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Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 10:09 am
by Lophophaps
This is unlikely to affect anyone but car-based campers. "NSW Fair Trading Commissioner Rod Stowe is warning consumers not to buy portable butane ‘lunchbox’ type cookers due to safety issues, including overheating."
http://www.fairtrading.nsw.gov.au/ftw/About_us/News_and_events/Media_releases/2015_media_releases/20150304_public_warning_on_portable_butane.page
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 10:11 am
by perfectlydark
Yeah saw that yesterday. I take mine car camping/kayaking but it broke anyway a month ago. Looks like no replacement anytime soon!
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 1:25 pm
by Gadgetgeek
I feel like anyone buying a 10$ stove that looks like it was stamped out of old soup cans shouldn't be all that surprised when it turns out to be not so safe.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 2:09 pm
by perfectlydark
Never had any issues with the several ive owned, no heating up etc. I can see how it could happen, but unless your doing something stupid or are unlucky 98% of the time like anything else they are safe enough
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 2:50 pm
by Nuts
Not loading the cans into the stove properly, hitting the piezo with the gas not directed through the jet. I read of this from a court transcript when looking into using the stoves (the canister exploded). Unfortunately it's probably going to mean the cheap canisters go as well as there wouldn't be a lot of other bulk users.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 3:06 pm
by perfectlydark
Hope it doesny mean a price spike in the squat shaped cansiters

Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 3:07 pm
by Snowzone
We own several of these and the only problem I've ever had is running out of gas at breaky time. There must be thousands of these cookers in use out there for very few problems. Are they going to ban BBQ's next because I'd imagine there is more injuries from them.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 4:31 pm
by Supertramp
..........................
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 05 Mar, 2015 5:28 pm
by keithy
perfectlydark wrote:Never had any issues with the several ive owned, no heating up etc. I can see how it could happen, but unless your doing something stupid or are unlucky 98% of the time like anything else they are safe enough
I agree. It seems the NSW govt is erring on the side of caution? Have they made the independent safety certifiers reports available? Was it some form of defect in the manufacture that they discovered?
Gas safety QLD put out this video showing circumstances where these cookers could overheat and explode
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKpbS0RhOfw, and these scenarios are outlined in the manuals/warning stickers as well on my cooker.
This US based chap has a website he's investigated exploding cookers before (the website is a bit old) -
http://www.chemaxx.com/butane_explosion.htm, but examples of previous cooker explosions are of cookers of similar design. And the examples seem to point to incorrect usage of some form.
I wonder if this will extend to other states?
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 6:17 am
by Moondog55
We have one of the listed GasMate 1080 and it has an Australian Gas approval sticker on it it also has very clear warnings about the maximum size of pot that should be used on it
It is a Darwin Award cooker
Not going to stop using ours when we picnic
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 8:01 am
by neilmny
Moondog55 wrote:We have one of the listed GasMate 1080 and it has an Australian Gas approval sticker on it it also has very clear warnings about the maximum size of pot that should be used on it
It is a Darwin Award cooker
Not going to stop using ours when we picnic
We have the same one Moondog and as you say clearly marked regarding pot size. Maybe people are trying to make Paella on one of those monster dishes
If the canister is not properly engaged...........risk is similar to not doing up the fittings properly on any portable or otherwise gas BBQ.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 8:48 am
by walkerchris77
Supertramp wrote:..........................
+1
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 9:10 am
by neilmny
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 9:48 am
by Moondog55
I was under the impression all of the stuff on sale here was CRV
Just as an aside I can remember as a kid they used to burn all the rubbish at the local tip and we could see exploding spray cans all the time, even empty cans contain enough butane propellant to go off like a hand grenade
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 11:14 am
by neilmny
Just checked my stock of cans and noticed reference to AS 2023.3 on the can.
Google it and you get a whole heap of links about the Holden 202 3.3 litre motor.
Google is #%@!&! but that is a whole other topic.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 11:34 am
by Snowzone
neilmny wrote:Just checked my stock of cans and noticed reference to AS 2023.3 on the can.
Google it and you get a whole heap of links about the Holden 202 3.3 litre motor.
Google is #%@!&! but that is a whole other topic.
Lol, running a 202 in a box like that, you would have a serious overheating problem. Better to run Ford.

Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 2:17 pm
by neilmny
Snowzone wrote:neilmny wrote:Just checked my stock of cans and noticed reference to AS 2023.3 on the can.
Google it and you get a whole heap of links about the Holden 202 3.3 litre motor.
Google is #%@!&! but that is a whole other topic.
..........................Better to run Ford.

Mind your language

Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Fri 06 Mar, 2015 8:38 pm
by drewmac
That was funny..........thanks.....needed a laugh...
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Sat 07 Mar, 2015 2:06 pm
by harpo-the-hiker
Many asians use this stove for hot pot. But I dont think anyone uses aluminium foil to reflect the heat back into the cannister as depicted in the video.
This video is basically set up to fail.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Sat 07 Mar, 2015 2:22 pm
by Analog6
I have three and I am not about to stop using them! You do have to be a little careful when engaging the cylinder but if you are sensible they are not dangerous. The nanny state strikes again. And just in case it spreads to Tassie I bought 6 cans of butane today

Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Sun 08 Mar, 2015 11:11 pm
by Strider
Bought a box of gas yesterday from Big W...just in case. Would be a shame if this format was to become discontinued.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Wed 11 Mar, 2015 7:17 pm
by Moondog55
Strider wrote:Bought a box of gas yesterday from Big W...just in case. Would be a shame if this format was to become discontinued.
Half the chefs and cooks in OZ use those cans for the burners we use to make caramel toppings on desserts so I guess I better buy up big just in case I get a job
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Wed 11 Mar, 2015 7:27 pm
by Strider
Haha good call MD

Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Wed 11 Mar, 2015 9:28 pm
by keithy
Noticed that Tassie has banned these cookers from sale as well:
Link to pic of newspaper ad from someone on another forum:
http://gyazo.com/6edc9f40d2ce465293b1da114802dc68
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 12 Mar, 2015 8:08 am
by Snowzone
Yes Victoria has taken them off the shelves as well.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Thu 12 Mar, 2015 8:41 am
by north-north-west
Amusing. I notice all the stores now have their entire stock of these canisters on sale.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Tue 10 Nov, 2015 9:43 pm
by keithy
Anyone noticed that these have been back for sale again? On the Gasmaster ones, the packaging says "New Design" but the re-design isn't much. The burner rack is now permanently in the upright position (no more flipping the pot holders around), and apparently they now include a piece of paper saying the max diameter of pan/pot is 20cm.
So this now adheres to AS2658-2008. And they are around the $25-$30 mark now.
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Wed 11 Nov, 2015 7:06 am
by Gadgetgeek
cool, as long as the cans are the same so I can drain them into other type. I'm good. Of course, that's a hypothetical, I wouldn't recommend anyone do anything dangerous like move butane from one container to another. Thats just silly (right?)
Re: Portable butane cooker ban

Posted:
Wed 11 Nov, 2015 6:24 pm
by MeanderingFlyFisher
I heard on the weekend that the cans are made now with a crimped fitting on the lid to stop it exploding like a hand grenade.Now it just pops off when it is over heated.Can't confirm this as yet as I still only have the old cans.