What kind of alcohol can I use with an alcohol stove?

[I am Fractal]

If I make or buy an alcohol stove, where can I buy the alcohol to be used for it?

Is denatured alcohol commonly available somewhere?

Would using isopropyl alcohol from a grocery store work?

[chai guy]

Many trail towns stock denatured alcohol for hikers, some will even sell you the exact quantity you need, other stores will require you purchase a full container. Many hiker boxes contain "leftover" fuel as well.

Isopropyl or "rubbing alcohol" is generally only 70% alcohol and won't work in many stoves. Alcohol with 91% or greater alcohol content will work, but will leave a sooty residue on your pot and brown water in your stove.

Many hikers purchase and use "HEET" a commerical brand fuel additive (fuel line anti-freeze) as stove fuel at gas stations or other stores that sell auto-supplies.

Check out this link (http://zenstoves.net/Stoves.htm)for all you ever wanted to know about alcohol stoves.

[Token Civilian]

You can buy denatured alcohol (DNA) at most hardware stores (look in the paint section). Yellow bottle HEET can be found at many auto part, grocery and convenience stores. These are the preferrable choices. Finding these is usually no problem. As Chai said, oftentimes partial cans of DNA / HEET can be found in hiker boxes.

Red bottle ISO-HEET will work in a pinch. As Chai mentions, it burns with a sooty flame that will soil your pot bottom. Ditto isopropyl alcohol / rubbing alcohol from a drug store. It'll work, but be messy and you'll need more due to it being cut with water. It worked in my home made 'falling water' stove.

Search out the yellow bottle HEET or DNA - it's the best choice.

The only place along the trail in '06 where I had problems getting yellow bottle HEET or DNA was Walker Pass / Onyx / Lake Isabella. I was stuck blending a bottle of red ISO-Heet in with my remaining DNA. It got the job done.

I found Yogi's commentary on fuel availability to be pretty good, if somewhat conservative - I found fuel in more locations than she indicated. I suppose this is far better than expecting to find fuel in a town only to be out of luck.

[Magnet_]

About HEET... Some places carry a generic brand, or brand other than HEET. Look to see if it contains Methyl Alcohol. If so it should work.

"Pyroil" by Valvoline and "Coastal" are two brands I often see.


http://www.valvoline.com/images/products/productpages/bottle_bot_GLA-12.jpg

(I've never tried Isopropyl... the image I found below just randomly had the iso bottle crossed out...)
http://www.chemistryland.com/Biodiesel/SmallScale/MethanolBottles512.jpg

[locorogue]

sorry if this in the wrong thread, me noob. check out my video on youtube, 'locorogue's micro stove'. i use HEET in the video, but i also suggest denatured alcohol. any questions, comment on video and/or here.