# Propane camp stove adjustment

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [September 26, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540 "2015-09-26T03:54:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Gary\_T](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Gary\_T](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gary_T)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540/1 "2015-09-26T03:54:50Z")

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My experience is that propane camping stoves have very lopsided flame adjustment. The knob may rotate two or more turns, but the first 1/8 turn goes from off to 95+%, and whatever difference the remaining rotation makes is pretty much undetectable. Why is this?

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**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540/2 "2015-09-26T04:03:31Z")

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The propane flow is dependent on the pressure in the cylinder, and depends strongly on temperature. See the vapor pressure chart of propane [here](http://www.engineeringtoolbox.com/propane-vapor-pressure-d_1020.html). You can see that at room temperature, the vapor pressure is about 10 bar, while at 0 C it’s 4 bar, and at -20 C it’s down to 1.5 bar. The flame control needs enough range to operate under colder conditions.

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**Author:** ![Turble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/8dc957/32.png) [@Turble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Turble)\
**Post date:** [September 26, 2015, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/propane-camp-stove-adjustment/732540/3 "2015-09-26T15:31:26Z")

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If you’re looking for technical hows-comes somebody else may know. If you’re looking for what-kin-I-do-about – I assume your experience is with the common low-end green Coleman camping stove? There are camp stoves available that do have useful flame controls for simmering and controlled cooking.

Here’s a site which compares features: [Outdoor Gear Lab](http://www.outdoorgearlab.com/Camping-Stove-Reviews?n=0&sort_field=#compare)