[at-l] Esbit

[ronm@fallingwater.com (Ronald Moak)]

Merlin asks > So, my question is, how much water is it practical to heat on
a Esbit
stove?  In cold weather?  Warm? <<

Merlin,

If you've a real fondness for lots of hot water, Esbit is not the best
choice. Over numerous experiments, I've yet to get a quart of water boiling
even under the best conditions. It will handle a pint just fine but at $.50
per tablet, it could get pretty expensive trying to boil lots of water.

Alcohol, while significantly cheaper than Esbit, also suffers when trying to
boil a large quantity of water at the same time. At a few pennies per
boiling, you can  boil a number of pints ok. As with the Esbit, it does have
a time penalty. You can generally figure between 5 to 7 minutes to boil a
pint of water depending upon the starting temperature of the water.

Gas and propane stoves are still the best option for heating lots of water
quickly. When they breakdown they do make good paper weights.


Ron
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Ron "Fallingwater" Moak 
www.fallingwater.com/pct2000