View Full Version : Using E85
Just a question if anyone out there has tried using E85 for fuel in either a gas stove or an alcohol stove. I know the btu's with E85 would be less than gas but higher than straight alcohol, not trying to get anyone blown up just curious, thanks.
Just a question if anyone out there has tried using E85 for fuel in either a gas stove or an alcohol stove. I know the btu's with E85 would be less than gas but higher than straight alcohol, not trying to get anyone blown up just curious, thanks.
i've tried regular gasoline in an alcohol stove, and it doesn't work.
as far as using E85 in something like my Simmerlite, i wouldn't try it. when i was in the military, there was a faction within the Safety community that thought burning gasoline in Yukon Stoves (a big tent heater) was dangerous. Diesel, a much less volitile fuel, was experimentally used for a couple years in my unit to test the theory. the outcome was that the number of stove-related accidents went up several-fold, and we got to use gasoline again. i got that tidbit from the warrent officer in charge of the unit safety program.
bottom line, gas stoves are designed to burn gas. alcohol stoves are designed to burn alcohol. invent a stove specifically for E85, maybe i'll look at it. but i'll leave the experiments to someone else. :D
Thats kind of what I'm looking for as to if someone has experimented with it.
mkmangold
12-17-2009, 00:44
Just a question if anyone out there has tried using E85 for fuel in either a gas stove or an alcohol stove. I know the btu's with E85 would be less than gas but higher than straight alcohol, not trying to get anyone blown up just curious, thanks.
I ran across this thread since I have the same question. The answer "gas stoves are designed to burn gas. alcohol stoves are designed to burn alcohol" could have applied to cars, too, in which case E85 would never have been invented.
Around here (Wisconsin, which has several ethanol plants) E85 is $2.29 a gallon compared to $15 for a 750ml bottle of Everclear! I'll experiment and let you know.
mkmangold
12-20-2009, 01:19
I tried E85 tonight in 25 degree weather (the fuel was also at that temperature). I was looking for 3 things: if it would ignite as opposed to explode; how long it takes to boil 2 cups of water; and the sootiness factor. Under cold but not very windy conditions, it did catch fire rapidly instead of exploding. It boiled 2 cups of water in a Fancee Feast stove in about 12 minutes which is similar to what I got with regular ethanol. However, it produced a lot of soot on the bottom and sides of my new Kmart grease pan. Much more than pure ethanol but still less than a Sierra Stove. This might be an ideal alcohol replacement in cold weather if you tolerate for the soot. Next I'm going to try it in a Coleman stove and if that works, in a Whisperlite.
mkmangold
12-20-2009, 23:15
It went very well with the Coleman stove. I boiled 2 cups of water in less than 2 1/2 minutes. If E85 works well with the Whisperlite, this may be an inexpensive all-purpose fuel. HEET, which is methanol, costs about $1.69 per 10 oz around here although price varies throughout the year. That comes to 17 cents per ounce. Everclear, which is pure ethanol is $15 per 750ml or 59 cents per ounce. E85 on the other hand, is now $2.55 per gallon or about 2 cents per ounce!
ARambler
12-21-2009, 01:21
It went very well with the Coleman stove. I boiled 2 cups of water in less than 2 1/2 minutes. If E85 works well with the Whisperlite, this may be an inexpensive all-purpose fuel. HEET, which is methanol, costs about $1.69 per 10 oz around here although price varies throughout the year. That comes to 17 cents per ounce. Everclear, which is pure ethanol is $15 per 750ml or 59 cents per ounce. E85 on the other hand, is now $2.55 per gallon or about 2 cents per ounce!
I would worry about E85 flairing up in a Coleman stove at high temperatures. Also, ethanol (E85) is not as bad as methanol, but I would be worried about the longterm life of the plunger in the pump. With some more testing, E85 sounds like at least a backup fuel.
Rambler