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alcohol stove

6K views 18 replies 10 participants last post by  roline 
#1 ·
I have a pressure tank under the sink with a valve for closing it some copper pipe going to the stove,where it looks like it has been replaced by a flexible tubing to the stove. The tank pumps up to 15 pounds and when I open the valve a little alcohol comes out If I turn on the burner for the preheat part of lighting nothing comes out,should I assume that it''s the flex tube thats either clogged or swollen to closeure,or pull the whole rig out and replace with new? any tricks for testing would be appreciated.
 
#2 ·
Ken, make sure you fill the cup under the burner about 3/4 full then light and wait til virtually all the alcohol is burned off. Then turn on the burner. Sounds like you have enough pressure. The burners themselves may need a little cleaning, but if you can get them to light, they actually are self-cleaning. (Parts for the burners will probably be pretty hard to find if you need them.) You will hear the pulsing of the air/alcohol mix. Multiple burners? Try them all. I''ve got a 33 year old Galley Maid pressurized alcohol stove w/ an oven an 3 burners in a lovely brown shade. Since I only use the oven two times I''m considering replacing with an Origo two-burner non-pressurized alcohol. Certainly safer.
 
#4 ·
If you''re using a pressure alcohol stove that doesn''t work, I''d replace it. We had an alcohol stove explosion/fire on a boat visiting our harbor. The owner lived... More personally, I also went transatlantic on a boat with an alcohol stove. It stopped holding pressure on the second day of our 22-day trip to Ireland. I have also crewed many times when fumes from the stove stung the eyes and made sleeping below quite nasty. (And that was in nice weather....) In combustion, the alcohol also gives off water vapor, adding to the humidity below. Needless to say, I am nott a fan of dangerous, unreliable, and noxious systems that have lots of parts that can (and obviously do) go wrong. CNG is safer, but not always readily available. We have a LPG stove & oven on our boat now.
 
#5 ·
Try A&H Enterprises in Tustin, CA, 714-258-2525. They supply rebuild kits for pressurized alcohol stoves and were quite helpful. At the end of the day, however, and after breaking the tubing that went from my tank to the burner I gave up and bought an Origo.

There''s a huge difference in heat output compared to my old, clogged Princess pressurized stove. The Origo boils a quart of water in about 8 minutes vs. 6 minutes on my home electric stove. And, its safe, unless you try to refill it without removing the canister from the stove there''s really nothing that can cause a fire or explosion. Yes, alcohol has only half the heat output per pound of fuel as LPG, but that doesn''t consider the weight and size of the tank! Adjust for that and alcohol is actually about as efficient weight wise, and probably occupies less space per unit of heat than LPG. Unless you''re living aboard and going through tens of gallons of alcohol a year, fuel cost is a non-issue. Alcohol stoves have gotten a bad rap due to the old pressurized stoves. There''s literally no reason to spend thousands of dollars to refit with LPG. (I have no connection with Origo or the industry).
 
#7 ·
If there is pressure in the tank and no alcohol flow to the burners the flash back valve is stuck closed. This valve is basicly a check valve to prevent reverse flow or an explosion. These valves should be located on the stove copper tube at the joint where the flex hose attaches. Stove alcohol contains a small amount of water that causes corrosion at this valve and in the small passage in each burner casting.

From the author of books on boat refrigeration.
 
#9 ·
RLK''s advice seems sound. As the owner of a 33 year old pressurized alcohol stove that has seen a lot of use, I wouldn''t put too much time/effort/money into trying to fix it. Propane''s wonderful, but retrofitting can be a real bear and very expensive in a boat w/ no fuel locker. I''d look into the Origo.
 
#10 ·
We refited an Origo on our boat after the survey found that the propane system was not up to code. (Previous owner did a poor DIY, install.)

Having used propane on charters, and friends boats, and cruising all summer with our Origo, I would endorse the Origo. (I also am not affiliated with the company.) Ours was purchased second hand, was ten years old, and other than a good cleaning works faultlessly. We didn''t even need to replace the burner cannisters.

The big plus is when cruising, you can buy 24 hours cooking time of fuel, (3 litres) for around six bucks at any hardware store, throw it in your backpack, and keep walking. No heavy propane tanks to drag around.
 
#12 ·
Does anyone use a diesel stove/oven? I''ve heard good things about them, but I''m don''t know if they produce enough heat to cook well. I''d rather use one fuel. And I noticed one boat that had a diesel stove/oven in it and then a propane cook top. I always supposed it cooked better than the diesel.

Chas
 
#15 · (Edited)
Thanks for spamming us Mike...
 
#17 ·
No flareups with an Origo because they arent pressurized. No moving parts to break and alcohol wont collect in the bilge and blow up because it evaporates. Small price to pay for a little bit longer to boil water. I would never have a pressurized alcohol stove but I like my Origo.
 
#18 ·
I guess the mods nuked MIKE... :)
 
#19 ·
6 of one, 1/2 dozen of the other. We all will have unique requirements and desires and in some cases, we might even need to compromise. I replaced the Kenon pressurized alcohol stove with a Force 10 2 burner with broiler. Would have preferred the oven for functionality , but did not want to give up the stowage space. I ended up with more storage by making a slide out shelf with a stowage box behind the stove in what was waisted space. Propane needs a controller with leak sniffers, tank containment locker and a good grade hi pressure connect hose.
For more info. check out the link below:
Stove
 
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