Deluxes with a broken piezo that are easily fixed

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Mine broke, it doesn’t “click” when you depress the lever.  It doesn’t do anything.  Any ideas?

 

[Todd T]

Mine broke, it doesn’t “click” when you depress the lever. It doesn’t do anything. Any ideas?

My solution to piezo breakage has a perfect record:  Never, ever buy a stove with a piezo starter.  You’ll have to bring a lighter or matches anyway because the piezos are so unreliable, so just say no.

That what you’re looking for?  :-)

[Jon Fong / Flat Cat Gear]

Ha, Ha!  I agree 100%.  That being said, if someone had an idea on how to fix it there’s no downside to having it work again.

[Jerry Adams]

maybe you can buy a replacement piezo?  Maybe unscrew the three allen screws, remove the top portion, and the piezo can be removed?

The piezos on the PR Deluxe, and the Soto Windmaster have worked pretty reliably for me.  When they work it’s convenient. Sometimes you have to click it a couple times.  I think one of them stopped working, but then started working again.

Yeah, you have to have a lighter as a backup.  But they’ve worked 100s of times.  Once I had to use a lighter, but if I had been more patient…

If the piezo ever fails then I’ll have a stove that has to be manually lit.

If the wind is blowing, I can put the pot with windscreen on the stove, then light with piezo.  Otherwise, I’d have to light with lighter and quick put the stove on before it blows out.

[Todd T]

But they’ve worked 100s of times. Once I had to use a lighter, but if I had been more patient…

I must be doing something wrong.  I’ve had a couple of piezo stoves, neither of which lasted more than a couple or three trips.  Shoot, even my gas grill out on the deck quit piezoing after a year or so.

[DAN-Y/FANCEE FEEST]

[DAN-Y/FANCEE FEEST]

Or just screw it back on normally?

The wire needs to be re-attached to the push button housing….sorry, not an easy task for you. :(

[David Sugeno]

AG, here is a recent discussion on the topic, with some very helpful information.  https://backpackinglight.com/forums/topic/pocket-rocket-ignition/#comments  I eventually sent my PRD back to MSR, and they fixed it, but it took quite a while, and it’s only a matter of time before it stops working again….

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