Thanks for breaking all this down and comparing the different fuels.
I didn't know there was a generic Heet.

Good stuff!

 

I had always bought HEET ...and ignored the cost since I don't use much since an ounce goes so far.
Figuring the cost per gallon was an interesting exercise and learning about the dollar store stuff was nice to know. I will get some next time I browse a Dollar Store.
Gotta admit though, am attracted to the small containers and not having to dispense from a a big can and hey ...coughing up a buck or so is forgotten by the time I blow thru a whole bottle of HEET.
Thanks for posting....I love it when I learn something new!!!

 

I watched some youtube videos and they said HEET and 70% Alcohol were the best.

I buy 70% Isopropyl Rubbing Alcohol at my business Costco for $3.59/ 2 pack. 1 bottle =32oz. 1 Gallon = 4 bottles. $7.18/1 gallon. The bottles are a good size. I haven't used my Trangia stove yet. Been meaning to do so.

 

I have been tinkering around with alcohol stoves for a few months now and have been looking around online trying to learn the best fuel source to use for the price.

I would like to hear more about the stoves you have picked.

DIY or store bought?

 

Nucky, also remember with isopropyl alcohol the more water added the cheaper it gets but with less energy content too. Although I myself have not used anything but 91% so I may try 70% one day to mix around with, maybe its better. I specifically don't like the extra water content due to my stove designs. They use a form of a wick and without drying the wick out between refueling water will/could accumulate

bltjr1951, my stoves are DIY but don't require much fabrication to make.
I have a big burner for boiling that is just an empty 7oz Sterno can (or fancy heat methanol gel can with pop off cap, same thing) that is then stuffed with fiberglass insulation (works with cotton balls too but the fiberglass is harder to burn up and will last longer) to act as a wick/anti-spill sponge that holds the alcohol for better vaporization near the surface of the can and keeps fluid from running if the can is tipped over.

my small burner for dry baking or simmering is a empty 6.4oz "camp heat" can (or fancy heat found at dollar tree with screw on cap, same thing) with the inner wick holder plate removed. then stuffed with fiberglass like the other. This burner has a smaller hole on top than the other so burns slower and with less heat.
I obviously fill these with alcohols mentioned in my first post.

 

I have been using Sunnyside Denatured from Mennards. It was just on sale for $8.98 /gal but even the regular price of $12.00 is the best I've seen. It burns very clean, no soot. Stay away from fireplace alcohol fuel. I bought a case because the MSDS said it was 90% ethanol but it burns very sooty! I think they add something to get the pretty yellow color which means incomplete combustion. The cans are a pain to pour but I re-bottle into glass and plastic water bottles by pouring into a pitcher first (over the sink) and then using a funnel to fill the bottles. I then seal the caps with wine bottle wax. These should last many years. I have made a 4 burner stove from SS water bottles bought at a thrift store for $1.00 each. I can cook anything on it. I believe ethanol is the best indoor cooking option when the grid goes down. You can boil enough water for a Mountain House pouch with less than 30 mls of fuel. I plan to distill my own from stored corn if things really get bad.

 

I have the Trangia and the yellow bottle of heat works very well, it takes so little to boil water that fuel cost is negligible. I can get it anywhere and on sale its around $1 a bottle.

To the OP this is an excellent thread thank you for your time and research!

 

Unfortunately I have yet to get my hands on a trangia but will someday soon. My large stove will burn 6oz of strait HEET in about 2.5 hours burned continuously and takes around 8 mins to boil 2 cups of water... (not sure if doing 8 min burns at a time would increase life)
The smaller one I have not tested as much for duration but It seems to be a little more efficient.

what is the max capacity of a trangia and how long does it burn?

 

^^Not sure how much i put in^^

as what ever is left after the boil i just put the snuffer cap on let it .cool and tighten down the gasketed lid for later use. The adjustable simmer ring works well. It boils 1 cup water in about 3-4ish minutes. I put the water on as soon as the stove id lit, and i use a modified 'sterno" stove (cheap, works well, and very packable and lite weight)

They are so cheap and extremely well of brass that you have to get one!!!

 

I use Klean Strip denatured alcohol. It's in the paint section and is labeled as paint thinner and stove fuel. I think it was about $8 a gallon, and burns with no soot at all. I transfer it into plastic bottles depending on how much I think I will need.

http://www.wmbarr.com/product.aspx?catid=21&prodid=101

 

What stores are you finding denatured alcohol for $8 a gallon? was it on sale or everyday price? I need to look around more apparently as I just looked online and at my local lowes

 

Like my Trangias! Here in NZ it's usually only the purple stuff (wood alcohol I think) at about $6-$10 a liter depending on where but is very common and easy to find. I budget it in 50ml lots, that being a good fill. Does burn quite sooty, but I carry a rag in a ziploc baggie just for this. Using my T28 I can get 2 ramens from a fill if you dont insist on a rolling boil. Using my very good Optimus 77a (Trangia clone and near enough identical to the outstandingly good value Ledmark Alcohol Cookset) I can make pasta and sauce (seperate pots, love that stack cooking!) on about a fill and a half using the simmer ring. I like to cook properly when I'm out and about and the trangia burner at full speed is just too much unless you are boiling water.

Amazon.com: Ledmark Aluminum Alcohol Cookset: Sports & Outdoors

 

Just go to the painting/paint thinner isle and pick up the stuff label methanol or methyl hydrate. Here its about $5/liter, or a little over $10 for 3.78 l, or US gal. Probably cheaper in most states. Burns very clean.

For burning inside, for fondue or the like, (not heating!) if you are uncomfortable with how "spilly" methanol is, pick up a big bottle of unscented hand sanitizer at the dollar store. Also works well as a fire starter.

 

instead of fueling up your stoves with hand sanitizer to prevent spills try filling a stove up with cotton balls or better yet fiberglass insulation (obviously this will only work on certain types of stoves like open top types that are not pressurized and use jets, hand sanitizer would have similar issues with jet stoves) to act as a sponge to hold all the fluid from spilling. This lets you use any type of fuel you already have and will last a very long time just as long as the cotton balls/fiberglass don't get too dry while burning. low flame height and orange flame color are good warning indicators to know when your drying up and need to refuel.

 

I got it at Fred Meyer. It was a few months ago so I might have been off on the price but I seem to remember it was about $8. Or maybe it was on sale.

 

Try Ace Hardware, 5 gal of denatured alcohol runs aboutn 55$ I think....

 

Thanks, I too have alcohol stoves ( made from soda cans)and have been using denatured alcohol. I definitely will get some of that.

BTw, those Japanese dudes on youtube makes some sick forced air carborated alcohol stoves. Those bent tube ones are awesome.

 

HEET in the yellow container is methyl alcohol.
HEET in the red container is isopropyl alcohol.
Each contains no water since it is used to remove water in fuel.

 

Look at the savings!
Klean-Strip GSL26 Denatured Alcohol, 1-Gallon - Amazon.com

I've been using Klean Strip for awhile backpacking. My walmart no longer sells it but it was 10$ a gallon. Need to find another place.

 

Guys I do want to make one quick note about the SMB super gas treatment.
The part # for the stuff I have been using and was describing in my earlier post is #41010 (found on lower back of label) and is not found on http://www.smbintllc.com/premium.html website. Interesting what appears to be "super gas treatment" on the website says it "contains no alcohol". This at first scared me but then i saw the different part # and knew this can't be the case since the container says "CAUTION: Contains Methanol (CAS# 67-56-1) I figure its either "contains no alcohol" is just cheap marketing to mean no ethanol on some crappy website or you want to find the SMB product with the part# 41010 to ensure its the same burning stuff I described.

 

Here's my personal opinion...... i made a ZEN stove, used it a few times. one problem is, if you carry all your fuel in one container and it leaks your screwed!!!!!! number 2. you have to carry a stove and a fuel supply. so I been looking around and I found the ESBIT stove. I got one and used it today on a hike. The fuel tabs are awesome and can boil a cup of water in under 3 minutes. it packs up smaller than any stove other there. Its cheap and works great. You can also use wood for fuel if you run out of fuel tabs.... Youtube it...

 

just letting anyone know that The SMB super gas treatment works great in the civilian sized trangia. I finally bought a trangia and seems to work pretty well.

 

I buy the gallons of denatured (same as wood alcohol as far as I know,) and transfer it into smaller 1 pint plastic vodka bottles. The cheap vodka works, but is sooty. I have Trangias and DIY burners. I would be leery of automotive products. Some of them contain pretty nasty chemical additives. Anyway, if you are having lots of spills from the gallon cans you may be pouring from them incorrectly. The spout should be at the top and the can should be turned to a flat side down. Some stores have screw on spouts to help with pouring. Funnels are handy too.

 

. I would be leery of automotive products. Some of them contain pretty nasty chemical additives. too.

what exactly is the intended purpose of yellow HEET? automotive
MSDS for HEET shows 99% methanol. so possibly 1% nasty additives?

 

A quick squizz on google turned up a load of beautiful stainless steel alcohol distillers. I guess any biomass with starches would do if you were just going to burn it.

Adding water to alcohol to cut down on soot has been debated and tested long and hard over at www.spiritburner.com (if you need liquid fuel stove info, this place is a one stop shop.)

General consensus (there are always a few crazed dissidents) is that adding water causes more problems than it solves. There is slightly less sooting but watered fuel can be hard/impossible to start and the burner makes bad tempered spitting noises instead of perfect silence. If you just HAVE to water your fuel, put a teaspoon of water in the burner first then fill with clean fuel, cap and shake. I really like trangia heaters for the screw top that lets you carry them full. The working simmer ring is a huge plus, too. I like to cook properly.

 

I collect alcohol stoves and make some, too. My favorite for Isopropyl fuel is the Flat Cat Gear ISO stove. I was a beta tester when John was getting ready to put them out there. Spent at least 5 minutes the first time I fired it up saying, "Would you look at that - Blue flame!" BTW, the flame is yellow until you put your pot on it - has to do with the distance from the alcohol, I think.

No sooting and you can use 70, 91, 100% Isopropyl or a mix in it. Lightweight and sturdy. It's the stove I used for 9 days after Sandy.

http://flatcatgear.com/zencart/inde...encart/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=6&zenid=d93a982b37f7952dff40e2362bbb37e5

 

I am not fond of methanol, it is for sure a suspected carcinogen and you can adsorb it right threw your skin, so at least be careful when handling it.

If you coat the outside of you pan with a liquid soap clean up is a snap. A 35mm film can with some Dr. Bronner's soap and a cotton ball is very handy.

Denatured alcohol is grain/ethanol the kind you can drink made un drinkable with the addition of some amount of wood alcohol/ methanol .

 

Isopropyl alcohol will and does work as fuel, especially at concentrations of 90% or above. Once it starts to boil @ 30 seconds. I got some to work at 70% tonight in my DIY can alcohol stove, it just doesn't work as well.