Backpacking Alcohol Stove

1 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

A Backpacking Alcohol Stove is the

lightest and most reliable way to heat
your food and water. There are no
moving parts to break or wear out.
There are also no " O " Rings to wear
or break. How about the hose joining
the fuel tank and stove? Don't worry,
an alcohol stove doesn't have a hose
either.
Alcohol is a clear liquid with no odor
and some types are drinkable. When
you use all the alcohol in a container
you can just rinse out the container
and fill it with water for drinking. This
gives you a double use for your
containers. You can reuse the
container for alcohol after it was filled
with water with no problems. Alcohol
will absorb the water. The only thing
that will happen is you will end up
with a small amount of condensation
on your pot.
An alcohol stove has an alcohol
burner and a windscreen. some
alcohol stoves require a stand to hold
your pot over the burner, and some
burners require the pot to sit directly
on the burner for optimal
performance. Some burners require a
priming pan and some do not. To light
an alcohol stove you add the fuel to
the stove, prime the stove and light

04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

2 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

the primer fuel. You don't have to

pump up the pressure.
With a petroleum fueled stove you
also have to add in the weight of the
fuel tank that holds and pressurizes
the fuel. A tank can add almost a
pound to your stove setup.
The way most alcohol fuel stoves
designs work is the burning alcohol in
the primer pan heats the stove, which
causes the fuel to boil. The boiling
creates combustible vapors and will
create pressure in a closed stove.
The vapors are forced out the stove
jets under low pressure where the
vapors are mixed with the air and
ignited. The hotter a stove gets the
faster the fuel boils which creates
more pressure which creates more
flame and heat.

There are several types of alcohol

stoves depending on if they use
internal pressure, jets or a pot stand.

An open
flame
stove is
basically

04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

3 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

an open
top
container.
You can
make one with an opened cat food or
tuna fish can. Just remove the cat
food and wash it out. With an open
stove you need a stand to hold the
pot about an inch above the can. The
flame is easily blown out by the wind,
the flame is not very hot and is
inefficient ( uses more fuel to boil a
cup of water).

A chimney
stove is an
Open
Flame
Stove with
inlet vents.
The vents
allow more
air into the stove which produces
more flame and heat. Because the air
is mixed with the fuel vapors inside
the stove the stove creates more
internal heat causing the fuel to boil
with more vigor creating more vapor
to burn. Convection ( the principle of
hot air rising ) draws in more air
through the vent holes which will
cause a slight afterburner affect to the
burning vapors. Also the ignited vapor
is protected by the sides of the stove
so the flame doesn't blow out as
easily as an open flame stove.
To make a chimney stove you can
use a cat food can without the cat
food and take a paper punch or drill
and put about 8 quarter inch holes in
the can a little more than half way up
the sides. Do not overfill or the fuel
will spill out the vent ports.

04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

4 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

An alcohol
wick stove
is like a
lantern
that uses
alcohol
instead of
lamp oil.
The wick allows the fuel to vaporize in
the air and ignite. As the fuel
vaporizes into the air more fuel is
drawn up the wick much like in a
straw. The wick should fit snuggly into
the fuel reservoir. Tight enough to
prevent the flame from creeping down
the wick into the stored fuel but not so
tight that it restricts fuel flow and air to
enter to prevent a vacuum.
The larger the wick and the more
wicks you have the larger and more
flame you will have to create flames.
A Wick Stove has the same heating
power and efficiency as an Open
Flame Stove.
There are various types of wick
stoves that use numerous types of
wicks. Some wicks prevent fuel from
spilling.

Now we
get into
the types
of stoves
that need
priming or
warm up times. A Low Pressure Side
Burner is much like a Chimney Stove
with an open top but your pot acts as
a stopper to allow pressure to
accumulate in the stove and come
out the vent holes. A side burner's
vents are referred to as jets because
the vapors are forced out though the
holes under pressure. The name is
from the location of the jets which are
on the side of the container about two
thirds of the way up the stove.

04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

5 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

To light a side burner you just simply

add your fuel and light it. No priming
is necessary, however you have to
wait at least 30 seconds before you
can place the pot on the stove. The
stove has to heat up to boil the fuel to
create pressure and force the vapors
out the jets. If you place the pot on
top prematurely the pot will smother
the flame and put out your stove.

An Open
Jet Stove
is similar
to a side
burner.
The open
part is the top and the jets are
situated on the top part of the stove.
If you make your own stove using a
Pepsi can the holes go on the very
top that is angled. This aims the
burning vapors up and outwards
towards the pot.
The top of the burner is open just like
a chimney stove and your pot is the
cap of the stove. Your pot restricts the
vapors from exiting the top of the
stove which consequently builds
pressure and forces the vapors out
the jets. The stove will create a noise
much like a pressurized petrol stove.
All the above stoves have open tops.
Except for the Open Top, Chimney
and Wick stoves the rest have to be
warmed up to the point where the fuel
boils for the stoves to work properly. If
you put your pots on the stove before
the fuel is boiling the flame will be
smothered. While you only have to
relight the stove, it is a nuisance,
especially when you are hungry or
anticipating a hot cup of tea.

04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

6 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

pressurized alcohol stove has a

closed top. You add your fuel by
removing a stopper. Some stoves
have a concave top ( a depression
that creates a bowl ) that can be used
as a priming pan. After you fill your
stove and seal the top you pour a
little alcohol into the depression. You
light that fuel to prime the stove.
When the stove reaches operating
temperature ( the temperature where
the inner fuel boils and creates
pressurized fuel vapors ) the burning
priming fuel will ignite the jets.
To speed up the process of reaching
operating temps you can use a
priming pan that will immerse the
complete stove in flames. If you use a
priming pan you can place your pot
on the stove before operating temps
are reached. This will also speed up
your cooking time. If you ignite the
priming fuel in the concave recess at
the top of your stove you have to wait
for your stove to fire off.
Use caution when using a
pressurized alcohol stove as over
priming or operating at extreme
temperatures inside a windscreen
can cause excess pressure and
rupture your stove, sometimes with
explosive force.
A pressurized alcohol stove is the
most efficient of the alcohol stoves.
They can generate more heat due to
the pressure they can develop, which
also makes them more dangerous.
They are also more resistant to wind.

A priming pan is a shallow pan made

of aluminum, steel or titanium. It has
to be larger in diameter than your
stove but small enough to fit inside
your windscreen. A primer pan also
makes an alcohol stove useable in
colder weather.

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Backpacking Alcohol Stove

7 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

You can make an inexpensive

priming pan out of aluminum foil,
flashing, tuna or chip dip can. Just
watch out for sharp edges when you
cut down the sides.

Because most alcohol stoves operate

with a lower pressure than petrol and
gas stoves it is easier for the wind to
blow them out. A windscreen can
solve this problem and also make
your burner more efficient by
channeling the heat closer to your
pot. If you need a stand you can also
incorporate a stand into the
windscreen by drilling holes at the
required height and inserting metal
rods through the holes to hold your
pot.
The windscreen should be about an
inch larger than your pot and your pot
should fit at least an inch into your
windscreen. If the handle on your pot
is less than an inch from the bottom
you can cut a slot in the windscreen
to accommodate it.
If you carry multiple pans of different
sizes you can make your windscreen
adjustable. I made a windscreen out
of a piece of 3 inch aluminum roof
flashing with a folded T on one end.
This allows me to move the flashing
like a lasso to adjust to the size
needed for the pot or cup I want to
heat up. I made it 3 inches high so it
will fit into my pan.

04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

8 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

The Esbit Alcohol Burner is an Open

Jet type made of lightweight brass. It
comes with a snuffer and adjustable
flame cap and a handy screw on cap
to save your unburned fuel. Brass
has similar heat transfer
characteristics as copper so it is easy
to heat your fuel to a boil.
The burner weighs 3.25 ounces
without fuel and is small enough to fit
inside a cup for transportation, saving
space in your pack. Even though it is
small it produces enough heat to boil
a cup of water in less than 4 minutes
using less than a half ounce of fuel. It
can use any type of alcohol but the
best results are with denatured
alcohol available in paint, hardware
and general stores.
I just got one to lighten my pack and
am kicking myself in the ass for not
getting one sooner. I retired my pump
up fossil fuel stove.
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04.01.2015 11:55

Backpacking Alcohol Stove

9 din 9

http://www.campingwithcharlie.com/backpacking alcohol stove.html

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