Anyone have experience with these alcohol stoves. I would like to get it working, I don't want to find a stove that will fit the hole in my galley. One side wouldn't deliver fuel, the other seemed to leak at the valve and keep flaring up.
Refurbishing a Kenyon alcohol stove
- Thread starter Murgatroid
- Start date
Call Kenyon - Phone (860) 664-4906 . You can send the stove to Kenyon and they will fully refurbish it. Reasonable pricing also, IMHO. I sent one back to them that was quite long in the tooth (it was almost 40 years old) and it came back essentially brand new. I would definitely recommend that path.
dj
dj
Hahahaha - I see a true lover of these stoves has arrived to the conversation...I thought they were supposed to leak and flare up.
@Murgatroid - these stoves are not particularly high on most peoples list to keep using. They are notably prone to exploding and/or setting your boat on fire. But I quite understand where you are coming from, I was faced with the same decision process which is why I had that stove rebuilt.
But even mentioning these kinds of stoves on a sailing forum can start a flame war (pun fully intended).
dj
Guess it comes down to what happens more often. I would think alcohol would be safer in that water can put it out and there is no carbon monoxide or any other risk of suffocating from a leaking gas. Propane and butane both can explode, and I would think with more force than alcohol
I still use my forty year old Kenyon. I have never had an explosion or fire like others report. The only real problem I have had is that the burners, when set very low, can go out on their own, so they must be watched when in use. Propane would be nicer but conversion is much too costly for me.
I have fond memories of my mother lighting the alcohol stove on my Dad's cabin cruiser. Flames would shoot up because she let too much alcohol into the cup (Family lore is that she was a pyromaniac, who loved to make flaming desserts, while my Dad stood by with a fire extinguisher). Back to the stove, the flames would shoot up licking the cabin ceiling, or it seemed so, and uncomfortable close to the curtains. I also remember a number of cold dinners.
BTW, I think I posted years ago that I don't Rx using water to put out an alcohol fire as it can spread the flames around - if I remember correctly I was corrected. But I have seen it happen. I think a fire blanket at hand would be better (I have no formal fire training).
BTW, I think I posted years ago that I don't Rx using water to put out an alcohol fire as it can spread the flames around - if I remember correctly I was corrected. But I have seen it happen. I think a fire blanket at hand would be better (I have no formal fire training).
People are scared of the old style Coleman white gas stoves, which function in a similar way. (Tube needs heating.. Flareups if you dont use it right) I much prefer them over the current propane camping stoves.
If you know how to use them they work fine.
The same can be said for pressurised alcohol stoves.
That said, our Catalina 22 has a non pressurised alcohol origo and I love the simplicity.
Maybe that is the problem.. People like to wander off while the stove is running. Bad idea regardless of fuel.
I burned the paint of a range vent hood when making popcorn on my parent's electric stove. The popcorn overflowed and caught fire.
i was in trouble.when they got home, but it taught me a lesson.
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During my attempt I did notice that the open port window (which is a cheap plastic one pc molded plastic) was right above the flames and therefore in the heat. I've only had the '76 boat for over a month. One of the Winter project is to replace with metal/glass ports.
I love my little one burner white gas stove I have for camping. The wind screen and pans all fit into each other along with the stove for a very compact unit. Never had a problem with it.People are scared of the old style Coleman white gas stoves, which function in a similar way. (Tube needs heating.. Flareups if you dont use it right) I much prefer them over the current propane camping stoves.
If you know how to use them they work fine.
The same can be said for pressurised alcohol stoves.
That said, our Catalina 22 has a non pressurised alcohol origo and I love the simplicity.
Maybe that is the problem.. People like to wander off while the stove is running. Bad idea regardless of fuel.
I burned the paint of a range vent hood when making popcorn on my parent's electric stove. The popcorn overflowed and caught fire.
Had one many years ago, it was a source of frustration when it would not light, it did not last long. I replaced it with a two burner marine propane stove. The new stove came with thermocouple switches to cut of propane flow in case of a flame out and I added a pressure switch to protect against leaks . I set the regulator up with an adapter to use 1 lb propane cannisters which I would install and remove before and after every use. The propane hose was long enough and separated enough from the burners to allow for a safe disconnect. I had learned on a boat with a 20 lbs. propane tank sitting by the mast and connected to the stove via copper tubing. The only safety features were our noses and the tank's valve. It required 100% attention when in use.
I used a Kenyon pressurized alcohol stove for 20 years and it always worked great. No flare ups, no explosions. One side did develop a leak at the valve that would occasionally have a small flame come out and needed the coupling tightened. They used to sell repair kits for them, new burners etc. but I haven't looked for those in many years.
The one thing I did when I got the stove back from Kenyon was to set it on saw horses in my back yard and practice lighting and using it. I will confess, it took me a number of tries to really get the hang of it. Glad I did as once installed back in the boat it was quite simple and I felt very comfortable lighting and using it inside my boat. I'm sure that learning curve inside my boat would have been rather nervous making.
I later taught my godson to use the stove in the boat and he lived on it running the stove two or more times a day and told me it was a great stove. My post rebuild experience also. YMMV
dj
Has anyone here actually disassembled, cleaned and reassembled one of these Kenyon alcohol stoves? If so, please for the love of Pete, tell me how you got the 2 control wheels back on in the proper position. I know this is an older thread, but I've run out of options.
As for Kenyon refurbishing these stoves, I suspect they no longer do. The list of available parts is just a check valve, cv wrench, and maybe the needle valve. From what I can gather all the techies that were familiar with these things are gone. Just trying to get questions answers is a time-consuming process that involves generating a service ticket just in the hopes that someone will contact you. It's been 3 days and nothing.
As for Kenyon refurbishing these stoves, I suspect they no longer do. The list of available parts is just a check valve, cv wrench, and maybe the needle valve. From what I can gather all the techies that were familiar with these things are gone. Just trying to get questions answers is a time-consuming process that involves generating a service ticket just in the hopes that someone will contact you. It's been 3 days and nothing.
No stipulations like that on my policy. This stove has worked like a champ since I first cleaned it when I bought the boat back in 2015. The flame has always burned a bright blue similar to propane. Unlike others, I have no problems with these stoves. A little slow on the water boiling in comparison to propane but otherwise satisfactory. It is far less dangerous than the old Coleman fuel stoves that I still use on occasion (not on boat). My only problem is I broke the entire system down for a more thorough cleaning and can't get the control wheels lined up properly.
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Might have to do it with trial and error ?
I have decades of experience fixing things of all types. Do you know anyone like that in the area who can come over and help if needed ?
Sometimes it needs a second set of eyes.