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01. 2 Burner Powerhouse Dual Fuel Stove
[3000000459] $209.00AUD
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| by Wayne Kampe |
Date Added: Tuesday 29 December, 2009 |
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Meals when we are camping usually involve a stove. Most of mine do, at any rate. True, a couple of long treks through cold inhabited gorges saw us cooking on the small camp fire at night and in some instances, especially during winter, I opt for the grille over a glowing bed of coals but the latter option is usually exercised when we are on private property.
In reality, today, a lot of camping grounds and national parks will not allow cooking fires so if one does not take a stove along with the rest of the camping gear then it’s a cold feed for dinner. On the topic of cold meals I was once caught short without sufficient food for a night meal in an isolated area of New Zealand and had to have a plate of cereal with whiskey on it in lieu of milk. Actually, it was not that bad. I had three bowls full.
A User friendly Stove
The Coleman dual fuel stove will certainly cook up some great feeds for the camper but let’s take a look at the unit before we light up. The Powerhouse 414 is a two burner appliance with powerful heat output. In storage or transport mode it presents as a neat package with the fuel tank and pipe leading to the burner unit tucked inside next to the burners. I’m advised that the fuel tank can remain filled with fuel and provided there’s no pressure within it there’s little risk of spillage. Sound better than the old gas stove with hose and gas bottle? Of course it does.
Setting up the stove for use involves nothing more than removing the tank from the stove’s interior (the metal frame lifts up) and clipping it onto the front of the stove which will see the fuel pipe leading into the base of the right hand burner. Prior to lighting up the idea is to first lift up a small ‘Lighting Lever’ referred to in the instructions on the unit and after applying around 20 pumps to the fuel tank (turn pump plunger anti clockwise to unlock it before pumping) it’s ready to light. The clue is to gently turn on the unit to allow some fuel into the burner. A light can be applied which will see the burner firing up quite gently. After waiting around 1 minute for the burner unit to heat up sufficiently more fuel can be introduced and the Lighting Lever turned downwards. This will see the flame a brilliant bright blue in colour and ready to cook. Another series of pumps at this point is a good idea to keep up fuel pressure.
Should the left burner also be required an external control on the left hand side of the stove is brought into play and it can be similarly lit. Note that the left side burner will fire up for cooking duties much more quickly as the fuel is already hot. Shutting off requires that the right hand control knob is turned off, the unit allowed to cool and after cooling down pressure is released from the tank via the fill up cap. The tank can then be removed and placed within the stove body again.
Notes on Dual Fuel
The dual fuel classification is actually a bit of a misnomer. It runs quite happily on 3 fuels namely Coleman fuel (best) also on Shellite (still good) and unleaded petrol the latter being OK for operation but inclined to dirty the heat generator with continued use. The idea, same as in Coleman lamps, is to run the stove on a tank full of one of the other fuels after using unleaded petrol for any length of time.
Although petrol is last on the list there’s no denying that the ability to run on the stuff is a huge bonus. Petrol is commonly available and in the right container quite safe to transport. That said, many folk might opt for the Coleman fuel or Shellite options, either way there’s not much difficulty involved.
Field Testing
The Powerhouse 414 is a large stove; large enough to heat full sized pots or pans when Mum or Dad wants to cook up a meal for a hungry fishing team. I was keen to see how long it took to boil water so I poured 4 cups of water into the trusty camping kettle and once the stove was going well I placed the kettle over the right hand burner. Boil up took a mere 3 minutes 15 seconds. Fast enough? You tell me.
Last Thoughts
It’s pretty obvious that the Coleman Powerhouse 414 is a powerful and very convenient stove. The concept of using one of the 3 fuel sources is a winner given that a container of liquid fuel is arguably easier to carry than a gas bottle and hose.
On any extended trip fuel of any kind will eventually need replenishing but I’d venture to say that it would be easier, in many instances, to obtain either some Shellite or a quantity of unleaded petrol than to organize a gas fill.
Think of a camping trip up the beach; say Fraser Island, for instance. There’s always extra petrol for the boat, the generator, or the car, as a rule. But getting a gas fill? Not always so easy.
Rating:  [5 of 5 Stars!] |
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