IDA is now not approved!

[w00dsmoke]

I've just spoken to Nicholaus Dyer of the National Registration Unit regarding my application to use IDA for my HEATPAL 5100.

The National Registration Unit have taken legal advice and have admitted that they have wrongly approved lisences for the use of stoves in the recent past.

They clearly stated that they will no longer issue such licenses



Right folks this is crazy, what are we gonna do about this? I'm certainly appealing this.

 

[sam_acw]

What's IDA?

 

[gregorach]

Industrial Denatured Alcohol - meths without the nasties.

 

[Lurch]

Personally I don't think it's that crazy. I thought they were mistaken in issuing the licences in the first place, under the rules in place anyhow.

 

[Matt Weir]

OK, I'll volunteer as Numpty for this one....

What are the advantages of IDA over meths?

Why would you need a license? Is it to use IDA or produce it? Or to use the stove itself?

How would the NRU know if someone in the middle of the woods was using 'unlicensed' IDA? And what's the big deal?

Matt.

 

[Scuba Pete]

It has no dye in it, so it does not soot up your pans as much, its also cheaper. You need a licence to buy it, as its an industrial product.

Without a licence a chemist shop etc will not sell you it.

Thats a shame, I guess all the people sending the apps in caught there attention.

 

[Buckshot]

I always thought the licences were to stop it being drunk by alcoholics.
It's cheap and has no additives in it
Meths is the same stuff but has the dye to put people off drinking it.
It burns much cleaner than normal meths

Mark

 

[BorderReiver]

Personally I don't think it's that crazy. I thought they were mistaken in issuing the licences in the first place, under the rules in place anyhow.

Care to expand Lurch?

 

[Scuba Pete]

If you read the guidelines it does not mention stoves. You could apply for hobby use where it is required. However cooking on a stove does not really fit into that. See below.

For use in small quantities (no greater than 20 litres per annum) in any specialised hobby or pastime where:

use of IDA is specified in technical or trade literature; and
the quantities received are reasonable having regard to the nature of the pursuit involved

They are rejecting it based on below I would think. This has always been the case. It is a bit of a grey area, it seems they just let a few applications slide, but with the volume they have been getting I guess they had to re think it all.

IDA must not be used for heating, lighting or for the preparation of beverages, nor may it be purified, recovered or re-distilled without our written agreement (see Section 12).

 

[Scuba Pete]

It's a shame that it is illegal to purify it yourself.

 

[dommyracer]

Woodsmoke, do you know the specific reason that they believe the current guidelines do not allow for issuing licences for use in stoves? Did they say?

 

[gregorach]

It's a shame that it is illegal to purify it yourself.

Oh, I dunno - the home distillation of highly volatile and poisonous substances is rather dangerous. Kinda like making your own black powder...

 

[leon-1]

If you read the guidelines it does not mention stoves.

A lot of the guys are actually talking about greenhouse heaters rather than stoves.

You may be able to still get it if you use it for polishing (french polishing) wood.

 

[bothyman]

So even if those who have a Licence, use it in a stove they are breaking the law ???.

MickT

 

[leon-1]

No, they will probably have thier license revoked and as such be unable to buy it in the future.

 

[Scuba Pete]

You will be fine, you just wont be able to buy more. Although there is an issue of storage. (Large volumes) I am sure they will contact you if you are not allowed to store it anymore.

We use it for scientific purposes, so it wont affect us. Our supplier asks for a letter from us every year. If we did not produce it we would not be able to buy anymore.

 

[Lurch]

Care to expand Lurch?

Simple enough, stopping your pans getting sooty isn't a good enough reason to issue an exemption license.

 

[Toddy]

Is there anything in the dye/ adulterant that would make it unsafe when burned near to food though?

cheers,
Toddy

 

[MagiKelly]

Simple enough, stopping your pans getting sooty isn't a good enough reason to issue an exemption license.

Surely "I am not going to drink it" should be enough of a reason. Provided we are not going to do anything illegal with it and there is no reason to suspect we will, the exception should get issued.

 

[sam_acw]

I had read that as well as the colour meths also had an additive to make it taste bad. I can't remember where or when I read it though.
I can just buy bottles of this stuff here. Even worse it is just sold with Vodka and I can buy it in the odd pub!