View Full Version : Alternative Fuel - HEAT
Hi all,
My hiking partner recommended that I purchase a bottle of stuff called Heat. I'm not really sure what it is but it comes in a yellow plastic bottle and he said you can find it at an auto shop. Anyone heard of this/knows what it is?
Thanks!
Hi all,
My hiking partner recommended that I purchase a bottle of stuff called Heat. I'm not really sure what it is but it comes in a yellow plastic bottle and he said you can find it at an auto shop. Anyone heard of this/knows what it is?
Thanks!
Yellow Heet is essentially denatured alcohol. It works great.
Yellow Heet is essentially denatured alcohol. It works great.
thanks nufsaid!
pdcollins6092
06-13-2011, 22:22
You can get it at places like Wal-Mart and most convenient stores as well. It is an additave for gas to help get water out of it.
JaxHiker
06-13-2011, 23:42
I'll have to give Heet a try again. It didn't impress me the last time I tried it. Ran out of fuel and the water was only warm. Same amount of alcohol worked fine.
Yellow Heet is essentially denatured alcohol. It works great.
It's methanol. It doesn't need to be denatured because it'll mess you up without added ingredients.
Rocket Jones
06-14-2011, 10:10
Just make sure you get the yellow bottle, not the red. The red bottle is a different animal and doesn't work.
With luck, you'll find the yellow bottle with a screw top. If not, you'll need to have another bottle to store the Heet in after you open the original container. I use a small green pop bottle that is unlike any other bottle I carry.
atraildreamer
06-14-2011, 11:29
See pictures below:
Yellow bottle...good to use...
Red bottle...not so good to use...
Denatured alcohol...good to use...usually comes in a metal container...
Other types of dry gas...check the labels for methanol content. :)
Just make sure you get the yellow bottle, not the red. The red bottle is a different animal and doesn't work.
The red bottle is isopropanol. In fact, it puts out more cooking heat than the stuff in the yellow bottle, but it is sooty whereas methanol burns cleanly. If it wasn't for the soot, I'd only use isopropanol.
Walkintom
06-15-2011, 13:34
I tried the iso stuff one time just to see. It does leave quite a mess. Definitely don't use the red bottle.
It's methanol. It doesn't need to be denatured because it'll mess you up without added ingredients.
You are correct. I should have said that in my experience it works as well as denatured alcohol in my alcohol stove.
4eyedbuzzard
06-15-2011, 14:33
Denatured alcohol is typically 90% ethanol mixed with 10% methanol (the poisonous denaturing agent that makes it unsuitable for drinking). Ethanol is the good alcohol you drink to have a good time. Methanol is poisonous in all but the very small amounts that occur naturally in fruits and juices. The antidote for methanol poisoning is lots of ethanol (get the victim drunk) as it will prevent the body from oxidizing the methanol into formaldehyde and formic acid which causes blindness.
Ethanol has a heating value of 12,800 btu/lb, density is .789 g/cc
Methanol has a heating value 9,800 btu/lb, density is .791g/cc
As they have close to the same density, equal volumes will be very close in mass. Denatured alcohol should give you a fair bit more heat than methanol/yellow heat.
The Old Boot
06-15-2011, 14:49
Denatured alcohol is typically 90% ethanol mixed with 10% methanol (the poisonous denaturing agent that makes it unsuitable for drinking). Ethanol is the good alcohol you drink to have a good time. Methanol is poisonous in all but the very small amounts that occur naturally in fruits and juices. The antidote for methanol poisoning is lots of ethanol (get the victim drunk) as it will prevent the body from oxidizing the methanol into formaldehyde and formic acid which causes blindness.
Ethanol has a heating value of 12,800 btu/lb, density is .789 g/cc
Methanol has a heating value 9,800 btu/lb, density is .791g/cc
As they have close to the same density, equal volumes will be very close in mass. Denatured alcohol should give you a fair bit more heat than methanol/yellow heat.
Thank you for a straightforward explanation and the btu values!
How do the other types of alcohol fuels compare...for example the gelled fuel - it's advertised as burning longer than methanol but is it hotter (more BTU's)?
Which one of the widely available fuels has the most BTU's per lb or is density the bigger factor?
k2basecamp
06-16-2011, 10:24
Is straight methanol - great for making biodiesel.
Been known to eat rubber though.
I have an XK MSR stove and it will burn anything - even biodiesel.
atraildreamer
06-16-2011, 10:57
How do the other types of alcohol fuels compare...for example the gelled fuel - it's advertised as burning longer than methanol but is it hotter (more BTU's)?
I had contacted a manufacturer of gelled fuels (AKA: Sterno, chafing dish fuel, etc.) They told me it was gelled methanol, but would not reveal the BTU content of the fuel saying that it was "proprietary".