Pump for alcohol stove?

rkuris

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Dec 28, 2014
6
Catalina 30 San Francisco
I'm now the proud owner of a 1982 Catalina 30. She still has the original alcohol stove. There is a pressure gauge, but no pump. Do I just use a regular bicycle pump to get pressure in the alcohol tank?
 
Feb 8, 2014
1,300
Columbia 36 Muskegon
Yep, bicycle pump should work. Don't know what pressure you want, but play around with it till you get out to work right. BTW, those pressure alcohol stoves are horrible. You're way better off installing a propane system if you can afford it.
 
Sep 17, 2010
26
Catalina 30 Anapolis
I have the same set-up in my 75, but haven't used the stove in years. As I recall, 5 - 10 psi worked pretty well. But mine leaked at the tank fill cap. Could never get it to seal completely. I've been thinking about installing a cheap low-pressure electric fuel pump with a switch in the galley. Bad idea?
 
Mar 20, 2012
3,983
Cal 34-III, MacGregor 25 Salem, Oregon
I have the same set-up in my 75, but haven't used the stove in years. As I recall, 5 - 10 psi worked pretty well. But mine leaked at the tank fill cap. Could never get it to seal completely. I've been thinking about installing a cheap low-pressure electric fuel pump with a switch in the galley. Bad idea?
the whole concept of the pressurized stoves, alcohol and diesel, was a good idea, because at one time it was the only dependable way to produce a hot flame.... it was dependable yet often unpredictable, and in many cases it was unpredictable enough to catch the boat on fire.

the concept will always remain a good idea, but in actual practice it is no longer a good choice considering the options we have now.

in certain parts of the world, the risk of using a pump up stove in an enclosed space may still be valid, but CNG and LPG has become so much easier to obtain in this country in the past 50 years, and the stoves have been refined, it makes little sense to continue using such a difficult and unpredictable unit such as the pressurized alcohol and kerosene/diesel stoves.

even the modern alcohol stoves have been refined so that they are safe, easy to use and efficient at what they do...

I can only recommend that you research other options before putting money in to what you have now.... a good used origo or cookmate alcohol stove can be had for around $100 dollars... a modern appliance with no pumping, no flareups, no leaks, no boat fires or singed eyebrows:D

I have a 2 burner origo alcohol stove (NON-pressurized) on one boat, and a propane stove on the other boat... I like them equally as well, and although some will say the alcohol stove does not heat as quickly, I find that nothing in this world except water will cook as fast as it can heat anyway.... so it produces all the heat it needs to do its intended duties and it works wonderfully well.