Stove Set Up Feedback

[chall]

I actually ended up making a cat stove this weekend and did two tests:

Test 1: Used 1oz. of denatured alcohol. Used windscreen (modified from a Whisperlite windscreen), no pot stand. It was pretty windy in my yard, but I went ahead with it anyway. Primed for 30ish seconds. At about the 5:45ish minute mark, a burned up all the alcohol before it reached a boil.

Test 2: Same set up, except I filled the stove with more alcohol. I didn't measure it but it was close to coming to the bottom row of holes. I also, moved the windscreen in a little closer around the stove/pot (GSI Haulite Minimalist). This time, I got a gentle boil at about the 6:20ish minute mark. If I recall correctly, it burned for close to a minute after reaching the gentle boil.

I think for the next time, I want to try using less holes on the stove. I did the two rows of 15 holes, bottom holes offset. I want to see what results I have with doing 7 or 8 holes on the bottom row. Also going to have some kind of heat reflector under the cat stove - probably taking the one included with the Whisperlite. I may also try to make a different windscreen.

The pot size didn't really seem to be too much of an issue. There were flames up the sides of the pot, but it was never anything major for either test.

Any suggestions on getting a boil with using a little less fuel? If I had to guess, I'd say the successful test used 1.5-2oz of alcohol.

[Kc Fiedler]

I'd suggest finding a stove set up that does not require priming. That will same some wasted fuel.

[Odd Man Out]

I'm using a Starlyte with an Olicamp XLT and Al flashing wind screen. Can I assume you are heating 2 cups of water? That's a pretty important parameter. For my system under ideal conditions (in my kitchen) I got 2 cups of water to nearly a boil (208 deg) using 1/2 oz (15 mL) methanol in 7 minutes. If I filled the stove with fuel (45 mL), then under the same conditions, I could boil 2 cups in just under 5 minutes. Can't say how much fuel that took. I'd have to weigh the stove before and after the test to calculate that - been meaning to do that test. May also try an outdoor test.

[kayak karl]

If you are planning to use an al, cool your water to 33 degrees before measuring your boil time and while you're at it, do your test in a cooler. There is somebody in your area that works some where with a cooler for you to use.

i agree with the cold water and if you can't find a cooler at least do it outside with wind.

[MuddyWaters]

If you are planning to use an al, cool your water to 33 degrees before measuring your boil time and while you're at it, do your test in a cooler. There is somebody in your area that works some where with a cooler for you to use.

Alcohol seems to work fine for Iditarod racers, and they boil gallons of water.

[Odd Man Out]

Alcohol seems to work fine for Iditarod racers, and they boil gallons of water.

I didn't know they used Alcohol stoves. But Alcohol stoves work great in cold temps. But heating water from 0 deg C to 100 deg C will always take 25% more fuel than heating it from 20 deg C to 100 deg C, no matter what kind of fuel you use.

[Kc Fiedler]

Someone remind me what the rationale is behind the 33 degree water and a cooler? Last time I checked the water on the AT didn't come out of an ice pitcher during the summer.

[SunnyWalker]

Kc: If you have not seen this you would probably find it very good setup:http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/caldera-cone-system

[Sierra2015]

Kc: If you have not seen this you would probably find it very good setup:http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/caldera-cone-system

I'm so ignorant I don't even really understand what they're selling.

It's a fancy windscreen, right?

[lonehiker]

I'm so ignorant I don't even really understand what they're selling.

It's a fancy windscreen, right?

Looks like everything you need except the pot.

[lonehiker]

Kc: If you have not seen this you would probably find it very good setup:http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/caldera-cone-system

Appears to be a good system. Only drawback for me is that my current system fits within my pot so takes up less volume than the Caldera Cone System.

[Kc Fiedler]

Kc: If you have not seen this you would probably find it very good setup:http://www.traildesigns.com/stoves/caldera-cone-system

I've considered it but as someone mentioned, it's more bulky than my current system so that's a pretty large drawback. My suspicion is that it probably wouldn't increase efficiency a whole lot from what I've got but I do like the Caldera Cone. Maybe some day I'll try that system.

[chall]

Can I assume you are heating 2 cups of water? That's a pretty important parameter.

Forgot to mention that part. I was actually boiling 1.5 cups of water. I think I just need to putz around with it more. I'm going to make another one with less bottom row holes to see if that helps. I'm also going to try an indoor test.

I've also read that some people will actually hover the stove over the flame while it's priming in order to warm the metal of the cup up rather than putting it on the flame cold. That could help, too.

[Tom Murphy]

Svea 123r !

[Odd Man Out]

Forgot to mention that part. I was actually boiling 1.5 cups of water. I think I just need to putz around with it more. I'm going to make another one with less bottom row holes to see if that helps. I'm also going to try an indoor test. ...

For fun I made lunch with my system today (I'm on "spring" break - play time for professors, ha ha). I took a box of Zaterains Black Bean and Rice mix. Put the mix into a mixing bowl and added 2/3 cup of Basmati rice. Then I divided evenly into two zip lock baggies. I did this because one box of Zaterains makes more than I would want and a half a box is not enough. Adding 2/3 cup of rice give the right amount of mix to cook with 2 cups of water. I use Basmati rice because it cooks fast and tastes great. I also added 1 Tbsp of bacon bits and 1 Tbsp of olive oil. Add to pot with 2 cups tap water. It came to a rolling boil in about 7 minutes. I blew out the stove and put the pot in the Cozy (DIY using the Antigravity Gear kit). Let set for 15 minutes. Eat. Came out nice. Not cooked quite as much as on the stove top, but who cares when camping. 800 cal, grams of fat/carb/protein=25/126/121, 1470 mg sodium.

[Odd Man Out]

...I've also read that some people will actually hover the stove over the flame while it's priming in order to warm the metal of the cup up rather than putting it on the flame cold. That could help, too.

Did you see this link?

http://www.whiteblaze.net/forum/show...=1#post1849634

I post some pics of my simmer cat (super cat with one row of holes). But when you use it with a pot stand, you can put your pot on the stove without the need for priming. It burns slowly until it heats the stove, but it doesn't go out. You get more power than a simmer cat so you get fast boil times, but the flames are not so big as a super cat so you get good efficiency too. Also, for Al stoves to work, the heat from the stove has to boil the alcohol to vaporize it. This is what happens during priming. If you put a pot of cold water on a stove, it acts as a big heat sink and cools the stove down. This is why a stove that seems to have primed can be extinguished when you put the pot on it. Using a pot stand holds to pot above the stove so there is not heat sink effect and you get better and more consistent heat feedback to the fuel in the stove. Two other advantages of using a pot stand with a simmer cat - with one row of holes you get a much larger fuel capacity. Also the pot is less tippy if you are a clutz like me.

[zelph]

"Shug" has tried many and has zeroed in on one as his Go-To Stove:

.

[88BlueGT]

I'd like to see what set ups everyone is using and what kind of success they're finding with alcohol stoves out there right now.

Right now I'm using a Starlyte alcohol stove with a slightly modified windscreen (to allow my snow peak trek 700 handles to fit).

Carry weight is 4.95 oz for the stove, windscreen, pot lid (aluminum foil), and pot.

At 7,500 feet elevation I'm getting boil times @ 6:40 on 16 fl oz of water with 25mL (.84 oz) fuel and total burn time around 7:30. I don't have an accurate thermometer on hand so I just used my cold tap water as a baseline, sorry for that uncontrolled factor. If I had to guess I'd venture to say it's about 45 - 50 degrees out of the tap.

Does anyone have suggestions for lightening this set up or alternative stove set ups that seem to be more efficient? Just looking for some input before I commit my current setup to the packing list for the summer.

Where is this windscreen from?

[zelph]

Where is this windscreen from?

The screen isa an EZ-Fold windscreen made by zelphs-stoveworks. They are furniushed with the purchase of the GOTO stove. I no longer make them due to non availability of the material in roll form. The 6" that remains is earmarked for the goto stove.