Methylated spirit - dilute or not?

[Bhod]

I've never diluted the meths i've used for my Trangias, but it's been suggested that i could by i believe about 10%. Can anyone tell me the validity of this and if there is actually any drop in "effieciency" of the diluted meths over the undilute stuff?.
Cheers
Roy.

 

[cyclist]

due to the low BTUs in meth. sprits it takes a bit longer to boil water/ heat your food with an alc. stove like Trangia, Brasslite, Optimus Tor, Caldera Cone and many others.

The only point in diluting meth. spirit is to reduce soot on the pots & pans - soot is btw. an indicator of poor fuel-combustionair-mix. I´d improve air supply rather than lower the fuels amount of energy.
Again a link to the stove guru www.zenstoves.net - studying that you´ll probably have no more questions. Or in the worst case (like me) you´ll start to become a stove freak

 

[Goose]

As cyclist said the only advantage of putting water in is to stop soot and smoke, or to lower the heat from the flame ie for a low simmer. 10% is usually the reccomended amount.

But the reason I posted is more a warning about it! I mentioned this tip to an old(very old in fact ) scout leader, he told me that they used to do this and it worked pretty effectively, usually. They stopped doing it when they realised scouts would get a bottle of meths and put 10% water in, someone would get it out of the store and put in 10% water, it would be decanted into a small bottle and 10%water would be added then some would add 10% water to the burner, by this point burn times would really increase, but the advantage was the meths seemed to last for ages!

 

[Bhod]

As cyclist said the only advantage of putting water in is to stop soot and smoke, or to lower the heat from the flame ie for a low simmer. 10% is usually the reccomended amount.

But the reason I posted is more a warning about it! I mentioned this tip to an old(very old in fact ) scout leader, he told me that they used to do this and it worked pretty effectively, usually. They stopped doing it when they realised scouts would get a bottle of meths and put 10% water in, someone would get it out of the store and put in 10% water, it would be decanted into a small bottle and 10%water would be added then some would add 10% water to the burner, by this point burn times would really increase, but the advantage was the meths seemed to last for ages!

Will be no problems like that this end as i'm the only one that buys it or will decant it, according to SWMBO that sort of stuff is my department.

 

[addyb]

I've never bothered to dilute meths for my Trangia. But perhaps it's because I purchase industrial grade meths and they never seem to soot up my pans at all.

Anyone know if that's the truth or not?

Adam

 

[Goose]

I've never bothered to dilute meths for my Trangia. But perhaps it's because I purchase industrial grade meths and they never seem to soot up my pans at all.

Anyone know if that's the truth or not?

Adam

The meths in the UK is purple, there are additives to make it undrinkable and it is the additives that cause the soot and smoke rather than meths itself. You can purchase IMS, Industrial Methylated Spirit in the uk only with a licence about which there is a thread running at the moment.
Beats me why they bother in this day and age, meths can be more expensive than cheap vodka so why the hell would anyone want to drink it anyway? Come to think of it the vodka should work in a trangia :thinkerg:
Group buy on some cheap vodka anyone?

 

[John Fenna]

Let the rain do it for you as you fill the burner!
Never added any myself and have never suffered for it!
Hungarian home brew vodka (?) works well in a Trangia - just don't try drinking it!
John

 

[addyb]

The meths in the UK is purple, there are additives to make it undrinkable and it is the additives that cause the soot and smoke rather than meths itself. You can purchase IMS, Industrial Methylated Spirit in the uk only with a licence about which there is a thread running at the moment.
Beats me why they bother in this day and age, meths can be more expensive than cheap vodka so why the hell would anyone want to drink it anyway? Come to think of it the vodka should work in a trangia :thinkerg:
Group buy on some cheap vodka anyone?

That makes sense. Over here, anyone can go to a paint supply store and purchase industrial grade meths. They're clear, and on the bottle they say "For unpressurized marine grade alcohol stoves" or something to that effect.

Or, a person can go to a grocery store and buy "Fondue Fuel" which is purple and much like the UK's standard meths.

Thanks for the info, mate.

Adam

 

[Pablo]

I've tried adding water as an experiment, probably about 5%. I got the impression that it didn't burn as hot. It certainly wasn't scientific just my opinion.
Pablo

 

[demographic]

No.

For the simple reason that I can't be trashed with it.

Cleaning the outside of a couple of pots after going camping (sorry bushycrafting to you chaps) never seemed like a big deal to me.I would have to give em a good clean anyway.

Buy meths from Focus, pour into burner, simple isn't it.

 

[rapidboy]

Use industrial meths, burns clean (no soot on pot's), doesn't smell as bad, and doesn't block the holes in the burner.
I only use the purple stuff in my army trangias now and that's just because i still have bloody gallons of the stuff to use up

 

[rik_uk3]

No point in adding water to meths, it slows down the cooking process, and if you do get some soot, it won't hurt us big tough bushcrafters

Meths does absorb water well, so for those of you using petrol/parafinn stoves and you want to rinse out your fuel tank from time to time, rinse the tank with warm soapy water, then just warm water, then a final rinse with meths; this will take residual water out with it

 

[Zodiak]

They stopped doing it when they realised scouts would get a bottle of meths and put 10% water in, someone would get it out of the store and put in 10% water, it would be decanted into a small bottle and 10%water would be added then some would add 10% water to the burner, by this point burn times would really increase, but the advantage was the meths seemed to last for ages!

That happens. We have a simple rule in my unit. It only gets diluted when its decanted into a proper fuel bottle and only then. If in doubt don't do it. Its worked ok so far.

One exception to this rule is in cold weather we don't dilute as it seems to take forever to get it to "kick in" properly otherwise.

 

[antwerpman]

I often go to Ireland and they ad something there to the methylated spirit that gives a terrible smell and also soots the pots. Adding one table spoon of water seems to diminish the soot and I didn't notice any considerable loss in efficiency.I clean the soot with moss. Here in Belgium the metylated spirit is a lot cheaper ( around 1.5 € a liter), easy to get, and notting added to it,. So with the one I buy here there is not the least of a soot problem

 

[ijo58]

I've never diluted the meths i've used for my Trangias, but it's been suggested that i could by i believe about 10%. Can anyone tell me the validity of this and if there is actually any drop in "effieciency" of the diluted meths over the undilute stuff?.
Cheers
Roy.

I've been using Methylated Spirit in my Trangia's for years and have always watered down my Meth's by 10% for one reason only.
Methylated spirits attacks Aluminium, it pits the bottom of the pans will will eventually eat away at it. Add 10% water to the Meth's and when it burns a fine film of water develops on the bottom of the pan preventing the pan from blacking up. This prevents the Meths from attacking the Pan. If you leave the pan dirty for a long period of time it will also pit due to the Meths attacking the Aluminium.

 

[rik_uk3]

How many years of very heavy use would it take to hole the bottom of a Trangia pan? Take into account the burner is brass I don't see what you say happening in a lifetime to be honest.

 

[Holme]

How many years of very heavy use would it take to hole the bottom of a Trangia pan? Take into account the burner is brass I don't see what you say happening in a lifetime to be honest.

I agree. As mentioned in another thread, I have used my Trangia 25 for more than 30 years and there isn´t even a trace of any marks from the burner.

But, storing the burner and the aluminium together, without the little protective plastic bag that comes with the stove (or any other bag of course) can actually cause corrosion between the metals, especially if you have had salt water in the pot.

Also, even if I have no personal experince of the Brittish "meths", judging from your description it seems similar to the Swedish T-röd - ethanol with some additives that makes it red - hence the name - "röd"=red - and also effectively prevents anyone from drinking it. I have never heard or experienced the T-röd to cause any corrosion on the aluminium.

Diluting the T-röd with 10 % water is sometimes done to reduce the sooting, caused by the additives. I have tried it but think it reduces the heat to much. Nowadays i run my various Trangias alcohol burners on pure methanol. It has a slightly reduced effect, compared to ethanol, but it burns without any sooting what so ever.

 

[rik_uk3]

Holme your right, adding water may cut down soot but it also reduces cooking times, bit of soot won't hurt you. I store my burner in a small ziplock bag in the kettle or pan. I'm using methanol these days, a lower calorific value but seems to make not real difference in cooking times and is a quarter the price of meths in the UK.

 

[Holme]

Just a few caveats when using methanol as fuel. It is severly poisonous and of course it may not be digested and must always be kept away from children etc. It also permeates human skin so one better not have direct contact, at least not for more than a brief moment. Further, the flame from pure methanol can be almost invisible - especially when the burner is recently lit, so I always make sure not to hold my hands to close to the burner. Instead, i usually put a used match over the burner to see if it catches fire.

 

[ateallthepies]

Does methylated spirit have the same skin permeability and toxic effect? I'm always sloshing the old purple juice around and often get it on my skin!

Steve.