Outdoor Tip #7 - Making Your Whisperlite Simmer

Enter at your own risk! I love the whisperlite, but it doesn't simmer. Here is how to make that happen with only minor risk to life and limb....
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[@DCOutdoors]

Nice tip , handy suggestion to get more use out of the stove.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks brother. Hope you find it helpful.

[@alanrichert8252]

Here's a trick . when you want to eat one of these meals and you don't have a long spoon tear the bag closer to the bottom after heating it. I always carry scissors with me that works ever better

[@AdventureOtaku]

Well…if you can bring scissors… you can bring a long handled spoon.

[@metoonunyabidness1391]

The danger is the vapor leaving the fuel bottle when you release the pressure It’s explosive and the residual heat from the stove could cause a reaction

[@metoonunyabidness1391]

The fuel you use has effects on both the ease of simmering and its inherent danger…

[@AdventureOtaku]

Agreed. I have never seen it happen, and NOLS has been doing it with thousands of students for decades. Doesn’t mean it cant…. But you are right.

[@brianboechler8494]

I have used Wisperlite stoves for 35 years. MSR makes an accessory simmer plate that attaches to the folding pot base. There is some adjustment to the fuel flow at the on/off valve. Reducing the fule flow in combination with the simmer plate allows much better simmering . Worth a try. I don't like the idea of cracking open a pressurized fuel bottle close to a hot stove.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Oh yeah, its wildly dangerous. It’s ironic that I learned it from NOLS who is very safety conscious. Unfortunately MSR doesn’t make the simmer plate anymore.

[@labpartnerlp]

Simmer plate = wasted btu. Makes no sense!

[@labpartnerlp]

I take it one step further...only pump it just enough (or squirt ethanol for priming) and after primed, I just tilt the whole mech enough that fuel is below neck and very slowly vent pressure. Leave stove running and boom, perfect. Well no boom yet, but and EXTRA dont try this at home warning. Honestly this is safe if you're the type of person that knows how mich fuel to dose for priming, given temp, altitude, and wind. If you fireball, ignore this tip.

[@AdventureOtaku]

I love the warnings! Someone else mentioned the “tip method” as well. Thanks for watching.

[@stevejones5391]

I have the WLI(whisperlite International)stove. I just turn the valve down slowly to simmer. I also light the stove by heating the generator tube with a blow torch type lighter. makes start up with a lot less flame. I'll try lowering the tank pressure to see how it works with white gas. BUT! It's easy to convert the Whisperlite international to canister gas. no need to change jets- use white gas jet. Parts- 2" of 1/4" black rubber fuel hose-two hose clamps- "Campingmoon Z21-25" canister fuel hose and valve (amazon $20). Remove the male threaded Nindal fitting from the new fuel line with a wrench. insert the remaining nipple into the 1/4" rubber hose and secure with hose clamp. Push the rubber fuel hose onto the stove fuel line and clamp. Can still convert back to white gas

[@AdventureOtaku]

In my experience just turning down the valve won’t simmer for long before it goes out

[@mattclark1429]

You don't have to crack the bottle open to vent pressure. You can rotate the tank 180 degrees so the valve is facing the ground. The pick up tube inside the fuel bottle should be up out of the fuel and run dry in about 20 seconds. Flame goes out, wait for most of the pressure to bleed, flip fuel bottle back over. Re light and simmer.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Ill give it a try. I’m guessing you can’t do that with a full bottle though? Is that right?

[@mattclark1429]

@@AdventureOtaku Ok I just tested this because I couldn't find a reference for it elsewhere. 20 oz bottle fuel level no more than 1" below max fill one on the bottle. Make sure your fuel pick up tube is facing away from the pump in a "j" like shape. This will allow the tube to vent pressure when the tank is flipped over for shut down. Standard startup and run until boil. Leave valve open, and rotate the tank so the face of the valve is touching the ground. Once the pickup tube starts running out of fuel and begins pushing air through system ( it will be obvious, purple blue flame) I wait 15 seconds , flip the tank back over, relight and simmer. Its alot more steps I know but I think it is safer than opening the bottle with a hot stove.

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks for the extra work. I’ll give it a try

[@impermanenthuman8427]

@@mattclark1429this is something I’ve been confused about watching reviews of the MSR Whisperlite Universal vs the Optimus Polaris or Primus Omnilite Ti, the fuel pumps on those two stoves have ‘on’ and ‘off’ clearly labeled on the pump making it clear that the first step to turn those other two stoves off is to flip the bottle and let the excess fuel burn off then also let the pressures air release out until it stops hissing, then there will be no fuel at all left in the Optimus Polaris stove, fuel hose or it’s pump, so they can be safely and cleanly stored ‘dry’ in a cooking pot after use, but I don’t see people doing this with the Whisperlite’s for some reason, and if you can do it, why doesn’t MSR advertise this more as it is a very good feature. In fact there are a few vids on KZbin of some guys using the Optimus Pump with the Whisperlite Universal which gives the bottle flipping option to start turning the stove off, plus now you have 2 valves which gives you the simmering ability of the Optimus, but all with the greater reliability to burn dirtier fuels that the MSR’s offer, and also the Optimus pump is widely believed to be more durable than the MSR pumps as it is made of metal

[@mattclark1429]

impermanenthuman8427 I agree that it's strange they don't list it as a feature. My Simmerlite however, cannot do this. For whatever reason MSR made that fuel line a non swiveling connection so now you have the gasoline smell in the pot every time.

[@TOAOZuur]

Another simmering option could be the use of a fuel with a lower heat output. I managed to let this stove burn on alcohol (95% ethanol). That gives a significantly lower heat output. Unfortunately the ability to run the stove with high flames is then also lost.

[@AdventureOtaku]

yeah.... fixes a problem, creates another.... but im with ya. Thanks for the comment.

[@dennisstahl7621]

What I do is heat the fuel bottle on the camp fire. hahahehe

[@AdventureOtaku]

yeah, that works too! Ill have to try it!

[@impermanenthuman8427]

I don’t think you’ll find the XGK can simmer!? My understanding is that it is full food burning blow torch power…or off?

[@AdventureOtaku]

Yes. Someone else pointed this out. I make mistakes from time to time. Maybe when I have a staff researching everything.

[@impermanenthuman8427]

@@AdventureOtaku doing a good job anyway 👍🏻😁

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks!

[@onega2116]

Would a secondary fuel regulator fix this... cut the fuel line about 50-65% away from bottle keep from bloom or under pot but throttle down pressure though the secondary gate

[@AdventureOtaku]

It might. The dragonfly has two fuel controls to make that stove simmer

[@Saltfly]

Just leave the valve wide open and tip the bottle upside down or completely over and let the pressure through the stove. No cracking the bottle open

[@AdventureOtaku]

I’ll try that. This is the NOLS method, but I’ll give it a shot

[@Saltfly]

@@AdventureOtakuit’s the proper way to vent the pressure. Or you can just start off with 2 pumps and 2 pumps only, prime and simmer.

[@labpartnerlp]

I never thought of this. Smart. I always just tilted bottle and slowly vented while flame is live.

[@techguy9023]

Don’t pump as much

[@AdventureOtaku]

Thanks!

[@smaxvarese3518]

Let’s go 🤣🤣🤣

[@AdventureOtaku]

Im ready!

[@joemama22]

Xkg does not simmer.

[@AdventureOtaku]

I make mistakes too! Thanks for watching