Alcohol stoves

[ericrobo]

Just received a Minibull stove from US (before I saw what's offered here...)

I'm using meths which I assume is fine to use (in US they call it denatured alcohol)

Questions:
1) if you find it's used all the meths before your meal is ready, is it safe to wait a few minutes, then fill up with more meths and continue...

OR is the heat of the stove dangerous to the addition of meths

2) if you have cooked your meal and there is still fuel in the stove...

if you extinguish the stove, can you re-use (or pour back into your bottle) the remaining meths (after say an hour or so to make sure there is no heat in the fuel)

3) what is the best way to extinguish the stove ?
trying to blow it out... is a bit difficult

can you douse it with water OR will it mix with the water rendering it useless for later ?

Any experts out there ?

Also does the stove on this site (with the re-fuelling pipe on it) work well ?

Cheers

Eric

[Bearbonesnorm]

1) if you find it's used all the meths before your meal is ready, is it safe to wait a few minutes, then fill up with more meths and continue...

You should be able to top it up pretty much straight away, just as long as there's no flame.

2) if you have cooked your meal and there is still fuel in the stove...

if you extinguish the stove, can you re-use (or pour back into your bottle) the remaining meths (after say an hour or so to make sure there is no heat in the fuel)

If you can get it out there's no reason why you can't re-use it. In reality you'll soon learn to judge how much fuel's required to boil a certain amount of water, so there shouldn't be any fuel left.

3) what is the best way to extinguish the stove ?
trying to blow it out... is a bit difficult

can you douse it with water OR will it mix with the water rendering it useless for later ?

Leave it to burn out ... as above, judge the amount of fuel in the stove and it shouldn't be an issue. Don't go pouring water on it

[TheBrownDog]

Hi.

Wait a minute or two b4 refilling the stove if your meal hasn't cooked or water hasn't boiled. Meth stoves can get real hot and that heat can ignite the vapours from newly introduced fuel. Very little risk and I've done it myself but not really best practie.

You can reuse the fuel once the stove has cooled but it's such a faff to pour it back into your bottle I don't bother and just let it burn out. There's never more than a drop left anyway. And no, don't pour water on it. Again, best to let it burn out IMHO.

Hope that helps.

[99percentchimp]

Ericrobo wrote:
3) what is the best way to extinguish the stove ?

Make yourself a 'snuffer' - some sort of close fitting lid that you can drop on to remove the oxygen from the combustion - allow to cool and re-use the unburnt fuel!
HTH.

[adjustablewench]

The only time I've had problems with fuel lighting when poured in a hot burner is during really hot weather. When so the fuel is so warm it is giving off lots of vapour.

When its like that it can be a bugger to put out or to stifle slightly with a simmer ring. Guess we forget this when we spend most of the time pursuading the things to light on cold days

But I'd be happy to live with all the above just for a spot of really hot weather! Oh to be more worried about dehydration on a ride rather than frostbite or drowning ..

[Anthony]

Any experts out there ?

Also does the stove on this site (with the re-fuelling pipe on it) work well ?

Seeing as Stuart is too modest, yes and yes.