Origo Fuel on Ebay

davidwf

davidwf

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 May 2001
Messages
1,259
Location
East Coast, Woolverstone
Visit site
I have come across this on Ebay , http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/5-Litres-...335?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item2a42dc935f

I am about to buy a boat with an Origo / electric stove andI was always worried about the meths smell with Origo's I think the fuel on Ebay seems to be the same as that which can be bought in France so hopefully no smell. Has anyone used this fuel?

The stove is an Origo C 100 which can use Alcohol or run of the mains when hooked up to shore power.

wae_958147021_p001.jpg
 
Last edited:
Interesting.
At least it would be interesting to know just what the formulation is and how it gets around the HM Revenue and Customs regulations for denatured alcohol.

I notice the ebay ad says methanol free, but that does not seem to be a claim on the website.

I don't think the methanol content of our blue mineralised spirit is to blame for the unpleasant fumes from which which some people seem to suffer. I think it far more likely that it is some of the other denaturants. Industrial methylated spirit ( IMS), now known as industrial denatured alcohol ( IDA), has always seemed to burn cleaner and free from unpleasant fumes when ever burnt in the lab and that contains methanol. Indeed methanol itself burns without producing unpleasant fumes.


I'd think that if you suffer at all when using the ordinary mineralised meths ( now known as completely denatured alcohol or CDA ) this EkoFuel would be the way to go unless you are able to obtain "L'alcool à brûler". Which is incidentally denatured with 5% methanol.
 
I have found the best place for bio ethanol,is Go Outdoors.
have a look on their website.
i buy the 5ltr containers.
 
Meths does smell quite badly, especially in the restricted area of a cabin/galley.

We switched to alcohol sourced from France ('alcool brulee' I think) and it definitely has less of a smell. If you have previously used meths, the initial smell from alcohol will not be much different but eventually this mostly disappears. I seem to remember paying about 3 euros per litre in the Arzal chandelry on the River Villaine.
 
We use B and Q bioethanol. They sell it for their flame fires etc. No smell. Burns great in normal 2 ring Origo stove. Each B and Q seem to have a ration. When we see it, we buy in bulk.
 
We stocked up on Alcool Brulee while in France. If you are anywhere near Dover it is worth subscribing to the email lists of the ferry companies. Around Autumn you get some great car + passenger deals. Take yourselves/kids/grandkids to Nausicaa and pick up some deals from the French Hypermarkets on the way back (including Alcool Brulee)
 
Jaguar 25 said:
Meths does smell quite badly, especially in the restricted area of a cabin/galley.
Click to expand...

The smell of meths is an additive ... methanol itself smells more or less he same as ethanol. I believe it's the addition of methanol which denatures the ethanol as far as HMRC goes, because it makes it undrinkable. Further additives, like the smell, the colour and bitrex are there to discourage people from drinking it but are not required. Hence industrial denatured alcohol which has the methanol but none of the stuff to prevent consumption. I think.
 
Bio ethanol has almost no smell and is much cheaper than meths. It also has a water content of about 2% which means it burns very nearly as hot as gas. Meths can be watered down to almost 60% and still burn but with a much lower heat.
 
JumbleDuck said:
The smell of meths is an additive ... methanol itself smells more or less he same as ethanol. I believe it's the addition of methanol which denatures the ethanol as far as HMRC goes, because it makes it undrinkable. Further additives, like the smell, the colour and bitrex are there to discourage people from drinking it but are not required. Hence industrial denatured alcohol which has the methanol but none of the stuff to prevent consumption. I think.
Click to expand...

Pretty close but there have been some changes made to the formulation of completely denatured alcohol ( what we normally call meths) since july 2013.

It appears that it no longer contains methanol in EU countries ( meths is no longer meths!). Some of the nasties, responsible for the characteristic smell, are no longer added even the methyl violet dye is optional.

I dont recommend it as bed time reading but all the details are in http://customs.hmrc.gov.uk/channels...ntent&id=HMCE_CL_000263&propertyType=document

I guess the bioethanol offered in the ebay advert that started the thread and the fuel sold by B&Q are legal because they comply with the revised formulation.
 
We buy ours on Amazon (but not from amazon) in handy 1l squeezy bottles. Slight premium on price compared to 5l containers but easy to handle

Lot cheaper than the Rotherham firm who do seem rather pricey
 
Yes and intermittent supply. We snapped up a load in July and the chap said it was last year's stock. Hope spirit fires aren't going out of fashion.
 
Giblets said:
They certainly did at the New Malden superstore three weeks ago. I think it is only available at the bigger stores though as my local one does not sell it.
Click to expand...

Lazy Kipper said:
Yes and intermittent supply. We snapped up a load in July and the chap said it was last year's stock. Hope spirit fires aren't going out of fashion.
Click to expand...

They still sell the fires but there is now no mention of the fuel being available. Perhaps thats just because it would only be available to personal callers, but it was on the website at one time.
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top