Gene, I already have the stove, but it is inside a carrier and packed away at the moment. The wind screen that you are calling a back wall is just 3 hinged pieces of metal that lift off and fold up, so you just have a flat top. I bought it in Utah at a place called Miller Ski, a number of years ago. I live in the foothills of the Ozarks and we are prone to ice storms. We have a small bunkhouse on our property that has a bedroom, living room, bathroom, and a small area to cook in, but it doesn't have a stove. It has a toaster oven, hot plate, crock pot, etc. that are electric, but it also has a natural gas wall heater, and hot water heater. When we have an ice storm that takes out our electricity, we just close up our house and move to the bunkhouse and live in relative comfort until the power comes back on. We re-charge our refrigerators and freezer with the generator so the food doesn't spoil. We bring in the propane stove and we are set to cook for ourselves and sometimes the neighbors. Although we don't camp anymore, we still find many uses for that stove. One summer the power went off just as I started to cook dinner for 12. We moved to the yard and set up the dutch ovens over charcoal, and pulled out the stove and a big pot and used it to cook corn on the cob. So that stove has been worth every penny we paid for it just for emergency use. Funny thing is that it cost more then than it does now. Probably because ours has a little tray table on the end. I'm not in love with my pressure canner so I have been reading this thread and wondering if I should buy a new one. I have more than one BWB canner, but only one pressure canner and it is shallow and not good for anything else. The thermostat for my house is near the kitchen and by the time I turn the ceiling fan on and set the temp low enough to overcome the heat being generated in the kitchen, and keep myself cool, you could hang meat in the rest of the house. I have always thought it would be nice to have a summer kitchen like they did on the plantations. I will never have that, but I think I do have another option for canning.

A smaller canner will come up to pressure and drop down faster. However, any canner that can hold 4 quart jars is big enough to safely meet current standards. AFAIK, the Mirro 12-quart is the smallest that will achieve that. Stacking jars won't make any difference, so if you have just enough jars for one layer I wouldn't fiddle with stacking. I have the All-American 21.5. It's a great canner. Be aware (as I discovered) that not all pints can be stacked. If you look at Ball pints versus Kerr pints you'll see a difference in height. I have both kinds of jars and if I want to do two layers in that canner I have to think about which jars I prepare because two layers of tall pints won't work. My old Presto, on the other hand, no problem because it's taller and narrower. Don't get me wrong. I love my All-American, but if you're routinely stacking jars you might consider an even bigger size. If you only occasionally stack jars or think you might, then the additional cost might not be worth it to you, especially if you have shorter Kerr pint jars. Carol

There are 3 types: gauged, weighted, and gauge plus weighted. Different processing instructions are provided for using all three. Gauged canners come with a separate 15# counter weight or a petcock if an old model. Weighted canners are much easier to use than gauged canners but the ideal is one that has both - a gauge AND a 5-10-15# weight. Your gauge type PC requires that the gauge be tested each year for safety since it is easy for the gauges to be inaccurate and the processed food ends up getting processed at too low a pressure. It is getting more difficult to find a local place to get the gauges tested. That is why it is often recommended to convert them to a weight system. Plus the weights are more accurate and easier to manage. All gauge canners can be converted to a weight system but we have to know the brand name and model number of the canner to tell you how to do it. If it is an very old canner, a vintage model, then it is vital to get it converted. <but how is the weighted gauge going to help me know when the pressure has risen? It probably won't sound different until it goes to the next weight (5# to 10#, 10# to 15#, etc.) will it?> It will jiggle/spin/rattle more frequently. Whether or not that means you should adjust the heat again depends on the brand of canner - different brands are supposed to jiggle at different rates - but no, it does not mean you will have to adjust the heat. When pressure canning heat adjustments need to be avoided as much as possible and the need for frequent heat adjustments on the stove means you aren't using the proper heat settings to begin with. But it is important to understand that no pressure canner should be used without monitoring. You don't have to sit in front of it all the time but you also can't just go off and ignore it either. The advantage to the weights is that you can hear them so it allows a bit more distance between you and the canner while still monitoring it. So we need the brand name and model number at least and photo of it would also help. Dave

It's a Victorio #VKP1054. I used it empty last night to try it out. The temperature indicator on the top is quite accurate, at least according to my instant read thermometer. It was also easy to tell when all the air had been expelled because there is a sound like a tea kettle when the air is being released but it becomes silent when only steam is escaping. The change in sound correlated with the temperature gauge reading that it was ready to begin timing. At least that's how it worked in my kitchen at my elevation. The temperature dropped quickly if the flame was too low so I'm glad I tried it out. It needs a fairly good jet of steam escaping constantly to stay at the right temperature. I also tried removing the lid and seeing how quickly it would come back up to temperature. It was about 5 minutes before the gauge and my thermometer read 212 degrees. So no peeking allowed!