[at-l] Alcohol Stove Q's

[sloetoe@yahoo.com (Sloetoe)]

> From: Linda Patton <lpatton@mailer.fsu.edu>
> Date: Tue, 2 Jul 2002 11:40:08 -0400 (EDT)
> 
> I'm contemplating switching from a Whisperlite to an alcohol
> stove.  But I just thought of a possible problem.  With the
Whisperlite, I could put it outside the vestibule to light it,
then drag it back under the vestibule by pulling on the gas
bottle.  So how do I do that with an alcohol stove?
> Or are they safe to light while *under* the vestibule?  Maybe
> the flame doesn't shoot up when you light an alcohol stove
like it does with the Whisperlite?  That would be tres cool.
### You're on the right track:
a) alcohol stoves don't flare much above 5-6"
b) alcohol stoves flare for a brief instant, at ignition. (It's
just not that volatile a fuel compared to gasoline -- you have
to work to make it flare -- jostle it a bit when it's warming up
to splash more fuel on the burner edges to speed warmup and
you'll see.)
c) you can move an alcohol stove easily when it's lit, as long
as you don't spill it. If the table is smooth, no problem. If
you're cooking under a vestibule, and you think you might want
to move the stove, look for smooth ground (12" worth?) or put
the stove on a rock (where perhaps it should be anyway) and move
the rock. If the ground is smooth enough, move it with your
spoon.

If you jostle it sufficiently, liquid fuel will spill and light,
so be aware of that: you may not see the flames. Practice. And
make sure the stove is not too close to anything that would melt
if splashed with liquid/ignited fuel. (These baby's are way less
intense than a gasoline stove to operate, and can lull you into
unsafeness.) If you tip that baby over, you have to refuel and
reheat again.

2nd question: How long does it take for an alcohol stove to cool
to the touch?...about as long as the W-lite?
### 1 minute till you can handle it, 2 minutes till cool. The
commercial stoves' heavier gauge metal will take longer.

### I wouldn't hesitate to cook under a vestibule (with
sufficient clearance above) with an alcohol stove; I'd be more
cautious with a gasoline stove. They're intense.

### I'd be MUCH more nervous about cooking INSIDE a tent with an
alcohol stove than with a gasoline stove. Tip a burning gasoline
stove over (inside a tent) and you have a mess and maybe a
couple of singe holes in the floor and a burned finger or two.
Tip an alcohol stove over inside a tent and you have a big,
burning, melting problem that you can't even see. Some may
remember Colin Fletcher (wisely) recommending an ensolite
footprint for using stoves in tents. He was writing of the Svea
can and the Optimus box (both gasoline stoves). With an alcohol
stove, I'd use a fireproof circle (a'la Photon's design) and big
freakin' TRAY of sacrificial foam that I could flick out the
door of the tent in case of untoward ignition.

Hope this helps.
Sloetoe

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