I'm new to the boat ('78 CD30), but so far my attempts to actually cook with what I assume to be the stock stove have been frustrating at best, disasterous at worst. Is it normal to spend a good fifteen minutes getting a manageable flame on one burner? Should one run out of tank pressure if using both burners in a mere twenty minutes? Is the stove prone to over-priming, flooding and flames everywhere? OR, is my stove malfunctioning due to mis- or dis-use? It's useless as is, and I'm wondering if I should put time and money into it, or rip it out and replace it with something more user-friendly...
Thanks for any help!
Pixel179@AOL.com
Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
Moderator: Jim Walsh
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Jon Larson
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
Geoff,
I'd be less than honest if I were to say that I haven't been lusting for a propane stove all these years. But, the original pressure alcohol stove has been working very well and I just have difficulty spending the money for a whole new system.
We did have our times of heart thumping excitement with this stove when I first got the boat. I quickly learned to keep a seperate small squeeze bottle of alcohol for CONTROLLED priming when I light the stove and never prime from the stove itself. I haven't had a flare up since. Also, when the priming flame is going, I put the pot on that flame, first, save some fuel for the heat, secondly I tend to think it helps hasten the heating of the burner. At any rate, I don't try to light the burner till the prime is nearly totally gone, attempting to light it before it is hot enough will just raise your excitement level for the meal and create a drain on other alcohol types that may be in your galley.
You may wish to check the gasket on the cap for your pressure tank for the stove. Mine finally dried out and wouldn't hold pressure a few years ago. I replaced it with a rubber garden hose gasket, fits snuggly but works fine.
Despite all that, I NEVER leave the stove alone. NEVER!
Good luck!
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
jon9@ix.netcom.com
I'd be less than honest if I were to say that I haven't been lusting for a propane stove all these years. But, the original pressure alcohol stove has been working very well and I just have difficulty spending the money for a whole new system.
We did have our times of heart thumping excitement with this stove when I first got the boat. I quickly learned to keep a seperate small squeeze bottle of alcohol for CONTROLLED priming when I light the stove and never prime from the stove itself. I haven't had a flare up since. Also, when the priming flame is going, I put the pot on that flame, first, save some fuel for the heat, secondly I tend to think it helps hasten the heating of the burner. At any rate, I don't try to light the burner till the prime is nearly totally gone, attempting to light it before it is hot enough will just raise your excitement level for the meal and create a drain on other alcohol types that may be in your galley.
You may wish to check the gasket on the cap for your pressure tank for the stove. Mine finally dried out and wouldn't hold pressure a few years ago. I replaced it with a rubber garden hose gasket, fits snuggly but works fine.
Despite all that, I NEVER leave the stove alone. NEVER!
Good luck!
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
Geoff Safron wrote: I'm new to the boat ('78 CD30), but so far my attempts to actually cook with what I assume to be the stock stove have been frustrating at best, disasterous at worst. Is it normal to spend a good fifteen minutes getting a manageable flame on one burner? Should one run out of tank pressure if using both burners in a mere twenty minutes? Is the stove prone to over-priming, flooding and flames everywhere? OR, is my stove malfunctioning due to mis- or dis-use? It's useless as is, and I'm wondering if I should put time and money into it, or rip it out and replace it with something more user-friendly...
Thanks for any help!
jon9@ix.netcom.com
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Sam Ulbing
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
Over the years we have had alcohol, kerosene and finally propane. I would highly recommend spending the money for propane. All others are frustrating. Propane will cook much more quickly also so you won't need 20 minutes to heat something!
n4uau@afn.org
n4uau@afn.org
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Neil Gordon
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
Origo makes a non-pressure alcohol stove that's a replacement for the flare-up kind. It's on my list for the spring.
Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
CD28 #167
103355.34@compuserve.com
Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
CD28 #167
103355.34@compuserve.com
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Brad Phinney
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
I have a non-pressure alcohol stove of the type Neil Gordon mentioned aboard my CD25. Mine is an Origo 1500 (the single burner version) and I'm happy with it. The burner is over a canister which is filled with a flame resistant synthetic wool-type material. It doesn't have nearly the heat output of propane but it is extremely simple to use, reliable, and easy to light. I know other boat owners who have them and they are happy too. More elaborate versions exist, including one I've seen (the Origo 6000) which has an oven. Besides slow cooking, the only other negative aspect that comes to mind is the lack of built in gimbals on the small versions. There is a setup available to hold pots on the stove but I haven't used the one that came with my boat and so I can't comment on it's effectiveness.
Brad Phinney
CD25 "Ghost"
phinneb@war.wyeth.com
Brad Phinney
CD25 "Ghost"
Neil Gordon wrote:
Origo makes a non-pressure alcohol stove that's a replacement for the flare-up kind. It's on my list for the spring.
Neil
s/v LIQUIDITY
CD28 #167
phinneb@war.wyeth.com
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Derek Hillen
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
I have a Hillerange pressurized alcohol stove on my CD 33 and agree with everything Jon said. The WHOLE TRICK is in the priming. He recommends using a separate bottle for priming - that is a great idea. This is a perfect way to control the amt of prime exactly.
My gasket on my tank had the same problem, alcohol tends to dry rubber out very fast.
I have occasionally experienced flare ups as well. NEVER take your eyes off the damn thing. I cleaned the points after getting the company to fax me diagrams of all the details; very useful.
Having said all that, I have been very happy with the performance of my stove. As I will be cruising soon I plan to rip the stove out and replace it with propane. Why? Alcohol is exceedingly hard to find outside of the US and when found it is as expensive as cognac.
Hope this helps.
PS. Anybody interested in a good alcohol stove?
My gasket on my tank had the same problem, alcohol tends to dry rubber out very fast.
I have occasionally experienced flare ups as well. NEVER take your eyes off the damn thing. I cleaned the points after getting the company to fax me diagrams of all the details; very useful.
Having said all that, I have been very happy with the performance of my stove. As I will be cruising soon I plan to rip the stove out and replace it with propane. Why? Alcohol is exceedingly hard to find outside of the US and when found it is as expensive as cognac.
Hope this helps.
PS. Anybody interested in a good alcohol stove?
Geoff Safron wrote: I'm new to the boat ('78 CD30), but so far my attempts to actually cook with what I assume to be the stock stove have been frustrating at best, disasterous at worst. Is it normal to spend a good fifteen minutes getting a manageable flame on one burner? Should one run out of tank pressure if using both burners in a mere twenty minutes? Is the stove prone to over-priming, flooding and flames everywhere? OR, is my stove malfunctioning due to mis- or dis-use? It's useless as is, and I'm wondering if I should put time and money into it, or rip it out and replace it with something more user-friendly...
Thanks for any help!
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Jon Larson
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
Derek,
I use a cleaned out old Aunt Jemima's maple syrup bottle with the sliding pull to open top on it for the priming alcohol. It works great.
Doesn't make the alcohol smell any sweeter, however.
Maybe I SHOULD use cognac?? Probably smell better than any food I could cook.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
jon9@ix.netcom.com
I use a cleaned out old Aunt Jemima's maple syrup bottle with the sliding pull to open top on it for the priming alcohol. It works great.
Doesn't make the alcohol smell any sweeter, however.
Maybe I SHOULD use cognac?? Probably smell better than any food I could cook.
Jon Larson
Cape Dory 30 PERI
San Francisco Bay
Derek Hillen wrote: I have a Hillerange pressurized alcohol stove on my CD 33 and agree with everything Jon said. The WHOLE TRICK is in the priming. He recommends using a separate bottle for priming - that is a great idea. This is a perfect way to control the amt of prime exactly.
My gasket on my tank had the same problem, alcohol tends to dry rubber out very fast.
I have occasionally experienced flare ups as well. NEVER take your eyes off the damn thing. I cleaned the points after getting the company to fax me diagrams of all the details; very useful.
Having said all that, I have been very happy with the performance of my stove. As I will be cruising soon I plan to rip the stove out and replace it with propane. Why? Alcohol is exceedingly hard to find outside of the US and when found it is as expensive as cognac.
Hope this helps.
PS. Anybody interested in a good alcohol stove?
Geoff Safron wrote: I'm new to the boat ('78 CD30), but so far my attempts to actually cook with what I assume to be the stock stove have been frustrating at best, disasterous at worst. Is it normal to spend a good fifteen minutes getting a manageable flame on one burner? Should one run out of tank pressure if using both burners in a mere twenty minutes? Is the stove prone to over-priming, flooding and flames everywhere? OR, is my stove malfunctioning due to mis- or dis-use? It's useless as is, and I'm wondering if I should put time and money into it, or rip it out and replace it with something more user-friendly...
Thanks for any help!
jon9@ix.netcom.com
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Ben Cavileer
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
Derek Hillen wrote: I have a Hillerange pressurized alcohol stove on my CD 33 and agree with everything Jon said. The WHOLE TRICK is in the priming. He recommends using a separate bottle for priming - that is a great idea. This is a perfect way to control the amt of prime exactly.
My gasket on my tank had the same problem, alcohol tends to dry rubber out very fast.
I have occasionally experienced flare ups as well. NEVER take your eyes off the damn thing. I cleaned the points after getting the company to fax me diagrams of all the details; very useful.
Having said all that, I have been very happy with the performance of my stove. As I will be cruising soon I plan to rip the stove out and replace it with propane. Why? Alcohol is exceedingly hard to find outside of the US and when found it is as expensive as cognac.
Hope this helps.
PS. Anybody interested in a good alcohol stove?
Geoff Safron wrote: I'm new to the boat ('78 CD30), but so far my attempts to actually cook with what I assume to be the stock stove have been frustrating at best, disasterous at worst. Is it normal to spend a good fifteen minutes getting a manageable flame on one burner? Should one run out of tank pressure if using both burners in a mere twenty minutes? Is the stove prone to over-priming, flooding and flames everywhere? OR, is my stove malfunctioning due to mis- or dis-use? It's useless as is, and I'm wondering if I should put time and money into it, or rip it out and replace it with something more user-friendly...
Thanks for any help!
Ben-Deb_benny@msn.com
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Bob Reardon
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
How safe is propane compared to alcohol?
Any precautions to take? Can explosive fumes
accumulate, etc...
bobr@sugar-land.wireline.slb.com
Any precautions to take? Can explosive fumes
accumulate, etc...
Ben Cavileer wrote: I have a Hillerange pressurized alcohol stove on my CD 33 and agree with everything Jon said. The WHOLE TRICK is in the priming. He recommends using a separate bottle for priming - that is a great idea. This is a perfect way to control the amt of prime exactly.Derek Hillen wrote: My gasket on my tank had the same problem, alcohol tends to dry rubber out very fast.
I have occasionally experienced flare ups as well. NEVER take your eyes off the damn thing. I cleaned the points after getting the company to fax me diagrams of all the details; very useful.
Having said all that, I have been very happy with the performance of my stove. As I will be cruising soon I plan to rip the stove out and replace it with propane. Why? Alcohol is exceedingly hard to find outside of the US and when found it is as expensive as cognac.
Hope this helps.
PS. Anybody interested in a good alcohol stove?
Geoff Safron wrote: I'm new to the boat ('78 CD30), but so far my attempts to actually cook with what I assume to be the stock stove have been frustrating at best, disasterous at worst. Is it normal to spend a good fifteen minutes getting a manageable flame on one burner? Should one run out of tank pressure if using both burners in a mere twenty minutes? Is the stove prone to over-priming, flooding and flames everywhere? OR, is my stove malfunctioning due to mis- or dis-use? It's useless as is, and I'm wondering if I should put time and money into it, or rip it out and replace it with something more user-friendly...
Thanks for any help!
bobr@sugar-land.wireline.slb.com
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Matt Cawthorne
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?...Be pati
I have a Seaward alcohol stove/oven aboard my CD-36 and find it a good unit provided certain steps are always followed. Your unit is probably different but some of the steps may help. As the other replys have stated the priming operation is everything and a separate bottle of alcohol is a good idea, that is what I use for my diesel fired heater.
1. Always put a pot of water on the stove as the very first operation. This keeps the flame height down and if things get out of hand you can spill the pot of water on the stove and dilute the alcohol to the point where it will not support a flame.
2. Don't overfill the tank. The available volume of air in the tank
is part of what keeps the pressure constant. When I have overfilled the tank it needs to be re-pressurized. If you pressurize the tank and don't use the stove and the pressure still drops off in an hour or two then you need a new gasket.
3. If your stove has a rubber hose between it and the tank (usually on gimballed models) and the hose is more than a few years old chek it for cracks. Ours had to be replaced last year and was dangerously cracked in an area where it was difficult to see.
4. On my stove the priming operation is achieved by opening the valve for 6 to 8 seconds and then SHUTTING IT OFF COMPLETELY. The prime is then lit and you wait about 4 minutes.... give or take. On this stove you can watch for the stove to flare up (never dangerous because the flames never get by the pot). Don't rush this part.
5. When I think that the stove is hot enough I open the valve, light it and then shut it off. If the flames coming out the edges of the burner don't go out immediatly I let the prime burn a while longer and try again. If the flames burn for a while after you turn off the knob it indicates that the burner is not hot enough to vaporize the liquid alcohol and if you keep adding fuel it will eventually vaporize with very tall flames.
6. If the prime flame has gone out and the stove still can not be made to burn steadily then you might try a little larger prime next time.
Don't forget to keep that pot of water available and make sure that your fire extinguishers have been serviced in the last 12 months (the chemical packs down in the bottom and even if they have a positive pressure indcation they might not shoot the chemical out)
Our stove can be burning smoothly in 4 or 5 minutes most of the time. The only time our boat has had a problem was when the knob was not shut off completely after the prime and we dumped way too much alcohol into the stove. Be patient. A little practice might save you a bunch of money. You will need that money for other broken things.
Propane would be nice, but you have to make a special locker that vents overboard, install an electrical solonoid with pilot, install a monitor and spend a lots of money on the stove. I did a transatlantic delivery a few years back and it was nice having propane, but sometimes one of the crew (could have been me) left the solonoid on after the stove was shut off. It was not dangerous as long as the hoses were in good shape, the stove was shut off and nothing was leaking. If you install propane install a monitor to check for unburned fuel collecting in low places.
CNG has the advantage that it is lighter than air. If you are staying in US waters most of the time it is available, and many of the experts say that it is safer than propane in that it will not sit in the bilge.
I always think of my brother-in-law's motto : Go gas! Go Boom!
Good luck and keep the fire extinguisher handy.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
1. Always put a pot of water on the stove as the very first operation. This keeps the flame height down and if things get out of hand you can spill the pot of water on the stove and dilute the alcohol to the point where it will not support a flame.
2. Don't overfill the tank. The available volume of air in the tank
is part of what keeps the pressure constant. When I have overfilled the tank it needs to be re-pressurized. If you pressurize the tank and don't use the stove and the pressure still drops off in an hour or two then you need a new gasket.
3. If your stove has a rubber hose between it and the tank (usually on gimballed models) and the hose is more than a few years old chek it for cracks. Ours had to be replaced last year and was dangerously cracked in an area where it was difficult to see.
4. On my stove the priming operation is achieved by opening the valve for 6 to 8 seconds and then SHUTTING IT OFF COMPLETELY. The prime is then lit and you wait about 4 minutes.... give or take. On this stove you can watch for the stove to flare up (never dangerous because the flames never get by the pot). Don't rush this part.
5. When I think that the stove is hot enough I open the valve, light it and then shut it off. If the flames coming out the edges of the burner don't go out immediatly I let the prime burn a while longer and try again. If the flames burn for a while after you turn off the knob it indicates that the burner is not hot enough to vaporize the liquid alcohol and if you keep adding fuel it will eventually vaporize with very tall flames.
6. If the prime flame has gone out and the stove still can not be made to burn steadily then you might try a little larger prime next time.
Don't forget to keep that pot of water available and make sure that your fire extinguishers have been serviced in the last 12 months (the chemical packs down in the bottom and even if they have a positive pressure indcation they might not shoot the chemical out)
Our stove can be burning smoothly in 4 or 5 minutes most of the time. The only time our boat has had a problem was when the knob was not shut off completely after the prime and we dumped way too much alcohol into the stove. Be patient. A little practice might save you a bunch of money. You will need that money for other broken things.
Propane would be nice, but you have to make a special locker that vents overboard, install an electrical solonoid with pilot, install a monitor and spend a lots of money on the stove. I did a transatlantic delivery a few years back and it was nice having propane, but sometimes one of the crew (could have been me) left the solonoid on after the stove was shut off. It was not dangerous as long as the hoses were in good shape, the stove was shut off and nothing was leaking. If you install propane install a monitor to check for unburned fuel collecting in low places.
CNG has the advantage that it is lighter than air. If you are staying in US waters most of the time it is available, and many of the experts say that it is safer than propane in that it will not sit in the bilge.
I always think of my brother-in-law's motto : Go gas! Go Boom!
Good luck and keep the fire extinguisher handy.
Matt
mcawthor@bellatlantic.net
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Russ Campbell
Re: Pressurized Alcohol Stove: Pitch it Overboard?
I had some trouble with my stove until I learned how to use it. First of all use fresh alcohol. Alcohol absorbs water from the air and if you leave it in the stove over the winter it will be hard to work in the spring. My system that I use now is to pump it about 50 times then open the valve and fill the cup under the burner. Shut the valve off and then light the alcohol. Let it burn until it goes out then open the valve and light the burner. Let the burner go on low for about 5 minutes ( you can start cooking ) then turn it up.Bob Reardon wrote: How safe is propane compared to alcohol?
Any precautions to take? Can explosive fumes
accumulate, etc...
Ben Cavileer wrote: I have a Hillerange pressurized alcohol stove on my CD 33 and agree with everything Jon said. The WHOLE TRICK is in the priming. He recommends using a separate bottle for priming - that is a great idea. This is a perfect way to control the amt of prime exactly.Derek Hillen wrote: My gasket on my tank had the same problem, alcohol tends to dry rubber out very fast.
I have occasionally experienced flare ups as well. NEVER take your eyes off the damn thing. I cleaned the points after getting the company to fax me diagrams of all the details; very useful.
Having said all that, I have been very happy with the performance of my stove. As I will be cruising soon I plan to rip the stove out and replace it with propane. Why? Alcohol is exceedingly hard to find outside of the US and when found it is as expensive as cognac.
Hope this helps.
PS. Anybody interested in a good alcohol stove?
Ben Cavileer wrote:Derek Hillen wrote:
Never ever leave the stove when it is running. If you are still having problems you may need to clean or replace worn out parts. I lived on my boat last summer and used my old Kenyon stove everyday with no problems whatso ever.
I kind of like alcohol because you can put out the fire with water of which you have plenty of. Though it always a problem of one more flammable liquid to carry onboard. Hope this helps
Russ
camroll@together.net