Year: 2015

Customer:

Thank you. I am very excited to get my stove and start to learn to stir fry. I chose your stove over others because of its design, power, and apparent quality. Looking forward to it.

Outdoorstirfry:

Thx for choosing our stove.  Can you share links of the other stoves you have looked at before choosing ours?

Customer:

Just thought you would want to know that my stove arrived today after an epic journey across the US. Every day it was about two states further east than the day before. Amazing to watch the journey.

It arrived in perfect condition and I set it up on my deck for a test run. The great thing was that, from your video, I was already aware of the common problem with getting the connection tight enough. I used your tightening technique and it worked properly the first time. I could also anticipate the correct hissing sound, the burner sound, and the pilot light sound, all of which looked and sounded EXACTLY like yours in the video, which I found comforting. I don’t think I quite have the pilot light trick down yet (turning the main jet off while maintaining the pilot), but that will come with practice. I may have had the pilot down too low.

I will season my wok (Christmas present) this Saturday when I have more time. I ordered Chosen Foods oil (one avocado and one safflower) that will arrive later in the week.

You asked about other outdoor stir fry options I considered. The first was the Rambo High Pressure wok burner (made in Australia, I believe) that still looks like a good product. It just wasn’t available here. Then I started a quest and looked at several, the most appealing being the Big Kahuna (Eastman Outdoors), but product reviews were mixed. It comes as a 22-inch (!) wok set– a burner, wok, long legs. People were saying it was way too much wok and not really a powerful enough burner, susceptible to wind flame outs, etc. In Googling around, I found your site and was intrigued. When the newer stove came out it was a lock.

Good doing business with you.

Outdoorstirfry:

Good to get your email.  You are our first customer letting us know monitoring the shipment daily.   Thanks a lot for sharing what you have looked for before settling down on our stove.   I appreciate and agree with your insight into wok cooking – having a 22” wok will miss mobility of the wok, namely tossing and tilting.   Outdoor cooking also is better off with wind guard.

Customer:   After using these for a few months, they refuse to light.  It seems like the valve stop working.  Can you please provide any advice?

Outdoorstirfry:  Can you use a manual BBQ ignitor to light up the stove?   The electronic ignition head may not give spark anymore due to dirt or leaking path from high voltage wire to the metal body.

Customer:  I tried all that.  I connect the fitting to the gas bottle…and remove the hose feeding to the stove and still no gas I am really disappointing in the make of this stove.

Outdoorstirfry:  I might have read the problem wrong.  When you press in and turn on the knob of the stove, do you hear gas coming out?

Customer:  No..gas is not flowing beyond the valve

Outdoorstirfry:

Now we need to figure out if the blue regulator receives gas out from your tank.

1. Unscrew the blue regulator out of the propane tank
2. Wait for half hour to let any leftover gas inside the regulator to release itself
3. Screw the blue regulator into the propane tank again.   Look at the first video “How to Connect Outdoorstirfry Stove Connector to Propane Tank?” on this page https://outdoorstirfry.com/?page_id=768.
4. You can turn on the propane tank valve.  At this time, you should hear one hissing sound from tank to fill the regulator, indicating the gas comes out of the tank.
5. Ignite the stove as usual.

Let me know how it goes.

Customer:  I tried what you outline below and still not able to get the stove to lit. I also use different propane tanks and same issue.  Those propane works well with other outdoor stove I  which rule out this being a propane tank issue.  Both stove which I brought from you have the same issue.

Outdoorstirfry:   After you screw back the regulator connector into the tank and turn on the tank top valve, were you able to hear a hissing sound?   Hearing the hissing sound is very important.  If you hear it, it means that the tank gas is able to come out to the regulator OK.  Then we will look into the gas path from hose to stove.  If you do not hear the hissing sound, it is the connection between regulator and the tank.  We will need to solve this part.

Customer:   I connect the fitting to the gas tank and when I turn on the gas, I don’t hear any hiss sound.   My cell is xxx-xxx-xxxx

Outdoorstirfry:

Thx for your voicemail and I just left a voicemail.  There are still a couple things we can try to get the gas flow from the tank:

1.  Attached PDF guide step 7 on page talks about using a plumbing wrench to further tighten the regulator connector toward and into the tank inlet.
2. We also have a video on https://outdoorstirfry.com/?page_id=768.  The title is “Connecting POL to tank” and it is the first video on the page.  This video shows how to use two hands to further tighten the regulator into the tank.  You can try this before using plumbing wrench.

Please give above two methods a try to let us know how it goes.

Customer:  I received both regulators today and hooked it up. Works like a charm.  What the diff between the two colors?

Outdoorstirfry:   Glad that it works.   They are the same in term of performance.  The one we asked you to use first has a better rubber nose to push open the tank valve.

Customer:

The burner worked great the first day I used it.  Second day there was no gas coming to the burner.  I disconnected and reconnected several times.  On one connect it did let out a little gas, but not enough to light.  I then could get not get the gas to come back.  I finally adjusted the regulator several times trying different turns of the  adjuster, connecting and disconnecting but could not get any gas.  I made sure the connection was tighter than the first day.  I used a different burner and it worked so I know it is not the tank.  Any ideas what I should do?  Also, I have no problem going out and buying a different regulator if you can tell me the specifications on what I would need to buy or recommend one.  Very please with it.  Thank you.

Outdoorstirfry:

This is caused by the regulator not pushing the tank internal valve open enough.   A propane tank typically has one internal valve and a hand valve on top of the tank.  These two valves are in series.  If one is closed, there is no gas out from the tank.  The tank internal valve can only be pushed open by appliance regulator connector.  If the regulator pushes the tank internal valve open, you should be able hear a hissing sound when you turn on the tank top hand valve.

If you do not hear the hissing sound when you turn on the tank top valve, there are two methods:

1. Step 7 on page 2 of attached user guide shows to use a plumbing wrench to further tighten the regulator connector into the tank via the regulator hand wheel.  or
2. We have also made a video “How to Connect Outdoorstirfry Stove Connector to Propane Tank?” using hand only movement.  It is the first video on https://outdoorstirfry.com/?page_id=768.

Let us know if this helps.

Customer:

Thank you, that did the trick.  Not sure why I could hand tighten the first time and not any longer.  Using the regulator as shown did the trick.  Thank you again

Customer:

The hose connection would not fit on the American Gas 15 Lb. bottle bought from Home Depot.
I purchased an adaptor from Home Depot which I can return.
The first time I used it, it was perfect. The next day there was hardly enough gas to light the pilot, and then none.
Here is a photo of the propane bottle, the medium regulator, and the adaptor hose that will fit the bottle. Also, for reference, my receipt.

please advise.

Outdoorstirfry:

I left a voicemail.   Please unscrew the brass piece (adaptor) from the red regulator.   Once done, you can screw the red regulator directly into the tank inlet.  Attached installation guide step 4 (on page 1) also talks about this.   In case you need further assistance, please call me.

Customer:

Following your suggestions, I unscrewed the adaptor and screwed the regulator directly into the tank as shown in this photo. Then I opened the valves on the tank and the stove. There is no gas flow.

In one of your voice mails, which I appreciated, you mentioned the adjustment valve on the regulator. Undoubtedly it has been moved although I do not know which direction.

In addition, it would be helpful, although not absolutely essential, to have the hose 4 or 5 feet longer. Home Depot said they do not have hose or tubing to accomplish a splice. Do you have any?

Please advise me how to proceed from this point.

Outdoorstirfry:

There are still a couple things we can check:

Let the system as is, do you hear the gas coming out of the tank when you turn the valve on top of the tank open (counter clockwise)?    This gas coming out is indicated by a brief hissing sound toward the regulator from the tank.

If you are not sure that you hear this hissing sound, turn the tank valve closed again (clockwise).  Then unscrew the red regulator from the tank.  This allows the pressure within the red regulator to drop.   Screw the red regulator into the tank again.   This needs to be tight enough to push another valve inside the tank to open.   Step #7 on page 2 in attached user guide shows using a plumbing wrench to further tighten if hand tight is not sufficient.   Re-do the hissing sound test.

Once you have the hissing sound from tank to regulator, you can try the stove.

Customer:

Things look good.

Note: Step 7 on page 2 is NOT applicable because there is no Hex copper fitting. It has now been removed. There is only the red faucet-like handle that is a part of the regulator. It is very, very difficult to tighten sufficiently. However, once I tightened it with difficulty, the stove worked.

There seems to be an adequate amount of gas reaching the stove although I do not know whether the regulator is properly set.

Essentially your advice solved the problem.

Additional note: Instruction 1 is incorrect. The hose is NOT ready to be attached to a 20 lb propane tank because there is a copper fitting that must be removed (perhaps as stated in step 4). Also, first time purchasers may not be aware that they have a ‘configurable version’ or what the term really means. Thus it was unclear that the copper fitting needed to be removed before the regulator could be attached to the tank.

If there exists a regulator that has a real Hex fitting rather than the faucet-like handle, I would like to have one. Everyone would find it much easier to tighten correctly because a wrench could be used.

On the whole, you communicated in a professional, efficient manner that makes me delighted to have purchased this product.

Outdoorstirfry:

Glad that you solve the problem.

In step 7 we specify a plumbing wrench.  The wrench should be able to open wide enough to grab on the hand wheel on the red regulator.  We have also made a video “How to Connect Outdoorstirfry Stove Connector to Propane Tank?” using hand only movement.  It is the first video on https://outdoorstirfry.com/?page_id=768.

We agree with you that the 1lb propane adaptor should not be attached to the red regulator since most customers use the 20lb tank. Our shipping will take care of this one.

Your regulator stem is not that far off.  However if you need full power of the stove, the regulator stem should be adjusted (screw further in in your case) such that you only see 2~3 lines of threads on top of the locking nut.  The locking nut should be screwed down to be flushed with the red regulator body.

Outdoorstirfry:

Attached picture shows the height of the thread of the red regulator stem.

Customer:

Thank you.

The stove worked so well tonight that I plan to leave things the way they are for the time being.

If your company ever needs a recommendation or review, count on me. I will write one for you.

All the best.