Origo Alcohol Stoves

[Achillesheel]

Had a good look at one of these in Force 4 Bristol today. We want to replace the "picnic stove", with a butane aerosol type canister which frightened the wossname out of me a couple of weeks ago when it caught fire.

Don't want to instal gas, because we only boil the odd kettle or heat the occasional can of soup.

Question is, do alcohol stoves smell, either when lit or at rest? Any comments on efficiency/ease of use?

 

[Gin]

Just learning like you, so no real help except to say that the contaminants which are put in here do nothing to improve combustibility/efficiency so for my Origo heater(just acquired) I have got some denatured alcohol on a visit to Calais which has quite a pleasant and much different odour to the Meths which we must buy here- I am hopeful that any smells will be modest and acceptable.

 

[mikejames]

I have used one since about 2002. When lit it stinks, your eyes water and you wonder how to cope. After a while you get used to it and learn not to stick your head in the way.
The fumes tend to rise away from the cooker with the heat.

Unlit , I would rate it as less pong than a diesel engine oily smell+ heads + people. Certainly a lot less nauseous than some other smells.
French alcool a bruler smells of brandy when burning and still stings. The Barretine brand of meths sold in Aladdins Cave seems to be less potent.

It produces a fair amount of heat when running - about the same as a large gas ring.

Can be some dififculty lighting, the initial whoompf of the flame sometimes blows itself out. When it is cold (5 to 10 degrees C) sometimes is a bit slow to get going. Still works better than LPG at low temperature. Once it is burning the top of the canister warms up and then the alcohol evaporates nicely unlike LPG which cools itself down with the separate tank.

I use a fairly slender gas match to light it. You can throw in matches but you have to clean them out again afterwards, and I have had a case of a glowing match ember surviving a complete night and the stove re-lit itself when we turned it on again in the morning.

I bought an older model without flame deflector and the flame would burn about 8 inches above the cooker if the kettle was not on there. A flame deflector (£3.50 x 2) bought April 2005 lowers the flame and spreads the heat, and stops food burning as much.

It has saved me the hassle of fitting proper gas on the boat as opposed to the swinging bottle style fitted in 1979.

Provided the mineral wool filled alcohol canisters are not overfilled, then no alcohol will spill out if they are tipped up, as it is absorbed by capillary action into the mineral wool.

Normally leaving the burner 'on' without being lit is not serious.
The fuel is not under pressure so it wont pour out by itself.


I use the gimbals and the fiddle kits as well . Both work well.

 

[neilw]

Just don't do as I did with my Origo. Be careful where you put the plastic round thinghy that sits over the burner when it's not in use to stop the spirit evaporating.

I put the kettle down on the plastic thinghy by mistake and it stuck to the bottom of the kettle. I lit the stove, put the kettle on stove and wonder where the smell of burning plastic came from. It then caught fire. [no thanks].

Apart from that I would recommend the Origo and they don't smell if you put the plastic thinghy over the burner when not in use.

 

[bob_tyler]

I managed to get a s/h Optimus double burner paraffin with gimbals from a forumite having advertised in the "WANTED" forum on this BB.. Gave it a good overhaul and it works beautifully.

I don't like the smell of meths burning and preheat it for about 1 minute with a gas blowlamp which I got at Homebase. It never flares, has a good heat and boils a kettle quicker than gas or meths. Very economical to run, clean and no smell using lamp oil from the local hardware shop!

Try the "wanted" section - you may be lucky. Optimus don't make these any more. They work on the Primus principal.

 

[Viking]

Re: Origo Alcohol Stoves - NO SMELL SECRET

I have always used one.
TO STOP SMELLS ADD ABOUT 5-!0% WATER TO THE METHS!!!
I buy a 5 litre container then fill it to the top with water. Then decant a litre at a time into a lite or half litre bottle which is easier to fill the cooker fuel containers. 1 litre is more then enough for a long weekend.

 

[graham]

Ive had one for 6 years and like it. You need some ventilation or it will smell a bit .We usually cook with at least one wasboard open and have a small mushroom vent above the cooker.

very safe as the fuel is not pressurised and if you did spill fuel and ignite it it can be put out with water.

Get the gimballs and pan holders if you want to use it underway.

 

[TrailerSailer]

We have a 'fitted' double burner model which we're in the third season of using. Works really well and this year we've tried the French meths. Everything smells much better and the soot seems a lot less than with English meths and a 5% cut of water (which did help). We light ours using a small butane blow torch - overkill but very effective. Strangley no matter what we do the stove never fails to set off the smoke alarm; fortunately we have a silence button on it. The burning meths obviouly throws out some rubbish!

Overall trouble free and easy to use.

 

[Andrew_Fanner]

Get on well with mine, lack of grill can be a pain though. Allegedly you can get an oven but they have mixed reviews. I'd try one if I could afford it, they seem pricey and not seen one second hand.

 

[Das_Boot]

What is lamp oil I would like to try it in my parafine stove.

 

[bob_tyler]

I suspect that it is paraffin but more refined. It certainly burns freely. cleanly and smell free in my Optimus stove. No signs of any blockages either. The bottles are labeled "Lamp Oil"

I get it at my local hardware shop in litre bottles which have a little spout, like a Fairy Liquid bottle, and don't need a funnel for filling without spillage.

 

[Das_Boot]

I will give it a bash. I bought some parafine from B & Q the bloody stuff reeks to high heaven.