Should I disconnect my stove or keep it connected to the canister?

I always wondered whether I should disconnect my stove from the fuel canister or leave it on. I ran a series of experiments disconnecting the fuel canister with the popular PocketRocket stove. Here’s what I found…

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Every time I connect and disconnect my canister it sounds like I am wasting a lot of fuel. I have always wondered exactly how much fuel is lost in this process. 

A picture showing me disconnect my stove , a PocketRocket.

Detach the stove from the canister after the stove cools down.

From my experience with backpacking stoves, I suggest disconnecting the stove from the canister after the stove has cooled. Keeping a stove attached to the canister for long periods of time increases the chances of a leak. However, I still wondered: how much fuel is lost with every disconnection from the fuel canister? It sounds like a lot of fuel.

Fuel Waste Disconnect

About 0.05 grams of fuel is wasted disconnect your canister.

It is always important to follow the instructions that are included with your backpacking stove. But in general, you should disconnect your stove from the fuel canister after the stove has cooled off. This is usually about 5 minutes after cooking your meal. Our experiments show that only about 0.05 grams of fuel is lost during the connection and disconnection of the fuel canister. To waste just 1 gram of fuel you would have to connect and disconnect the stove about 20 times. Therefore, it is best to disconnect your stove from the canister when the stove is not being used. As a result you will not be wasting much fuel even if it sounds like you are, and you will avoid the possibility of leaking fuel.

 Read more: Tips on how to save fuel when cooking

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