Alcohol stove

[All U Get]

I have an pressurized alcohol stove in my boat and would like to know what type of fuel line I'll need to replace the one on the bottle. I appears to be a simple fuel line. Any thoughts would be helpful, my boat is on the hard for 4 months.
All U Get

 

[Hermit Scott]

I think I have that same alcohol stove. Is it the one that came in your catalina 30? I was going to do a propane conversion, but I am going to keep that alcohol stove for a while. I got everything all cleaned up and rebuilt the sink cabinet and I am stripping and recoating all the wood starting in the galley area. I have the stove top 2 burner type no oven.
What is your alcohol stored in and how is it pressurized? I have the stove and the hose that was attached to it wasn't attached to any type of tank, so I have to find out what else I need to make it work.
Mine apperaed to be a simple fuel line as you mentioned. I even cut it in two to see what it was made of, since I was going to replace it anyway.

 

[easysailor]

methyl hydrata works good

 

[Hermit Scott]

methyl hydrata works good

For a replacement for alcohol? IF so what does it run a gallon and where can you get it?

By the way welcome to the forum.

 

[Joe]

the manual for the Seward Princess stove is available at www.catalina27.org. Scroll down to C27 manuals to find it. BTW Alcohol stoves use.... uh... alcohol for fuel. You can purchase it at any chandlery.. I buy mine at home depot for my Origo stove. the Origo is a non-pressurized system and is a popular replacement for the old Seward pressurized stoves. By the way the pressure is generated by a small hand pump attached the fuel tank. Read the manual.

 

[higgs]

Look into an Origo to replace your present stove. Not expensive but definitely a step up from what you have.

 

[Benny]

The all popular pressurized alcohol stoves of the 70's are quickly dissapearing. These little dragons developed a reputation for being temperamental and unreliable. Many ended up at the bottom of the sea or where pulled out of storage when it was time to sell the boat. I believe they were singlehandedly responsible for the proliferation of propane stove systems we see today. If there is something that a sailor craves after a hard day's sail is a drink and a hot meal. More often than not these stoves would fail to light or burn properly and you could not even drink the fuel. Beef stew sushi is not considered a delicay. A 16 ounce bottle portable propane stove is safer and will do a much better job. Just do not leave it unsupervised while lit and remove the fuel canister when not in use. Don't throw the alcohol stove away, save it to put it back when you decide to sell the boat.

 

[j_schoenfeld]

I have a alcohol stove that i just rebuilt from 2 stoves. The parts are getting tough to find but old stoves are all over the place and the parts on them generally are good. I don't agree that propane is safer, but with the right disipline is it safe. But you cannot let your guard down or the heavier than air gas will pool in your bilge and perhaps go BOOM. Not something I want to experience! And you can drink the alcohol you burn if you want to burn some high grade booze, but denatured alcohol is cheap and works well. These stoves got a bad rap because you have to prime and heat the burner, and if you put too much in the cup it raged a huge flame that makes everyone nervous. A small amount does the trick, and I have never had a problem. And water puts it out in a flash. I have a stainless covered hose that runs from my lazerette to the stove, and redid all the tubing with copper and ALWAYS check for leaks before I cook. I love my alcohol stove, and wouldn't change to propane.

 

[Hermit Scott]

j_schoenfeld all you get

How big is the storage tank and does it have one of those pumps to pressureize it?

I have to revise my previous statement about the stove. I actually have my stove here in my shop. I intend to get it working here like I like then install it.

The fuel line attached to the stove appears to have a plastic lining inside the fuel line.

There doesn't seem to be alot going on with these things. All the parts look good in mine, but I won't know till I try to use it.

What do you mean by 'too much fuel in the cup' specifically what cup are you talking about?

 

[j_schoenfeld]

Re: j_schoenfeld all you get

There is a small indent around the bottom of the burner. It is designed to take just a little alcohol which you put in by opening the burner until it bleeds down the stem and pools under the burner. You then light the fuel and the flame heats the burner and stem so it carberizes the fuel in the stem so you get a gas to burn. Usually when all the fuel (just enough to fill the small indent) is gone the burner is hot enough to run, and you light the burner and you have a good flame. The hose I have doesn't have any special lining like yours, it's just a small rubber hose with a stainless braid as a cover. I don't think you need anything special, fuel line should do just fine.

 

[j_schoenfeld]

The tank I have is a steel tank with a pressure guage, i got it off ebay as mine was missing. They have a stem to pressurize it with, and I use a bicycle tire pump to fill it. Operating pressure is usually just 10 to 15 psi, so it doesn't take that much to get it to pressure.

 

[Hermit Scott]

So that top mushroom shaped part fills up with fuel until it overflows out of the holes in the top down the sides and into the indented part below.
Then I shut off the fuel when a little is in the indent and light the pool.
When it heats up the mushroom enough then I can light the mushroom as the liquid fuel is turned to gas?

 

[sailaway78]

More alcohol info

Hermit, when you first light the stove, remember less is better. Use a very small amount of raw alcohol in the little cup first. Then you can increase it till you get it right. I think most stoves like this have different charateristics. TonyB devised a count method for his, and if I remember right, it was crack the valve, count to three, shut off the valve and fire it up. But too much alcohol in the cup, and you have a bonfire. Just go to your local Home Depot, Lowes or Ace Hardware, and buy a quart or a gallon of de natured alcohol. You can buy the exact same thing, labeled stove fuel at West Marine for about triple the price. For the fuel line, you need something that is designed for alcohol, and that will take the pressure. Think most modern fuel lines will work.
As for the tank, mine is a two gallon fire extinguisher. One of the kind designed for water, that you put air pressure into. It is stainless steel, will handle a gallon of alcohol at a time, take the pressure with no problem, and I promise it much cheaper than a tank designed for a stove. Check them out on ebay.

 

[Hermit Scott]

I did buy a gallon of that a while back for that purpose, some one on here recommended it. But I am just now getting serious about hooking it up. I had to redo all my cabinets first.
So what kind of pressure do you pump it up to? Do you have a gage on it? I agree about the fuel line. I am going to buy regular fuel line from an auto dealer.
It doesn't sound much more difficult to light than propane.

Easy-how do you fill the tank back up with fuel. I see them on ebay, just wondering how they open up or is there a cap somewhere that I am not seeing?

 

[All U Get]

Thanks guys. I was looking for the rubber hose fuel line. Mine had degraded from UV showing cracks near the tank. The tank is like j_schoenfeld describes, I fill mine about halfway. With a bicycle pump I pumped the tank to 5 psi to start, then to 10 psi when we got more confident. I try to get less than a 1/4 teaspoon of liquid in the wick of the burner to preheat the tube. My oven had directions on this proceedure stamped on the inside of the door. I gently flow a few drips in if I think it's heated. Then like any gas stove you will get a blue flame. If you get too much gas in the burner cup, just let it evaporate and try again. I took a "Blue water class" last year and my instructor had used a small squeeze bottle to prime the stove, very controllable. My first attempt was with too much fluid and a very concerned wife. That's when I found the directions inside the stove. I thought the flames were romantic.:dance: