TahoeJeff wrote:I guess my final hurdle is fuel consumption. I use hardware store denatured alcochol and haven't quite got my boil times down vs. how much fuel to use. To be on the safe side I figure about an ounce to boil 2 cups of water for most conditions. The water boils before the fuel is gone and the fire burns another minute or two. Is it best to err on the side of caution and just bring more fuel than is really needed?
I usually try to adjust my fuel so that my burn time lasts just long enough to bring 2 cups to a boil. I bring a sierra cup on my trips. If my stove is still burning much past the point where the water boils, I'll use the sierra cup as a snuffer and use an eye dropper to reclaim the unused alcohol.
FYI, if you are still using an alcohol stove, denatured alcohol can no longer be purchased in the state of California. Not a drop to be had anywhere. I did finally order some from Amazon but that will probably not be possible in the near future as well. Why the ban? Air quality.
freestone wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 8:55 am
FYI, if you are still using an alcohol stove, denatured alcohol can no longer be purchased in the state of California. Not a drop to be had anywhere. I did finally order some from Amazon but that will probably not be possible in the near future as well. Why the ban? Air quality.
Gonna have to restart my moonshine business...
"Adventure is just bad planning." - Roald Amundsen
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freestone wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 8:55 am
FYI, if you are still using an alcohol stove, denatured alcohol can no longer be purchased in the state of California. Not a drop to be had anywhere. I did finally order some from Amazon but that will probably not be possible in the near future as well. Why the ban? Air quality.
Oh, say it isn't so.
How does the State of California expect us to use our stove hardware if we can't buy fuel? Does the State of California expect that we are trying to burn twenty gallons per day of the stuff?
Well, let's see. I suppose that I could shop out of state for it. I suppose that I could purchase high proof drinking alcohol, even though it is expensive.
Any other alternatives?
I have one DIY alcohol stove that weighs 2 grams. It is so tiny that it takes two burns to boil a cup of water.
freestone wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 8:55 am
FYI, if you are still using an alcohol stove, denatured alcohol can no longer be purchased in the state of California. Not a drop to be had anywhere. I did finally order some from Amazon but that will probably not be possible in the near future as well. Why the ban? Air quality.
Oh, say it isn't so.
How does the State of California expect us to use our stove hardware if we can't buy fuel? Does the State of California expect that we are trying to burn twenty gallons per day of the stuff?
Well, let's see. I suppose that I could shop out of state for it. I suppose that I could purchase high proof drinking alcohol, even though it is expensive.
Any other alternatives?
I have one DIY alcohol stove that weighs 2 grams. It is so tiny that it takes two burns to boil a cup of water.
Yeah, prohibition sucks! I think Yellow HEET is still available at Automotive stores but its just not the same. Gone are the days of the easy and plentiful. I just didn't use it for stoves either, when diluted 50-50 with water it was also a great glass cleaner as well.
REI claims to carry "Crown Fuel Alcohol Stove Fuel " at their California stores $7.95 per quart. In an answer to this question they said:
"REIservice · 3 months ago
This alcohol stove fuel is technically denatured alcohol, though it contains a majority of methanol. The safety data sheet shows the breakdown as the following:65-75% methanol 20-30% ethanol 0-5% isopropyl alcohol 0-1% methyl isobutyl ketone Trace components
As of September 2019, we do not have plans to discontinue this product."
Also I'm sure there are still quite a few alcohol burning marine stoves still in service in California harbors.
West Marine has gallons in stock in SoCal stores.
bobby49 wrote: ↑Sun Dec 15, 2019 10:26 pm
Well, let's see. I suppose that I could shop out of state for it. I suppose that I could purchase high proof drinking alcohol, even though it is expensive.
Any other alternatives?
Most of my backpacking trips start by flying to Fresno, then scouring the central valley for something I can set on fire in order to boil water. I fly with 3 oz of 190 proof Everclear (also not available in CA) in my carry-on, in case I can't find anything. It works, but it seems smokier than the other options, and the price per ounce is exorbitant.
I've had a lot of luck with hardware stores that classify denatured alcohol --- including products labelled as "marine fuel"--- as a paint solvent. What's available is usually distinctly dusty. It could be that only extremely overachieving hardware store proprietors would have purged their stocks in response to the ban.
As you might guess, the denatured alcohol issue is being discussed on most boating forums since it's used as a marine fuel. I read that one person actually contacted the CA air resources board to ask for a copy of the regulation that bans denatured alcohol. The reply was that it is not banned explicitly, but in some cases it falls under the regulation that bans "multi purpose solvents". So if the can of denatured alcohol is labelled such that it says "use as a cleaner, to thin shellac, and as a marine fuel", it is banned, since it's multi-use. The manufacturer would need to come up with a lower VOC version to sell it. There are also new labeling rules, companies cannot use the word "alcohol" on the primary label (front of container), although it's OK to use it on the back in the fine print and ingredients. Weird, huh? So all of this might explain why it cannot be found at home depot (multi use) but it's still available elsewhere or online since it might be labeled single use (such as marine fuel). The intent was to ban it's use as a paint thinner and cleaner, but fuel uses got caught up and are collateral damage, so to speak. I read that Coleman is fed up and is pulling out of the liquid fuel market... will sell only canister fuel in the future.
