School me… Alcohol Stoves

At least one brand of mouthwash comes in a bottle with built in metering that automatically dispenses 10 ml. at a time. I found it to be very convenient to re-employ the bottle as an alcohol container once I became practiced at refilling it. Dispensing becomes a one hand operation. It was fast and there was no little cup to misplace.

I say was, because my wife and I could easily go through six ounces of alcohol a day. Compare that with a 5 ounce wood stove and a couple of ounces of charcoal lighter for a 50 mile hike and wood becomes the more attractive choice despite the added fuss it may entail.

To me, one problem with Alcohol stoves is that i tend to find myself burning HEET. I think a lot of long distance hikers primarily burn HEET. It's toxic stuff.

I like the method mentioned by Mark and Franco. What kind of home made setup are you guys using to snuff out your stove? I think I want to try this method for better fuel efficiency.

-Sid

Juston,

I think all the info is here, but nobody has really laid it out for you:

There are three common alcohols used for stove fuel:

Isopropanol packs the most energy per unit volume, but burns very sooty. It is commonly available at gas stations as a fuel-line de-icer called Red Heet. The bottle it comes in is reasonably light, too, so you don't need to buy another one. It is toxic if ingested.

Ethanol is midway in energy and sootiness, and is readily available over most of the world. But most governments tax it heavily, so it is expensive. 190-proof Everclear is a good source, but the bottle isn't very light. Multi use, though. (FYI- You need at least 170-proof to burn well.)

Methanol burns with essentially no soot, but is the least energetic of the three. It is also commonly available at gas stations as a fuel-line de-icer, called Yellow Heet. Also comes in a handy bottle. It is also toxic if ingested.

If you buy "Denatured Alcohol" in the United States you are almost certainly getting a mixture of methanol and ethanol. Frustratingly, even though the bottles say "denatured ethanol" they can actually be 55% methanol! And you never know what other wacky adulterants they've added- some leave a sticky residue in your stove.

Thanks everyone for your input thus far. Please keep the conversation going. I'm learning a lot.

I'm specifically interested in the esbit tablets being used in the MLD Caldera UL Compact. How does one modify the system? It would be nice to use these, but also have the ability to use an alternate fuel if need be. Pics would be great.

@ Dean, thanks for laying it out for me. Lots of help.

" Have you found any ways to avoid and/or remove the muck from your pot, or do you just deal with it?"

Rubbing the bottom of the pot in damp sand or soil works well, but there is usually some residue left to 'deal with' over the long term. I carry a small piece of pot scrubber for those alpine sites where no sand/soil is available. Esbit is my preferred fuel.

Agree completely with Lynn, Esbit the fuel for use with a Caldera. Rubbing the base of the pot on grass, sand, soil removes most of the gunk. The rest is removed at home. Esbit has less issues with measurement and packaging, an Aloksak (or similar) can be used to store all the fuel needed.

I would add that the fumes from burning isopropanol can also be at least harmful, if not toxic. Tony Beasley found this out when testing water/alcohol mixtures.

Cheers

Sid
This is one I used. It is just a piece of aluminium foil folded over and shaped over the burner. Eventually I will find/adapt a tin that fits snugly over the 10-20 burner.
Franco

Hi Steven,

No, it's expensive. Ridiculously so to use as a fuel, I guess. But expensive doesn't really bother me. I skimmed the article that Roger Caffin and someone else (sorry, I forget the name) did about various fuels, and if I understood it correctly (always up for debate!) the everclear was the least toxic of any of the other choices. After reading that I gave my nearly full can of Crown's denatured away, and bought two bottles of everclear at the local liquor store.

I use esbit most of the time anyway!

Douglass,
Did the article mention which fuel was the most efficient? I have been contemplating switching to Everclear as well. But I want to find out if it burns more efficiently than other fuels.

-Sid

Hi Sid!

Only 1 's' in the name, but many who know me wouldn't quibble with your spelling…. ;-)

I believe it was, but if I remember correctly not significantly so. I THINK this was the article: http://www.backpackinglight.com/cgi-bin/backpackinglight/stoves_tents_carbon_monoxide_pt_4.html

If so, it was just Roger, not co-authored.

Take care,

Doug

Thanks all for the tips on removing the esbit gunk. I never bothered to take it off with with my caldera keg, since I just pop in into the caddy when finished. But its good to know what it takes now that I have a MLD 850 on the way!

Whew,

For second there I thought you were showing a before-and-after picture Franco…

;-)

For those using esbit tablets for fuel… do you have to modify your system in any way for it to work efficiently? Or does one just place it where the fuel goes and light it up?

Douglas,
sorry about the spelling, I slipped an extra 's' in there by accident.

Unfortunately, I don't currently have a BPL membership so I can't view the article. Does it burn cleaner than denatured alcohol? I use the Home Depot SLX brand and it does not leave any soot on my pot, which I like. Does Everclear leave soot on your pot?

If not, then I will probably try it. I like the idea of having a multipurpose fuel. Of course, the added efficiency would be nice as well.

-Sid

"For those using esbit tablets for fuel… do you have to modify your system in any way for it to work efficiently? Or does one just place it where the fuel goes and light it up?"

You buy a Caldera Gram Cracker!

http://antigravitygear.com/proddetail.php?prod=TDGRAM

Funny name. Thanks for the info Lynn.

I'm trying out this one made by an inmate over on the ADVRider forums.

http://www.advrider.com/forums/showthread.php?t=431851

Might be slightly heavier than the pepsi can stoves, but a helluva lot more durable. Since I got rid of my truck I do all my camping from my motorcycle and the last thing I want to worry about is crushing my stove in an off… I've been experimenting with it a little at home, but I haven't had a chance to take a real trip since I've gotten it to field test it.

"Does it burn cleaner than denatured alcohol? I use the Home Depot SLX brand and it does not leave any soot on my pot, which I like. Does Everclear leave soot on your pot? "

Hi Sid,

None that I've noticed!

Take care,

Doug

The ADVRider stove looks like a Whitebox stove knock-off. Check
http://www.whiteboxstoves.com/ out.

Interesting. I'm new to the ultralight stuff, didn't know about white box.

So who makes the best? What is the consensus?

Most of these type of stoves are not copyrighted because it is simply too expensive to do. However they tend to be the result of a lot of tinkering and experimenting (time and money…) so I would suggest that people avoid buying copies.
Franco

"So who makes the best? What is the consensus?"

First you need to define "best". Do you want control? … minimum weight? … durability? … convenience?

If you decide you just want to heat water, you won't be far from "best" if you just stuff the bottom of a soda can with some fiberglass insulation for a wick, add alcohol and light it off.