Source of alcohol stove fuel

[sck5]

another vote for Origo unpressurized alcohol. I have one, (and get fuel from Home Depot usually) and there has never been a problem of any kind. I wouldnt trade it for a propane stove - alcohol evaporates when let loose but propane goes to the bilge and sometimes blows up.

[ekenna]

We just bought our boat last year and were told it has a alcohol stove but the po did not use it and does not know it it works. How do I tell if it is pressured or not. But pressured I assume you mean like the old campaign that used to use white gas that had a pump you would uncrew pump like 10 times and then screw back in. If that is what the stove on my boat is then we'll continue to use the propane 2 burner camping stove. But if it is the unpressurized kind I might like to see if I can get it working again. I do not see any pump handle. How can you tell?

Using the portable 2 burner propane has some advantages for example I can put a board down and use it in the cockpit when I do not want to heat up the cabin and you can take it ashore for a meal on the beach. I do keep the value on the top of the propane canister once I start it because I have had the value in the canister fail like previously mentioned. The major disadvantage is we can only use it while we are stopped which is ok for our current sail during the day and anchor by dinner time cruising but would be a bummer doing any kind of over night passage.

[hellosailor]

Is there a name plate or other identifying information on the stove? That's the best way to find out just what you've got, short of posting pictures of it.

A pressure stove has to have some sort of pressure pump, often a little screw-lock handle like a Coleman lantern has.

Just be very careful with a neglected (unused unchecked) alcohol stove. The flame is nearly invisible, the alcohol sucks in moisture and if there's even a pinhole leak someplace, you can find invisible blue flames are a very bad thing. Alcohol is also the fuel source that creates the coldest flame (literally) and the most moisture in the combustion products, adding to condensation woes in cold wx. Some of us would rather eat cold food than mess with alcohol stoves. And of course, others love it anyway.

[mdbee]

Ran across this on differences of alcohol types.

YouTube - minibulldesign's Channel

[AdamLein]

ekenna: we have an unpressurized alcohol stove. In addition to the absence of a pump handle, you can check to see how the fuel is stored. In a pressurized stove there's a tank with a refill vent on top.

An unpressurized stove on the other hand is essentially an alcohol lantern: under each "burner" there's a large canister (wide, shallow cylinder) filled with a fireproof wicking substance. There's a hole in the top of the canister with a metal mesh over it and under the mesh you can see the wick (doesn't look like a lantern wick, more like pillow stuffing or something). You fill the canister by pouring alcohol in through the hole and you light the stove by holding a flame up to the wick.

On my stove you get to these canisters by lifting up the entire top of the stove.

In terms of getting these stoves to work, I can't really think of any way in which they can fail to do so, short of submerging the canister in water :P They have no "parts" per say, save for newer stoves which usually have a shaped metal plate over the wick that causes the flame to spread out; without it the flame will be concentrated in the center of the element.

If it's unpressurized I would definitely keep it for onboard use as it's much safer than those portable propane stoves which you probably shouldn't use in the cabin. Keep the propane stove for its current use (picnics on the shore, cockpit use, etc).

[ekenna]

AdamLein thanks for the description. Next time I am down to the boat I should be able to figure out what kind I have.

[midnightsailor]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Bill, alcohol is a reliable fuel that has been used for millenia. Just like camel chips.



It may boil water well enough for you, but at altittudes, in in high latitutdes and cold wx, there are significant differences. And in a tightly closed boat in humid weather--prolonged use of the alcohol will give you a new appreciation for condensation.

Each to their own, glad you love yours.

Hellosailor,

Unless your sailing on Lake Titicaca, I don't think altitude is going to be much of a concern for most sailors.

[GaryHLucas]

Back in 1981 I put a propane stove in my boat because the pressure alcohol was slow and it was easy to see the potential for a fire. Of course the coast guard at the time frowned on propane. The boat I have now has a two burner Origo non pressurized alcohol stove. I have to say I am quite impressed with it, even though fuel is expensive.

[sck5]

Fuel for an Origo is a lot cheaper in the paint department of your local Home Depot. Denatured alcohol - Same stuff as the chandlers have but much cheaper.

[ekenna]

I went to my boat yesterday and found the pump so it is pressurized.