View Full Version : My new alcohol stove
Just finished my first alky stove from pepsi cans. It is sort of like the Penny stove and has a great flame pattern. But I'm not sure of the performance. It boils 2 cups of water in 5 minutes, and the flame from 1 oz of HEET lasted for 7 minutes. Starting water temp was about 60 F.
My question is...how does the boil time amd fire time compare to other alky stoves?
BTW, I made up the design, but there is no pride of authorship here. How did I do??:confused:
Skidsteer
01-18-2006, 21:02
Just finished my first alky stove from pepsi cans. It is sort of like the Penny stove and has a great flame pattern. But I'm not sure of the performance. It boils 2 cups of water in 5 minutes, and the flame from 1 oz of HEET lasted for 7 minutes. Starting water temp was about 60 F.
My question is...how does the boil time amd fire time compare to other alky stoves?
BTW, I made up the design, but there is no pride of authorship here. How did I do??:confused:
That's not too bad, I'd say. Certainly effecient enough that you could lug enough fuel for a week's hike, no problem.
When I build a new stove, I usually hope to get a boil from 1/2 oz. of alcohol ON THE BENCH. Generally speaking this usually means it will still boil water in most adverse conditions using up to 1 oz. Of course I test it in nasty conditions before I actually carry it on a trip.
I don't care much about how long it takes to boil the water; as long as it is within reason.
At a rough guess, your stove sounds like it might boil your 2 cups on as little as 2/3 oz. and that is really pretty good! You might be able to improve on that by playing with pot size, stand, windscreen, etc. Good luck!
The HotDog
01-19-2006, 12:41
When y'all say boil are we talking about a rolling boil or just a few small bubbles floating up. I have always wondered about this subject cause none of my stove do a rolling boil:confused:.
When y'all say boil are we talking about a rolling boil or just a few small bubbles floating up. I have always wondered about this subject cause none of my stove do a rolling boil:confused:.
Don't know about everybody, but to me boil means a rolling boil. I make my own alky stoves, burn the denatured that is sold in paint stores. What kind of stoveyou got? What for fuel? Do you use a windscreen? Windscreen is important even when there is no wind. It helps keep the heat concentrated on the pot.
Just finished my first alky stove from pepsi cans. It is sort of like the Penny stove and has a great flame pattern. But I'm not sure of the performance. It boils 2 cups of water in 5 minutes, and the flame from 1 oz of HEET lasted for 7 minutes. Starting water temp was about 60 F.
My question is...how does the boil time amd fire time compare to other alky stoves?
BTW, I made up the design, but there is no pride of authorship here. How did I do??:confused:
sounds about right. they all burn a little diffferently. you can have bubbles for a few minutes before a real boil, so when i'm testing a new stove, i'm looking for a rolling boil, not bubbles...
My reference is to a rolling boil -- lots of big bubbles. The formation of little bubbles (say 1/16 inch) on the bottom started at least a minute before the rising bubbles, and then maybe 30 sec more to be rolling.
Alligator
01-19-2006, 14:53
The bubbles you first see are gases being released from solution and do not necessarily indicate that the water is at 212F. These bubbles form before the boiling point temperature plateau is reached.
Ramblin' Rose
01-19-2006, 17:10
I've never timed my alky stove - as Skidsteer mentioned "as long as it is with reason" I'm usually so busy with preparing for dinner, etc. that its already at a rolling boil before I'm ready to cook.
The bubbles you first see are gases being released from solution and do not necessarily indicate that the water is at 212F. These bubbles form before the boiling point temperature plateau is reached.
So true. Then there is that mysterious thing called "latent heat", meaning "hidden heat". I remember this from my physics classes. Using an accurate thermometer in the water will show something that may seem strange. The water will reach 212 then sit there a little while. It will not boil. But it continues to absorb heat. After a few seconds, or a few minutes, depending on the amount of water and the heat source, and with no more rise in temperature, the water will boil. Try it. You may be impressed.
Skidsteer
01-19-2006, 17:58
So true. Then there is that mysterious thing called "latent heat", meaning "hidden heat". I remember this from my physics classes. Using an accurate thermometer in the water will show something that may seem strange. The water will reach 212 then sit there a little while. It will not boil. But it continues to absorb heat. After a few seconds, or a few minutes, depending on the amount of water and the heat source, and with no more rise in temperature, the water will boil. Try it. You may be impressed.
My stepdaughter( a chemistry student working on her Master's at Purdue )says if you disturb the water a bit at the onset of "latent heat", it will cause it to boil almost immediately. I haven't tried it-don't want to spill hot water over everything!
Hotdog, when I say boil I mean rolling boil.