Recommend an Alcohol Stove Please!

[DanDweller]

Hi all, I wanted to get the Dometic Origo 1500 alcohol stove for my tiny Ford Transit Connect, but apparently none are available to be purchased.  Besides, after having just looked at tiny backpacking alcohol stoves, even the one-burner Origo 1500 is looking big and bulky for my amount of space.  I wonder if anyone uses backpacking alcohol stoves in their rig?  Just having glanced at a small one on Amazon, I see it goes between 10 and 25 minutes on one fill.  If I recall, the Origo goes up to 4.5 hours on one fill.  Perhaps there is something in between--not as big as the Origo but not so small that I have to refill it after 25 minutes?  Can someone recommend a good alcohol stove for me?  Not really much of a cooker myself, but morning coffee is essential, and having the ability to make my own meal every now and then is nice (usually eat out).

Thanks for any input!

 

[maki2]

I don't think there really is much of an in between size. Perhaps some direct from China but nothing from China is shipping in very quickly at present.  Also some of the vintage units from Sweden and Germany but none of the sellers of vintage seem to test them to see if they are functional.

But you can have fast, small, very easy to cook a meal for one as well as good safety features and stability without tipping over in the dual fuel Gas One Mini.
It is very portable and you can cook your meals on it. You can't use pans than 8-1/2" diameter on it It does come with its own plastic storage case. I really love this little stove. I have made a lot of coffee on it. It works best  to have a pot at least 5" across the bottom as that gives it good stability. You can go smaller but you would want to get a little stainless steel gas stove trivet to span over the gap between the pan support legs. Piezo lighter and when you turn it off it disconnects the gas bottle for you. Those are two very convenient features to have for safety and ease of use. I would truly for safety much rather have this little portable stove than a liquid alcohol stove.
https://gasone.com/products/gs-800p

 

[sneaks]

Not sure if this applies to you, alcohol stoves don't work too well in high elevations or cold weather without some preparation. Try to keep the fuel warm, having next to your body for 5-10 minutes can do the trick. Also, not all fuels are created equal. HEET works decent, isopropyl 99 even better, isopropyl 10 not so much . I live in northern Maine so this is something I think about when shopping for stuff like this, might not be an issue for you.

 

[highdesertranger]

also something to think about when using in an enclosed area. besides the invisible flame is the byproducts of combustion when burning cheap alcohol fuels. be careful. frankly I believe propane to be much safer.

also at the moment alcohol is a little hard to find and expensive.

highdesertranger

 

[Weight]

HDR, well said. I remember some were recommending automotive gasoline treatment that was some kind of industrial alcohol. The idiot next to me spilled a 'flaming shot' and the fire spread all down the bar. I would not use a alcohol stove. I stay at lower altitudes and keep my living space warm. Coleman Butane Camp Stove works great.

 

[Trebor English]

When there are burn bans it is common to allow stoves that have a fuel control valve.  My propane camp stove has the knob to turn to turn the flame down or all the way down to off. 

My soda can alcohol stove does not have such a fuel shut off valve. 

Even though it is a liquid fire, water is good to put out burning alcohol.  The alcohol doesn't float like a gasoline or oil in a fire.  When the burn ban allows stoves that can shut off, water doesn't count.  You have cold canned ravioli. 

My experience is in Florida but it wouldn't surprise me if other states have similar rules.

 

[B and C]

Burn bans seem to be a way of life. When in effect, nothing is allowed that cannot be turned off instantly.

 

[vanbrat]

We had a boat alcohol stove that we got with a boat once brought it into our house when power went out and tried to use it. It quickly set off all our fire alarms and smelled the place up. Not sure I would want to use one in a van. I guess the boat had better ventilation. We do carry an old REALLY old steno thing my son found when he cleaned out a car at a dealership once. If we need it it's there and folds down to almost nothing. But pretty sure it would not be acceptable in a burn ban.

 

[highdesertranger]

No Sterno is not approved for use during a burn ban.

as has already been stated, to be approved for use during a burn ban it must have a on/off valve. that is some kind of valve that you can immediately shut off. that is not a cap that smothers the flame, or an air duct that shuts off the air supply, that is not a near by fire extinguisher or a bucket full of water. IT MUST HAVE A ON/OFF VALVE period.

also during a severe burn ban even stoves with on/off valves can be banned outdoors.

many people do not realize this but in California you need a campfire permit for any type of out door burning all year no matter on the fire hazard status. this includes the use of camp stoves, BBQ's, propane grills, etc. the good news is that the permit is free.

highdesertranger

 

[DanDweller]

Thanks for all the input. The two reasons I was leaning toward alcohol are 1) I don't have space for a propane tank and 2) I don't want to be unable to find the fuel I need when traveling around Mexico and Central America. Denatured alcohol can be found at any hardware store in any country--not so for those butane canisters and propane. Hadn't even thought about burn bans--I'm talking about cooking on the inside of my well-ventilated van with a MaxxAir Fan.

The Gas One Mini looks nice, except for not being able to find canisters when traveling. I guess people modify those green propane canisters to be able to refill them? But then I don't recall finding propane on my last trip in LatinAmerica. It was always natural gas--honestly, I don't understand the difference, but compatible nozzles is another issue. And then I wonder how many hours of cooking time could I get with the Gas One Mini?

 

[highdesertranger]

please do not burn denatured alcohol in a confined space. if you are worried about fuel why not get a Coleman that runs off of unleaded? for that matter I wouldn't burn unleaded in a confined space either. highdesertranger

 

[VanFan]

Maki, that' a sweet looking little stove.  I like the dual fuel aspect.  No wonder it's sold out.  Couldn't agree more about the hazards of alcohol.

 

[maki2]

Not sure if this applies to you, alcohol stoves don't work too well in high elevations or cold weather without some preparation. Try to keep the fuel warm, having next to your body for 5-10 minutes can do the trick. Also, not all fuels are created equal. HEET works decent, isopropyl 99 even better, isopropyl 10 not so much . I live in northern Maine so this is something I think about when shopping for stuff like this, might not be an issue for you.

Denatured alcohol is the type recommended for use in alcohol cook stoves.

Isopropyl alcohol will burn however....
You don't want to use isopropyl alcohol for cook stoves as when burning it deposits a lot of black soot on the bottom of the pan. Soot add considerably to the difficulty of dish washing, especially since you can't carry all that much water when camping in a small vehicle.

I wanted to have a small alcohol backpacker stove on hand for emergency use so I did a lot of research on denatured vs isopropyl as a fuel source for stoves. The isopropyl produces a yellow sooty flame, the denatured burns clean, so clean that the flame is barely visible.

Of course with the present Covid 19 situation it can be difficult to find isopropyl as it is being used in hand sanitizers, for disinfecting, etc. But denatured alcohol is still easy to find in hardware stores.

 

[eDJ_]

When I was a kid in Boy Scouts (now "the Scouts),  I paid $3 bucks for this "Little Injun Scout" multi fuel burner.   They are now selling as antiques for around $100 bucks.  

I don't think they are available new any more but it wouldn't be that difficult to build one.

One piece that isn't shown in this photo looks like the lighting wick just above.  It has a piece of thin wire to clear the orifice at the top of the loop.  It is a very small hole  When the  wick is dipped in the fuel and lit it is held in the loop long enough to ignite the burner.   The tank has been charged with fuel prior to this and it's lid tightened.   The hollow tube to the left of the wick is placed over the burner loop to help it draw air and focus the heat.
These burn for a few minutes before they run out of fuel.  When the unit has cooled down the cork inserts into the loop to keep it sealed.

These are carried in a metal can with a screw on lid. 

I don't know if anyone makes anything like this today or not.   Safety issues were probably why these went out of production in their day. 


But the  TOMSHOO mini is about as close as I've seen.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/400...tove&msclkid=61fd95e9631d1804d8aecb1679457ab1TOMSHOO mini alcohol stove

 

[DanDweller]

Thanks all--I'll probably end up getting the one Maki recommended.

 

[doublegregg]

not to hijack, but one of the stoves i'm considering is a trangia - i actually own three. which would take of the comparatively short burn time for them. (i can switch one in for another). but wondering what is the problem with alcohol burning compared to propane in a confined space. they seem equally dangerous to me.... ? i can see the fire danger of a trangia stove -------- knock it over, and flames erupt, i assume.

 

[highdesertranger]

it depends what they put in the alcohol to make it poisonous. you are breathing those fumes in an enclosed space. some of the stuff is real nasty. be careful. highdesertranger

 

[doublegregg]

hdr, ty....................

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

Ethyl alcohol (C2H6O) that is sold as a solvent has additives that make it poisonous.  Common additives are acetone, methyl ethyl ketone, methyl isobutyl ketone; none of which I would want to breathe in.  Some use methanol so should be safe to burn in an enclosed space if that is the only additive (usually not).  Drinkable ethalol (Vodka, et.al.) is safe to burn but expensive.

Isopropyl alcohol (rubbing alcohol) contains (by volume) 8% acetone and 1.5% MEK.

Methyl alcohol (CH3OH) can be found pure and is as safe to burn as propane.

If you burn alcohol in an enclosed space you need to read labels carefully.

 

[Chiffed]

Thanks Spiff! I was wondering why isopropyl gave me raging headaches. Too long in the boatyard and I've become sensitized to acetone (and xylene, and and...). I'll have to dip into my 'Industrial ETOH' - 198 proof from my buddy's still. Also goes great with pineapple juice!