# Partner Stove tips/advice?



## kikii875

Keep it clean. After trips clean out the jets, they can be removed with a small hex wrench and cleaned out with small wire or a pin, etc. The gaskets on the hoses will eventually wear out, but to make them last longer keep them from drying out. I use a little bit of oil on them to keep them from drying out. Keep the sand out, especially out of where the hose connects, you don't want to bugger up the threads.
Another tip is to make a repair kit to keep with the stove: wrench for the jets, small wire to clean out the jets, and extra gaskets.
Other than that I think they are bomber.


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## okieboater

My partner steel stove experience may be unique in that I just use them and maintenance is a basic wash down at trips end. That is all the maintenance I do.

my 4 burner has to be close to ten years of very hard use. Left it opened in the rain one night on a Yampa all night storm, burners filled with water. Turned the propane on full blast and blew out the water. Waited for the gas to break down a bit and the stove lighted, spluttered a bit till things heated up and has run perfectly ever since. Since then we close the cases at night and no issues after a lot of storms. Normally on last meal of a trip clean up we wash it down pretty good. Other than that, no maintenance and all 4 burners work great. Got the two burner maybe 5 or so years ago to make coffee on and free up the 4 burner for food. Same routine on maintenance and use.

I got a maintenance kit with the original and carry it on trips but never needed it.

I do not know how long these stoves last, maybe forever. I do recommend a carry case for the stoves. Lots of good ones out there. River Rat Ray Tuff River Stuff in Salida CO makes the most burly one I have seen.

I know there are all sorts of stove options out there and all sorts of reasons why a person should buy coleman, el cheepo China Made, you name it. (I think Partner Steel is the only camp stove made in the US by Idaho craftsmen - I once had a question on using two griddles on my 4 burner and called Partner Steel - person who answered the phone said hold on I will get the man who builds them - he can help you - try that on your Coleman ) To each their own. I look at Partner Steel stoves as a life time investment in good food on trips for as long as I go then I will give mine away to a river bud. Buy one now as the price of the metal goes up each year. The entire stove is easily rebuild able and Partner Steel has all the parts.


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## jamwin33

Love my four-burner !! Ditto on keeping it clean - especially the sand in the hose ends where it can make for a poor connection and leak propane. One other bit of advice is to never cover the stove completely with too large of a pan/griddle. If your griddle is larger than one side of the stove, raise it off the grill a half inch or so (I keep two pieces of half-inch square tubing in the stove with the hoses). If not, the griddle will trap the heat, and it will get hot enough in the burner box to melt the o-rings by the jets.


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## st2eelpot

And in the event that you do have a problem with them-

My buddy has a 6 burner he uses for Boy Scout car camping. Something broke he couldn't repair (I don't remember what it was now). He sent it to Partner. The fixed it and fed ex'd (2day) it back to him at no charge. 

I'm looking for a partner stove myself, if anyone is looking to get rid of one.


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## The Mogur

I've had my Partner stove for 15 years, and have never had a problem. I carry extra jets and a 5/16" nut driver to install them, but I've never had to replace a jet. Take care to keep dirt out. 

I have never had an issue with the o-rings, although I carry spares for them too. Don't put oil on o-rings. If they are natural rubber, it will kill them very quickly. If you have to put lubricant on the o-rings, use silicone. If it's an emergency, push a wire through a plugged jet, but consider the jet ruined after you do. The orifice diameter is much smaller than any wire or needle you'll have on the river. Once you've reamed it out with a wire, the jet will be too big, and performance will be compromised. Partner sent me a package of spare jets at no charge, and I've carried them along ever since.

The only complaint I have with the Partner stove is that the needle valves are kind of fragile. People seem to feel the need to reef them down tight when they turn off the burners, and that ruins the valves. I constantly have to remind people to turn them off gently. Once the needle valves are damaged, you will have a very hard time adjusting the stove for a low flame. The only cure is a new valve.

This might seem basic, but close the stove at night. If dew or rain gets on the burners, they can be impossible to light until you dry them off. If they do get wet, a high-speed electric raft pump can blow the water out. Barring that, you'll have to hold a lighter under the burner to evaporate the water.

You're right about the girlfriend. I had to buy my own stove.


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## Avatard

Treat her well so the stove doesnt outlast the courtship ....


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## MountainMedic

Avatard said:


> Treat her well so the stove doesnt outlast the courtship ....


I'm hoping to hold on to both until I die.


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## cataraftgirl

okieboater said:


> (I think Partner Steel is the only camp stove made in the US by Idaho craftsmen - I once had a question on using two griddles on my 4 burner and called Partner Steel - person who answered the phone said hold on I will get the man who builds them - he can help you - try that on your Coleman )


I went into Partner Steel while I was in Pokie a few years back, just to have a look around. They took me on a quick tour, and I got to watch the guys putting the stoves together. Not too many places where you can hang out and watch the craftsman working on the product these days. They take great pride in their stuff. Needless to say, I walked out with a new stove, and they threw in a griddle at a discount. Awesome.
Our biggest pet peeve is folks dropping the hoses in the sand. Be Careful. Thanks for the tip on the valves Mogur.....I'll have to watch that on mine and have folks turn them on & off Gently. That's probably why the dials on my buddy's older stove are so touchy.
KJ


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## Wavester

One of the best ways to protect your expensive gear like stoves is to set it up and break it down yourself. That way no one drops the hose in the sand or cross threads the connection, sometimes people (usually a kayaker ) will force the stove closed bending the burners.
I also recommend getting Partners repair kit and bringing it on the river, it has pretty much everything needed for on river repairs. Another common problem is using too large of pans which doesn't allow heat to escape and can melt the O rings or knob. 
These stoves are pretty tough, some guys just rinse them out in the river.
Btw that girls a keeper!








MountainMedic said:


> I have the best GF in the world! Two days ago she surprised me with a brand new Partner Steel stove for my birthday.
> 
> I know, if treated right, its a lifetime piece of equipment. Teach me how to treat it right....


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## BCJ

Hi Medic. I've had my 4-B Partner 14 years. Never removed any parts at all and only replaced the o-rings on the hoses a couple of times. So I think they are mostly maintenence free. But here are my observations for care:

1. Carry spare o-rings and get them from Partner or make sure they are for POL and gas fittings. The ones for gas are a little harder rubber, I think, to handle the gas/cold. Regular hardware store o-rings work but fail quickly, as I found out.

2. Find and carry an MSR or Primus orifice cleaning tool. It's a flat piece of light metal with a small thin wire on one end. I found mine on eBay and bought a handful for about $10. Not sure what diameter size the wire is, but what I got works. I wouldn't take the orifices out as some suggested. Nothing against that, but if they do happen to get grease or dirt in, it's likely to be from cooking/spilling etc. and the needle tool works good to clear the orifice, which is very small. And you don't have to worry about stripping the threads, losing the parts, etc., especially on the river.

3. Once a year take your burners off and coat the threads with anti-seize compound. The burners are stainless, etc., but over time they will seize onto the threads and you'll never get em off. The burners can be replaced. Mine are 14 YO and ready for replacement, but I can't get em off. So I brush the rust out of the gas holes from time to time to keep em running. Instead of just replacing the burners I'll have to send mine to Partner to have the whole burner-rack replaced. 

4. Carry a mini-can of WD-40 and hit the brass threads on the hose and tank fitting once in awhile. If they get grimy on a trip and hard to tighten, a quick squirt frees em up.

I wrote a goofy poem too, about the valves, the point of which is, if you ever take one apart, you'll see, the needle valves are small and brass/bronze and have very fine threads and super small o-ring. Sooooo - there no need to wrench them down tight when turning off the stove. FINGER TIGHT is plenty. Keep big burly hands under control. Shut gas off at the tank overnight. The valves are likely the most delicate part of the stove. Mine are still going strong after 14 years, but I tell everyone - - "Don't overtighten those valves. Finger tight is plenty!"

Of course, keeping your hoses out of the sand is important. I used to spend a lot of time trying to coil and pack the hose inside the stove case. It will fit, but over time I found it easier to put the hose in a stuff sack inside the kitchen box. Easier on the equipment. So I have the stuff sack in my hands when I disconnect the hose and it goes right in without ever touching the ground (usually!).


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## okieboater

Hey cataraftgirl, I have two of those griddles and can cook up pancakes big time or grill garlic bread etc

the griddles are just excellent cooking utensils 

hope you enjoy your griddle as much as my group of boaters have!!!!


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## yak1

All of the above advice is great. Buy the repair kit and then go out and buy some 1" square steel tubes that will fit over the length of both burners. Use these when you are using a large pan or griddle to keep the flames from getting the controls and supply hoses too hot. I have a 4 burner and carry 4 of these bars for those occasions. It really sucks to blow out a control valve or supply hose when you're cooking up a a big batch of bacon and pancakes in the morning. You still have plenty of heat to cook everything. Also cuts down on flaming cooks running across the beach. That disturbs everyone just trying to enjoy their coffee.


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## cataraftgirl

okieboater said:


> Hey cataraftgirl, I have two of those griddles and can cook up pancakes big time or grill garlic bread etc
> 
> the griddles are just excellent cooking utensils
> 
> hope you enjoy your griddle as much as my group of boaters have!!!!


Between my rafting buddy & I, we own almost every stove Partner makes....2 different 2 burner stoves, one 4 burner stove, one 6 burner stove, stove stands & wind screens, and 3 of the griddles. Those griddles are the bomb. He got the 6 burner last summer, and that thing rocks. Serious river cooking on that puppy. We are major gear sluts. It there a river gear 12 step program????
After reading all these posts, it sounds like I should invest in the Partner repair kit. A good idea.


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## cataraftgirl

About closing up your stove at night.....here's my favorite stove story & picture. We are always careful to close the stove & turn off the gas at night. On a Middle fork trip three years we opened the stove in the morning to find an odd looking nest in the corner of the stove. Twigs & feathers. We weren't sure what kind of critter made the nest. As we were standing there looking at the nest.....out ran a very small & very freaked out mouse. We took the nest out and dismantled it. Next morning.....same nest in the stove. That was one determined little mouse. Made for a great river memory.


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## rwhyman

As told to me by Bill at Partner, if you use their griddles, they are designed with enough vent space around the edge that you don't need to raise them. If you use a griddle larger than the stove box, then you need to use the square tubes to allow the heat to escape.


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## Stiff N' Wett

Dont let anyone put pots in the sand then on the stove. ( for example filling dish water pot on the beach and carrying to the stove)


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## raymo

MountainMedic said:


> I have the best GF in the world! Two days ago she surprised me with a brand new Partner Steel stove for my birthday.
> 
> I know, if treated right, its a lifetime piece of equipment. Teach me how to treat it right....


If you have the 4 burner that measures 18 x 12 x 7 when closed they fit nicely in a 30 mm ammo can with space to fit the hose on the side. My friend uses the can to protect the stove and hose from the elements.( dirt, sand, water, etc.). 25$ to protect your present.


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## okieboater

yup, I have used two Partner Steel Griddles on my Partner Steel 4 burner for years. No problems. With both griddles going it is not quite but close enough to a "flat top" that the group can have eggs, pancakes etc cooked to order and enjoy hot food!!!!


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## EZ

*Hose storage made easier*

One thing I like to do with my Partner stove is to rotate the burner/grill assemblies 180 degrees so that the gas tubes leading to the burners are pointed towards the stove hinge when breaking down and closing up the stove. This allows for an easier time to get everything to fit when coiling the hose and storing it inside the stove.

Also, I believe that only the 16" 4 burner stove will fit inside a standard rocket box. I used some 1/4" thick wood to take up the extra space around the stove inside the rocket box and it now fits like a glove. That box and stove package could fall out the back of a trailer at 60 mph and be just fine. A little insurance for an expensive stove!


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## MountainMedic

Thanks for all the good info, much appreciated.

I really like wadeinthewater's idea in this thread.


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