Alcohol cookers

[clyst]

Just aquired a two burner "cooker" buy the name of TURM NEREUS made in Germany . It appears to have pressurised burners that are similar to a primus but a sticker by the filler states alcohol only . Does this mean that its a pressurised Meths burner ?? Anyone got any lighting / user instructions for these "cookers"

Cheers

Terry

[VicS]

Give it a try1

Take it outside, fill it with meths, pump it up a bit turn on one of the burners and light.
I think you will find that it wont need any preheating like a pressure paraffin stove.

When you have recovered and the burns have healed report back.

[Bilgediver]

Originally Posted by VicS

Give it a try1

Take it outside, fill it with meths, pump it up a bit turn on one of the burners and light.
I think you will find that it wont need any preheating like a pressure paraffin stove.

When you have recovered and the burns have healed report back.

Go easy on your frivolous instructions....he might be daft enough to try it

[William_H]

I am inclined to think (without knowing anything about the subject) that the pressurisation is only to allow the tank to be fitted below the burner which is best for gimble mount as it brings the CofG lower.

I am pretty sure you will need to preheat the burner. This means pressurise the tank, open the valve until a little alcohol fills the bowl. (about a tablespoon full) That is assuming it has a little bowl under the burner.
Light this alcohol and wait until it is almost burnt out. (it could take a full minute) Then open the valve to allow more alcohol in. The new alcohol will vaporise in the now hot tubes to provide a flow of hot gas into a ventury which sucks in air which is fed to the burner outlet holes. Giving the lovely hot blue flame.

If you get a flare up of flames then it is burning the alcahol as a liquid. You must get the preheat tube hotter. Turn off the valve as more alcohol will cool the pipes and start again filling the bowl.

Be careful and make sure every one who sues it is trained. olewill

[VicS]

Go easy on your frivolous instructions

They were not intended to be frivolous. If it were mine I'd stick some meths in it and try it!

[Gordonmc]

I have an alcohol cooker with a pressure tank, although mine is an American built job with three burners and an oven.
You do need to pre-heat the burners, but the process for lighting is easier than a primus because the alcohol vapourises at a lower temperature than paraffin.
About four or five pump strokes will give enough pressure... open the valve to release some alcohol into the burner bowl and close the valve. Light and put the kettle or pot on the flame. When the flame goes out open the valve again and re-light. From this point the cooker will behave just like a gas stove.
Some other points: the tank needs to be at least one-third full for correct pressure. The valves have a self-cleaning position, normally full on and a bit more. Clear Industrial Metholated Spirit is less smelly and contains less water than the purple dyed stuff, as well as being cheaper.

[VicS]

Clear Industrial Metholated Spirit is less smelly and contains less water than the purple dyed stuff, as well as being cheaper.

But you cannot legally obtain it in the UK without an authorisation from HM Revenue and Customs and authorisation is not given for use as a cooking fuel!

The colourless stuff, at one time called "Industrial methylated spirit" (IMS), is now called "Industrial denatured alcohol" (IDA)
Correct name these days for the violet methylated spirit is "Completely denatured alcohol" (CDA).

[doug748]

Very popular in the States and you can see why. Nice clean fuel, unlike parafin, and you only have to buy one lot of stuff. You can put a meths fire out with water.
On the down side it is expensive and best bought in bulk and it will not burn so hot (or so I have been told), in practice I never found it a problem.

[Twister_Ken]

Cooking alcohol? Heathen!