Ethanol v Methanol

I add a very accurately measured splash of water to my Everclear, I like to think it burns a bit cleaner.

 

Does Everclear already have water in it? The other 5%.

 

The newer Trangias burn yellow on purpose. So I heard here before I finally bought one 3 or so years back, and so it proved. That's the one somewhat disappointing thing about it. Evidently, someone became concerned about the supposed invisibility of alcohol flame; as if blue were invisible....

 

Hmmm, even my kerosene and gas burners are hard to see in the sunlight.

 

From https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FHLGU3S
Quote:

• 100% Natural Alcohol
• Clean Burning Fuel - NO Soot or Hazardous Fumes.

 

The new Trangia's burn yellow?? Isn't that dependant on fuel??

 

@snwcmpr I don't know what other 5% is, your probably right.

 

Yes the other 5% is water. This is because it’s impossible to use simple distillation to produce ethanol at concentrations higher than 95.6%.

Ben

 

I just wondered why you would pay good money for purer alcohol and then dilute it.

 

Here's a discussion a couple+ years back:

https://classiccampstoves.com/threa...el-stove-differently.31872/page-2#post-324364

 

Saw it somewhere ---some trangia paperwork perhaps?-- that adding a little water mellows out the burn.

I'm burning Everclear cause it is the safer of the options, not cause it produces more heat.

 

@z1ulike
Have you used your hydrometer to check the percentage of alcohol of the bottles that you bought?

 

No I haven't. I gave my still and hydrometer to a guy who makes wine. I distilled 6 cases of bad wine he had made and turned it into 120 proof alcohol so he could use it to make Port. When I gave him the mason jars of hooch I also gave him the still and hydrometer. After my experiment at making 200 proof ethanol I had no use for it.

Ben
.

 

Ok, thank you.

 

I just noticed it written on the yellow plastic bag for the burner.

My Amazon 'Moda Flame' brand fuel order from Regal Living ... I received 'Regal Flame' brand fuel. Same I suppose.
I finally got it today.

 

Now that I have seen that the bioethanol burns "mostly" clean, but still leaves a mild deposit, I think I will take it to the sailboat for cooking duty on the Origo. Cooking in the cabin, always with a port light or hatch open, is the most enclosed space in which I use alcohol fuel. My other alcohol uses, either priming stoves or cooking in the Trangia, are in more ventilated spaces. Brad

 

Some NZ observations

This all started with my pursuit of measured fuel burns for cooking or coffee, and clean kettle/pots with the new to me Trangia.
Here in NZ Meths (denatured alcohol) is $5ltr and is dyed purple, with the bitter additive.
Contacted an indoor alcohol fire supplier that claim to have bioEthanol at 99.3% at $3-4ltr (wedsite says 3, in person he said 4, I'll argue the point with him later) it's clear fuel. Didn't grab the msds sheet, but picking the 0.7% is the bitter stuff.

So testing

Trangia 25
0.9 kettle filled each time with 600mls of cold tank water (enough for 2 cups of coffee)
30ml bottle of fuel
Total burn time is from ingition till flame death,
Each boil is started at 1min after burner ignition, at which point kettle was put on.
(Fuel was poured into cold burner and allowed to sit for 2 minutes to allow wicking)
Once boil was achieved, burn would continue till flame death ,after complete burning of all available fuel and self exhaustion.

Ambient temp 11c, rose to 14c by the end, didn't have a rectal thermometer for water... but it is cold.


First burn,
Meths
Boil time 7.55m
Total burn 13.02m
Usual Discoloration



Second burn-Ethanol
Boil time 7.39m
Total burn 11.55
Dirty kettle base and sides



Meths again
Boil time 8.20m
Total burn 12.30m
Usual discoloration

Ethanol again
Boil time 7.08
Total burn 11.57
Dirty soot again.

So the (99.3) Ethanol appeared marginally quicker, and cheaper.... but has soot, which could be dusted off on fingers.

Reading the threads here and having heard that Trangia instructions say to add upto 10% water to fuel, lets go again with Eth.


EyeOmeter of 10% water in 30mls of bioEthanol
Boil time 9.06m
Total burn 16.55m

Obvious that addition of water had cut flame/heat efficiency, but kettle was cleaner.

Ethanol and water again
Second eyeOmeter measurement, a reduction of water
kettle not cleaned since last boil.
Boil time 8.02m
Total burn 13.17m



Final run (with clean kettle)
Ethanol and water ( if I had to guess my eyeOmeter, I'd pick <8% water
Boil time 9.03m
Total burn 14.58m

Cleanest kettle of the day.

So what did I learn....
Sweet FA really..... lol
Can cut my fuel cost marginally and keep the T25 shiney by buying Ethanol and adding some water.

What did I enjoy.... the knowledge I've learnt and Playing with stoves


Cheers
Barrett

 

Thanks for taking the time to run through that. If nothing else I may actually remember to add water at some point to my meths. I have still to actually use Bio but will do the same when I finally get it.

As I.m using the Turm a lot more I`ll try a few timed runs with measured amounts.

 

Methylated spirits in New Zealand contains no Methanol now. Just colourant and bitrex. It's to save the alcoholics ☑️

 

@David

Same over here in the eastern islands.

Cheers

Tony