Alcohol Stove

Phillbo

Phillbo

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I'm going to give my alcohol stove a try this weekend and am curious. What do you do with any remaining alcohol left over after you are done cooking? Suck it out with a baster or just let it evaporate?

Or should I let it all burn off ?
 
We just let it evaporate, as there really wasn't much left. To be honest, though, we quit using it because it just didn't seem to get hot enough. We started using a portable butane unit that seemed to work better.

Good luck!
 
quote:
Originally posted by Phillbo

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If your alcohol stove is like the one on my previous boat, the alcohol is poured into a canister filled with a felt like substance that acts like a wick. There is a cover that goes over the opening when you are not using it and a flap on the stove itself that holds the cover in place.

Just leave the alcohol in the canister and put the cover on. It will be there the next time you want to use it.

The instructions for the stove are probably more specific with photos or drawings.
 
Considering the price of good alcohol, I certainly wouldn't let just evaporate!
 
quote:
Originally posted by stmbtwle

Considering the price of good alcohol, I certainly wouldn't let just evaporate!

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Alcohol from the hardware store od home center works as well as alcohol from your local marine retailer. Read the label.
 
Last time I used alcohol it WAS hardware-store alcohol, and it was so full of formaldehyde (to keep us from drinking it I suppose) it made my eyes burn. The next boat I installed a kerosene stove; it burned hotter, didn't smell and it was a WHOLE LOT less expensive to operate. Nowadays though I use propane.
 
quote:
Originally posted by rawidman

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If your alcohol stove is like the one on my previous boat, the alcohol is poured into a canister filled with a felt like substance that acts like a wick. There is a cover that goes over the opening when you are not using it and a flap on the stove itself that holds the cover in place.

Just leave the alcohol in the canister and put the cover on. It will be there the next time you want to use it.
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I have the same type of alcohol/electric stove. It works very well. I fill it up in the begining of the year and top it off towards the end of the year. I purchase Denatured Alcohol at the hardware store.
 
quote:
Originally posted by manticore999

We just let it evaporate, as there really wasn't much left. To be honest, though, we quit using it because it just didn't seem to get hot enough. We started using a portable butane unit that seemed to work better.
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I'm with you Steve. I put that stupid, worthless alcohol stove in a closet at home and there it sat until the boat was going to Alaska. I don't know what my son uses.

Those butane powered stoves are really great! I have one at home to use when we lose power during a storm up here in the mountains. Besides coffee in the morning, I've cooked anything on that stove that I can cook on my electric stove. But I keep it simple: one pot meals, and such.
 
Hi all,
I've used both the wick type and the pressurized type of alcohol stoves in the past. The wick type leaves a lot to be desired in regards to heat output. As a result of alcohol being hygroscopic (readily absorbs water) the alcohol eventually becomes contaminated with water, albeit to a small extent, and burns dirty/sooty. The pressurized type, on the other hand, DOES provide sufficient heat to cook efficiently as it works similar to a Coleman stove with a "forced" flame rather than the passive flame of the wick type.
That being said, the quality of the flame depends in great part to the fuel being burned. As mentioned, some alcohols can put you out of the galley with the noxious fumes produced.
So to answer your question...Leave the fuel in the appliance. Keep in mind, carbon monoxide is a product of ANY fuel being burned.
Peter
 
I also let mine evaporate.

I use S-L-X Denatured Alcohol, available in Home Depot and Lowe's paint departments. It's advertised for use in marine stoves. Works very well in my Kenyon (non-pressurized). Burns very clean and the heat output is impressive once it gets crankin'. Can't argue that it puts out less heat than propane, but it works just fine for everything from perking coffee to making a full meal.

Just be careful if your stove is the old pressurized type. Worn/dryed out o-rings and seals make them dangerous.
 
Keep in mind Butane stoves put off CO this can be dangerou especially if you think your going to use the stove as a cooking tool and cabin heater!
Bill
 
A cooking stove (other than electric) should never be used as a heating appliance. You need air for combustion and exhaust and if you allow enough air, there is little or no heat gain.

Having said that, I know people will do it anyway and many have survived to post on web fotums so go ahead. I'm not going to try my luck.
 
Why do you guys offer opinions without asking what kind of stove it is? There is more than one kind of alcohol stove in the world and the procedures are different.
 
quote:
Originally posted by Ghost

Why do you guys offer opinions without asking what kind of stove it is? There is more than one kind of alcohol stove in the world and the procedures are different.

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Why didn't the OP state what kind of alcohol stove he had?

I did preface my comment with "If your alcohol stove is like the one on my previous boat, ......."
 
quote:
Originally posted by Billylll

Keep in mind Butane stoves put off CO this can be dangerou especially if you think your going to use the stove as a cooking tool and cabin heater!Bill
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Good point Bill. Safety first! Since I always hated to have any kind of open flame in the cabin, I used my butane stove topside near the boat's stern. My canvas could be opened for an ample supply of fresh air. Never tried to use one as a heat source.
 
Sorry guys, it's a non pressurized Alcohol/Electric combo. Not sure of the brand and was not aware there were pressurized models.

I picked up some Alcohol and will follow the instructions on the stove when I try it out but was simply curious if there was a procedure for or a need to do anything with the left over alcohol when I was done using it. It appears not.

Thanks!
 
I've used one of those. I had to pump it til alcohol there was a puddle, then light the puddle and let burn off. Kind of like lighting a pilot light, except the flame was much higher. That flame almost caught the curtain hanging above the stove on fire. I hated cooking on that thing!
 
quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

I've used one of those. I had to pump it til alcohol there was a puddle, then light the puddle and let burn off. Kind of like lighting a pilot light, except the flame was much higher. That flame almost caught the curtain hanging above the stove on fire. I hated cooking on that thing!

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Flutterby, yours is a pressurized stove. They can be dangerous (as I stated above), which is why nobody puts them on boats anymore. Mine is like the OP's, non-pressurized 2-burner alky-electric. His is likely either a Kenyon (that's mine) or Origo, and instruction manuals can be found at the manufacturers' websites. Kenyon customer service is extremely helpful, btw. They're located in CT.
 
quote:
Originally posted by JoLin

quote:
Originally posted by Flutterby

I've used one of those. I had to pump it til alcohol there was a puddle, then light the puddle and let burn off. Kind of like lighting a pilot light, except the flame was much higher. That flame almost caught the curtain hanging above the stove on fire. I hated cooking on that thing!

Click to expand...


Flutterby, yours is a pressurized stove. They can be dangerous (as I stated above), which is why nobody puts them on boats anymore. Mine is like the OP's, non-pressurized 2-burner alky-electric. His is likely either a Kenyon (that's mine) or Origo, and instruction manuals can be found at the manufacturers' websites. Kenyon customer service is extremely helpful, btw. They're located in CT.

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And mine was an Origo. There was a black, round pad to put over the canister opening when the stove was not in use (and had cooled down). With the heat regulator lever turned "off", there was a round metal disk that held the pad in place when the stove top was closed.

Be aware that the flame is nearly invisible.
 
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