Can I Convert a Kerosene Stove to Alcohol?
David Smith
the owner to light the kerosene stove. He had trouble pumping it up
to pressure, (his pump died), and the stove never really ran well.
In addition, the smell of the stove was somewhat unpleasent to me.
The boat I sail normally has an alcohol stove and its odor is much
less nauseating. Is it possible to convert the kerosine stove to
alcohol?
I understand I would have to change the supply hose to something
metal. (alcohol eats up rubber I know) Would one have to enlarge
metering jets in the stove? or do they need to be smaller? Do I
have to buy a whole new stove to not get get sick when I cook?
I would rather not go the propane route because there is no real
convienant place on the decks to place the tanks. (I know they
have to be in a vented area and the lazerette is not vented.)
Any experience in this area would be a great help.
Thanks in advance,
sst...@phoenix.net
>I understand I would have to change the supply hose to something
>metal. (alcohol eats up rubber I know) Would one have to enlarge
>metering jets in the stove? or do they need to be smaller? Do I
>have to buy a whole new stove to not get get sick when I cook?
>
As far as I know, there are no 'conversion kits' for changing stoves
of one type to another.
The conversion you're talking about would probably involve more than
just the hose and metering jets. I suspect the whole burner assembly
would have to be replaced...... This would probably cost nearly as
much as a new stove...
You might, however, still be able to find new/used alchohol stoves,
and just replace yours.
Anybody out there got any ideas?
(BTW, I really like my alchohol stove. Very safe, almost no
maintenence, and I keep a water spray bottle nearby for flare-ups.)
Sam Stengler ENRON C&T
SST...@PHOENIX.NET Professional Services Inc.
'Sailing is Life, the Rest is just Details'
Heinz-J. Biedermann
> the owner to light the kerosene stove. He had trouble pumping it up
> to pressure, (his pump died), and the stove never really ran well.
>
> In addition, the smell of the stove was somewhat unpleasent to me.
>
Kerosene is much safer than alcohol, hotter -- and cheaper, much
cheaper. We converted our alcohol stove to a kerosene stove
and never regretted the changes. If you use clean (I believe it is
called K3 kerosene, which is almost as clear as water) you should
not notice any smells.
Happy cooking!!!
Heinz
Nancy/Carl Hunt
>From: David Smith <David....@trw.com>
>Subject: Can I Convert a Kerosene Stove to Alcohol?
>Date: 9 Jun 1995 03:44:43 GMT
You should check with the manufacturer as you will need a different burner.
Force 10, for example, has interchangeble burners for kerosene and alcohol
stoves. If the oder is too bad with the kerosene stove, the burner probably
needs cleaning. You might try that before changing to alcohol.
Carl
Louis B. Brydon
> The boat I sail normally has an alcohol stove and its odor is much
> less nauseating. Is it possible to convert the kerosine stove to
> alcohol?
>
IMHO, pressurized Alcohol stoves are generally more dangerous than
Kerocene/Diesel. We set our galley on fire routinely with a pressurized
alcohol stove until we finally bought a non-pressurized stove.
It uses big (1 qt?) sponge (cotton?) filled cans in which
you pour liquid alcohol prior to lighting. Works good.
Quiet. Had a moving metal plate over the opening to control heat.
The two burner Stainless version was about $100 a few years ago.
Very low tech. Good for weekend use, but probably not practical
for heavier service.
WRT Kerocene stoves, are you sure it didn't have Diesel fuel in it
instead? Works, but does tend to smell more. I used to use
Jet-A (jet fuel) in my Kerocene cabin heater. Worked great and
no smell. Bought from my local airport it cost less than Kerocene
or Diesel and a 2.9 Gal tank lasted me a year... I adapted my
pressurant tank with a schrader (tire stem) valve and used a
bike pump to build up the pressure needed to force the fuel
in to the burner. Worked great!
--
Louis B. Brydon
bry...@orca.ssd.loral.com
WA6OCZ
SEASTAR - Redwood City, Ca, Ba, USA, Terra, Sol, Milkyway
Steve Weingart
>In <3r8g3b$7...@alpha.nafb.trw.com>, David Smith
<David....@trw.com> writes:
>>I understand I would have to change the supply hose to something
>>metal. (alcohol eats up rubber I know) Would one have to enlarge
>>metering jets in the stove? or do they need to be smaller? Do I
>>have to buy a whole new stove to not get get sick when I cook?
>>
>
>As far as I know, there are no 'conversion kits' for changing stoves
>of one type to another.
Actually, there are conversion kits that switch the burners. From a
previous thread, eric...@aol.com (Eric Jorg) wrote :
Kenyon stoves can be converted easily to Optimus alcohol or kerosene
burners. Contact:
Clayton Abbott
A&H Enterprises
(714) 739-1788
La Mirada, CA
He has been in business for 30 years. Optimus often refers calls and
letters to him!
end of quoted post...
I realize that this is going in the wrong direction, but you might
contact him for info...
>
>The conversion you're talking about would probably involve more than
>just the hose and metering jets. I suspect the whole burner assembly
>would have to be replaced...... This would probably cost nearly as
>much as a new stove...
The burner bodies are in the $20 - 30 range if I remember my Kenyon
price list.
>
>You might, however, still be able to find new/used alchohol stoves,
>and just replace yours.
Maybe better...
>
>(BTW, I really like my alchohol stove. Very safe, almost no
>maintenence, and I keep a water spray bottle nearby for flare-ups.)
>
>Sam Stengler ENRON C&T
I like my alcohol stove too. But the kero stoves put out *much* more
heat.
Steve
Nancy/Carl Hunt
>From: sst...@phoenix.net
>Subject: Re: Can I Convert a Kerosene Stove to Alcohol?
>Date: 9 Jun 1995 20:41:43 GMT
>The conversion you're talking about would probably involve more than
>just the hose and metering jets. I suspect the whole burner assembly
>would have to be replaced...... This would probably cost nearly as
>much as a new stove...
The Force 10 can be converted from kerosene to alcohol by replacing the
burners at less than $50 ea. I have used alcohol stoves before and found them
quite satisfactory. In theory, they do not burn a hot as other fuels. In
practice, most burners for kerosene and propane emit 5,000 btus so there is
little real difference. Kerosene stoves do smell, but if it is bad the
problem is likely a defective or dirty burner, although some people have less
tolerance for certain oders than others. Some people cannot tolerate the
smell of alcohol.
Carl
"Sarmiento" Bristol 35.5