bio-ethanol as alternative to meths for half-price

[dp0001]

At the local B&Q, they're selling fireplaces that run on bio-ethanol and so are selling the stuff in the fireplace area. It took a few visits to the store for other things before the penny dropped - bio-ethanol £5 for 2 litres, meths £2.95 for 1/2 litre.

This stuff:

Since it's purpose is for burning and it's 95% ethanol as per meths, I thought I would see if it would work in my coke can and svea stoves.

In short, it seems exactly the same. Flame looks the same, smells slightly different and stronger and also seemed to catch light much easier but that might be because I experimented in the shelter of a sink bowl in a warm house.

I then googled to see what results others had had. There was talk about it burning without soot so I tried a water boil to see what it would do to the pots.

altered Swedish trangia brazia

Clean pot to start

Standard meths-like burn

At the end, a meths-like dirty pot bottom. Easily cleaned with fine wire wool ready for the next garden adventure

Conclusion: Burns like meths, soots like meths, no disadvantages that I can see but costs less than half the price.

 

[BJJJ]

Brilliant, thanks for the heads up.

 

[Corso]

indeed

misses might even be able to drag me there next weekend

 

[ebt.]

Great (tight) minds think alike

I've been using it for a while, both in a trangia and my home made burners. One thing to watch for is it 'seems' slightly more volatile/vulnerable to heat feedback. When i enclose my home made semi pressurised stove in its windshield, the bio ethanol flares up a bit more. Its not a mega difference though....

 

[Bucephalas]

I buy Bio Ethanol in 20tr drums and it's 99.9% virgin (whatever that means!).
I buy 40 ltrs at a time and it works out at about 50p per Ltr.

It's much better than Meths as there's no smell at all so it doesn't taint things.

I'm down to my last 25 Ltrs now but it should last a fair while yet.

 

[Ed Edwards]

Thanks for the heads up! My family have been informed and I'm off to B&Q

 

[copper_head]

Hmmm... interesting meths is only £3 a litre up here, I know life's expensive in London. But a price hike on meths too?

 

[Ed Edwards]

Hmmm... interesting meths is only £3 a litre up here, I know life's expensive in London. But a price hike on meths too?

I live in Oxford and it's £2.90 per 0.5Ltr and that's the cheapest I can find. If you're getting it for £3 per Ltr can you get me some!

 

[Bucephalas]

Meths is £3.44 for a half Ltr in my local shops.

 

[bearpark]

Interesting test, I'd like to hear more about using it.

Cheapest meths I've found is £1.69 per 500ml at B&M Home Store.

 

[The Big Lebowski]

There's nowt wrong with bio-ethanol, in fact, its cleaner to your cookware and you don't get the horrible soot/smell
that you get with meths.

I used pure ethanol in my stove for around 2 years.

 

[digitracker]

I will try some of that, meths is £2 a half litre bottle in Leeds City market.

 

[Shewie]

Mica hardware stores will fill a 5L container of meths for £9 which isn't too bad

I'm still working my way through a 5L tub of methanol I bought last year on ebay, £16 for 5L delivered

 

[digitracker]

Thanks for the tip off Shewie, just checked the mica website and theres one in otley, I will be getting myself 5litres next time I am in the area.

 

[ateallthepies]

Is Bioethanol denatured? In the OP's post it said the Ethanol content was 95%. The other 5% would surely have to be Methanol no?

Steve.

 

[Hog On Ice]

I think most of the other 5% is something to add some orange colour to the flames - perhaps isopropyl alcohol - I think methanol would not produce the desired orange colour

 

[bopdude]

Is Bioethanol denatured? In the OP's post it said the Ethanol content was 95%. The other 5% would surely have to be Methanol no?

Steve.

Not sure what exactly goes in and in what quantities but Ethanol is alcohol, to stop it from being drank they do put poison /s into the mix, like I said, not sure what and in what quantities.

 

[Gray]

I'm still working my way through a 5L tub of methanol I bought last year on ebay, £16 for 5L delivered[/QUOTE]



Rich, thats a fortune, the last load I bought was about 65p a litre off ebay

 

[ateallthepies]

Would like to know why they don't have to put the purple dye into the Bio-Ethanol? Also wonder if Bitrex is added? Is this stuff just colourless Meths?

Steve.

 

[PDA1]

Retail bio ethanol is just another form of denatured alcohol (methylated spirits). The regulations and formulations are specified in detail in the following:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2005/1524/schedule/made

All ethanol sold in retail outlets must conform to these regulations. I'm surprised they aren't required to add the dye to more easily identify it as not fit for human consumption. Note that here in the USA, there is no requirement to add dyes.