Topic
alcohol stove or bomb?
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Home › Forums › Gear Forums › Make Your Own Gear › alcohol stove or bomb?
- This topic is empty.
-
AuthorPosts
-
Dec 5, 2005 at 5:03 am #1217305
I’m planning to build a pressurized side vent stove out of a sterno can.
My (current) plan calls for it to be double walled, have a thumb screw closure for the fuel, and a priming tray.
What I’m worrying about now is how big to make the flame jet holes.
Too small and I possibly could build up dangerous pressure. Too big and flame pattern and fuel use could be upset.
Maybe I’m worrying about nothing, but I would appreciate some advice.-just occured to me – With the thumb screw the double wall may not be necessary. Larger area for pressure build up but still fairly small. ???
Dec 5, 2005 at 7:29 am #1346526Advice:
1. Conduct all tests outdoors. Pressurized stoves might not explode, but things can go wrong. Tape or glue can fail causing parts to separate and spew flaming fuel surprising distances.
2. The plan for what you term ‘double wall’ escapes me. Do you mean a Trangia type with a central well? Seems unlikely if you are planning to use a priming tray and filler hole. Or are you describing a variation of the low pressure side burner stove which usually has an open top that is sealed by placing the pot directly on the stove which is also the pot support. It sounds as if you plan to have a closed top and a filler hole. If that is the case, you may have a problem:
If the flame jet holes are too large in a sealed stove (using a screw-closed filler hole), the flames can ignite fuel and residual oxygen INSIDE the unit. It might not explode, but it can definitely cause more excitement than you want. Therefore, more small holes are better than fewer large ones on sealed pressurized stoves. Check ZEN stove site for hole sizing for pressurized stoves such as the Photon and the Penney.
3. Do you plan to use the large Sterno can or the small one? Pressurized side burner stoves tend to push their flames out pretty far. If you use the large Sterno can, the heat may largely miss the pot. Furthermore, the large can has a greater potential for uncontrolled and unexpected excitement because its larger volume in relation to the amount of fuel means more oxygen inside the stove to be ignited if a jet wears too large or if you have a leak somewhere. Again, don’t light these puppies inside the house.
Dec 5, 2005 at 2:15 pm #1346555I can’t see any reason to make it double-walled, unless you need to hold a heavy pot. Look at the Penney stove (suggested by Vick) and also consider the Cobra stove, which could be modified to be a side-burner if you like.
http://www.boblog.org/at/cobrastove.htm
Red Bull cans make good pressurized stoves because you don’t need the extra diameter for the double-wall construction. I get the same performance from my Red Bull Cobra as a Pepsi Cobra (for less weight, of course).
-
AuthorPosts
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.
Forum Posting
A Membership is required to post in the forums. Login or become a member to post in the member forums!
Our Community Posts are Moderated
Backpacking Light community posts are moderated and here to foster helpful and positive discussions about lightweight backpacking. Please be mindful of our values and boundaries and review our Community Guidelines prior to posting.
Get the Newsletter
Gear Research & Discovery Tools
- Browse our curated Gear Shop
- See the latest Gear Deals and Sales
- Our Recommendations
- Search for Gear on Sale with the Gear Finder
- Used Gear Swap
- Member Gear Reviews and BPL Gear Review Articles
- Browse by Gear Type or Brand.