Hillerange Pressurized Alcohol Stove

[Chesapeake Bob]

I took a look at a friend's stove yesterday. His stove top is seemless with a small bowl molded into the stainless top under each burner. We followed the pre-heat instructions to the letter, but following the pre-heat, the burners refused to light. We tried both 20-25 strokes on the pump and fewer, thinking we may have had too much pressure. It looked like it tried to start, but just wouldn't. I also have a pressurized alcohol stove on my boat and following the directions for mine, it works fine most of the time.

Any thoughts?

[Hirilondë]

Have you cleaned the venturis lately? Even with the most pure alcohol they get dirty then fail to work. They are not overly difficult to clean, but certainly a nuisance. I used to cook on a charter boat in my much younger days. I used head alcohol from the Cavalier distillery in Antigua for fuel. I was really cheap compared to the stuff from hardware stores. The down side was I had to clean the venturis very often. Alcohol stoves and ovens can be tempermental, but there is something to be said for their simplicity and the fact that an alcohol fire can be extinguished with water.

[Chesapeake Bob]

Thanks Dave! Anyone else have some suggestions? I am just going to print this thread (and any suggestions anyone here may have) and take it to guy's boat.

[Quetzalsailor]

One of the Luke boys I met at PE Luke's booth at the Annap Boat Show a few years ago opined that old, vs fresh alcohol makes a great difference. Alcohol is hygroscopic (absorbs water), and the resulting mix does not burn as well. He said that a typical stove sent in for service often will do perfectly well with fresh fuel.

[hriehl1]

You can download alcohol burner refurb instructions with a few web searches. Try "Homestrand" "Kenyon" "Seaward Princess". Parts are also available on EBay or from Kenyon and a couple others. Burner refurb work is easy.

Pressure alcohol stoves have a bad reputation, mostly I think from people who do not understand the principle behind their design. I've had no problem with mine and cooked dozens of meals. Propane and kerosene burn hotter, but there is nothing I can't cook over alcohol with a little patience. And those other fuels pose issues of their own.

I'd confirm on the fresh fuel comment as ethanol in our gasoline has the same water-absorbing affect. Also, different brands of denatured alcohol contain different amounts of ethanol (the good stuff), methanol (less good, fewer BTUs) and other elements (best avoided). Seek out Sunnyside Denatured Alcohol as a good formulation at a good price that is widely available (carried at my local True Value hardware store). KleanStrip Green Label (at Lowes) is good but KleanStrip S-L-X has lots of methanol and is not so great.