Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Live and learn - Alcohol stoves....

During the delivery I had a chance to use the Origo 6000 "non-pressurized" alcohol stove. I had always accepted the general view that these were a bad idea on a number of levels. Well I must say I was impressed.



Not saying I am going that route, but.......

6 comments:

Jerr Dunlap said...

Alcohol!?!?! Eek! Run away! Run away! Here are my reasons for not having an alcohol stove:
1) The pressured alcohol WILL leak at some point.
2) Flames are invisible, so firefighting is dangerous and uncertain, at best.
3) Wood alcohol fumes are highly toxic.
4) Alcohol burns at a low temperature, making all cooking much longer and many tasks very, very difficult.
5) Why oh why would anyone want to add yet another highly flammable liquid on board? Keep it simple: If you have propane, use it for stove, heater and BBQ. ibid, diesel, though I've yet to see a diesel BBQ.
6) Alcohol pumps and seals are notorious for their high maintenance.

For those who have never had to use alcohol, particularly at sea, count your blessings. It's a dangerous, wimpy fuel and the inherent leakiness of fittings makes puddles that catch on fire and then slosh about invisibly,catching clothes, wood and you name it on fire without your being able to tell what's ablaze apart from feeling the flames! The fumes are highly toxic. The two selling points are that they're cheap and the regular fires can be put out with water... Is that second selling point really a big red flag?

On a related note, I'm a big fan of Princess stoves - They're a wonderful family owned and operated company (Seaward Products www.seawardproducts.com ) and have some terrific innovations, as well as quality that's unmatched and competitive prices. They make stoves, instrument panels, water heaters and useful odds & ends.

The Incredible Hull said...

OKKKKK Jerr...

Calm down, LOL... the stove I used was the NON pressurized type AND all the other points you made are absolutely valid. My point was that in this business I am always happy to have some of my preconceived ideas pleasantly undermined. The Origo 6000 is worth a look after all other options have been exhausted. After all the Uuropeans use them a lot. I totally agree with Seaward princess products, bought one for my last boat and will probably do so again.

Jerr Dunlap said...

LOL! Sorry to have come off a bit loud, there. It hit a memory of a (Understandably hysterical) girlfriend's arm on fire, along with parts of the galley and curtains, at sea, without autopilot, discovering the burning things with my hands and throwing buckets of water everywhere. *Shudder!* Oh, and there's the overpressurizing stove flooding alcohol, which overpressurizes further... incidents. So, yes, staying away from pressure's a good thing and at least you can't have a coal bunker explosion that way. I'm writing the script for my fourth DVD (shooting the second now, on docking & line handling), on flammable and dust hazards onboard, so I'm further sensitized. Anyway, my friend, I'm sure you'll get a great stove. You're finishing a wonderful boat and there's nothing like that kind of pride.

Jerr Dunlap said...

Have you uncovered the secret clue for the Quest To Discover Why Europeans Eat With Upside-Down Forks? Could it be but one in a chain of secret signs, like using wood alcohol to cook with and mixing the order of desert and salad with a meal? What does it all mean?

Ocean Dove said...

I would go hungry before I would burn a oz. of Bushmills to cook!
Go with Propane. Look at the Force 10 stove/oven it drops right in. The "galley slave" loves it and so does the Admiral.

Cheers
Ocean Dove

Unknown said...

The benifit of princess is Tha the fuel evaporates whereas propane will settle in bilge if it leaks and when it finds ignitit ion source boooom