alcohol or propane stove?

[Kelly Hanson East]

I dont think cooking a 1lb tank in a bonfire helps in the risk assessment. By extension, if most of us saw a 12 gallon fuel tank explosion, we would take the gas off our boats too.

How many consumer propane tanks explode per year, not counting the guys who heat them on the stove to see what happens??

[Bluecrab]

Like this?...Forespar Mini-Galley 2000

Yes, Morning Light, a 52' Ocean racer had 3 very similar stoves linked together below deck. Don't remember seeing what type of fuel or brand it was.

How many consumer propane tanks explode per year, not counting the guys who heat them on the stove to see what happens??

This one happen this summer about 2 miles from where my wife works.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/4 ... ec8O7EyUsl

[ROAD Soldier]

That it that poor kid wasn’t even on a boat, just say no to propane. Small canister store on top in some PVC Piping with holes on bottom of pipe to let possible trapped propane out that is nowhere near the companionway. Large bottle systems don’t even think about it. If you are in need of that much cooking power and heat generation just break down and buy the Wallas. There is no scary maintenance of any kind to worry about with a Wallas Diesel/Kerosene stove heater. No fittings that is going to corrode and leak. No vapors that is going to explode or start a fire. No bottle that you are going to worry about dropping while having to transport from one place to another. Nothing that you are going to worry about if it is stored right when trailoring. Just push a button to start and stop it is that easy nothing else to worry about except popping the pop up chimney outside.

Fuel economy nothing on the planet comes close to the little fuel it uses. I think the plastic tank for mine is 2 1/2 gallons or maybe 3 don’t remember because I filled it in February 2008 and it is still 2/3 full after using it a least 30 times 2 of which it ran all night for heat. The fuel economy alone will pay for itself in time if you truly are in need of a high output system. Yes it costs about $1500-$1700 but it will pay for itself and you will never wonder how well something else works, and always be warm and have hot food. Lastly and most importantly on the Wallas stove how much is your life worth, I am not a name brand guy and not into looks but when it means my wife’s and I life then I will fork out the doe. If you don’t need a high out put system then go with Alcohol. A freak in wood burning stove would be better then propane at least with that if it gets out of control you are surrounded by water that you can use to get it under control.

[Hamin' X]

How many people have been electrocuted in your community? Maybe we should strip out the wiring in our homes? How many people are killed in automobile crashes at intersections? Perhaps we should eliminate intersections? Automobiles? Common sense should prevail. I live in an area where natural gas is the predominate heating method for homes. Although I might be proved wrong, I doubt if our statistics on deaths by gas explosions statistically differ from those of home electrocution. or oil heat caused fires. There is danger in most endeavors.

~Rich

[Paul S]

How many people have been electrocuted in your community? Maybe we should strip out the wiring in our homes? How many people are killed in automobile crashes at intersections? Perhaps we should eliminate intersections? Automobiles? Common sense should prevail. I live in an area where natural gas is the predominate heating method for homes. Although I might be proved wrong, I doubt if our statistics on deaths by gas explosions statistically differ from those of home electrocution. or oil heat caused fires. There is danger in most endeavors.

~Rich

As mentioned, it is a matter of your comfort level with risk. In a car/boat/etc you have a lot of dangerous systems in an enclosed space. A boat moreso, as heavy gases can't disapate like in a car. My risk level is low, I won't have AC on a boat I own or below deck propane/cng. I don't even like it on my new boat, but with the safety systems, i feel a bit better.. but still not crazy about it.

Others like all the frills and can tollerate a lot more risk. I like to KISS. Few systems, installed with the best practices available.

Yes many everyday items are very risky. Probably the safest thing you can own is a gun! More people die falling off chairs than by guns! But most peoples comfort level is low with guns but high with chairs. logic doesn't always make sense. Many people fear airplanes, but the drive to the airport is far more dangerous, statistics-wise, than the plane ride itself.

I live on a street where there is no gas line, which was one of the reasons for buying it We don't even own a hot water tank (have on-demand hot water), the potential energy of a defective tank is incredible! Keep it simpl and safe

[Kelly Hanson East]

This one happen this summer about 2 miles from where my wife works.

http://www.startribune.com/local/west/4 ... ec8O7EyUsl

That example cited a 100# tank exploding while refilling, interestingly enough.

To be more specific, how many 1# bottle go poof on an annual basis?

[c130king]

1. Chances of being hit by lightning in a course of an 80 year life span 1:5000. I got hit in 1986.
2. Chances of being in an Aircraft accident 1:8.47million. I was in one in 1996.
3. Chances of being attacked by a shark 1:75000. I was attacked in 1989.
4. Out of 300 million people in the USA 9 drown daily. I almost downed 4 times in my life.
5. I have been stalked by a Mountain Lion have no idea of the chances of that.
6. I have been charged by a Female Bighorn Sheep what are the chances of that?

What I have learned for these occurrences is that if there is a one in what ever chance of being in something, it is a good chance of being me.

Note to self: Do not accept invitation from ROAD Soldier to go sailing with him.

Just thought I would lighten the mood a little...this thread is starting to get a little intense.

Jim

[ROAD Soldier]

Hey on that list the lattest incident was 1996. So I have either learned form preivios incidents or I due for anothe one. So if you look at it that way you have a 50/50 chance of something happening if you go sailing with me. Kind of like using propane.

[Québec 1]

Hey on that list the lattest incident was 1996. So I have either learned form preivios incidents or I due for anothe one. So if you look at it that way you have a 50/50 chance of something happening if you go sailing with me. Kind of like using propane.

Something happens to me everytime I go out sailing. I count on it!
Q1

[2BonC]

In case You have an Origo the usability can simply be improved.
Without electrical power when I needed just one part of it to boil some water for my coffee at first I didn´t know where to put the wooden cover plate and second I hardly could find a place where to put the coffee maker .
To overcome this little problems I have cut the wooden plate in two peaces which were connected by hinges than.

Now I can leave the plate on the stove, flip over one side and put the coffee maker on it while the water can be boiled on the other.


Rainer

[MD Dunaway]

At first I was set against propane (likely due to sensational media coverage) but as this discussion goes on I'm considering trying the 1# propane canisters.

Every system has a drawback. The large fixed propane systems are complex and probably can be safe but if something goes wrong can reduce a boat to toothpicks. A risk of alcohol is storage of the container and spillage and fire (probably more than explosion). Any system can cause carbon monoxide buildup and injury or death.

Overall you are probably more likely to have a cooking fire than any of these things.

The #1 containers can leak but they don't spill. In the worst case scenerio (if a full bottle completely emptied due to a valve failure) there is a limited amount of gas released. The stoves are cheaper (though there are expensive ones to be had). The fuel can be found nearly anywhere. I don't know of any documented cases of the 1# containers causing a catastrophic explosion (intentionally blowing them up not counted). The fuel can be used for other things like lanterns. Fuel cost is not really an issue unless one is really using it a lot.

One side note. I would suspect that injuries are under reported to the USCG. Reporting is legally required for death, disappearance, damage more than $2000, injuries requiring more than first aid and complete loss of the boat. The reporting, however, is required of the boat operator unless they are deceased and then it is required of the boat owner (if I am understanding this right from reading the web site). So it is essentially self reporting.

[Gypsy]

After keeping up with this thread and at the same time in the process of remodeling our galley aboard our 26X . I decided to make a change .

Still going with propane but instead of the tank being in the stern , near the transom , it will be located under the sink. Checked on fit and installing and removing it . It will work graeat there.
I plan to put three wooden doors in place of the black plexiglass front . One of these doors will open to under the sink and large enough to move the tank thru it.

Reason for the relocation of the tank was to make it easier to turn the main valve off after cooking and in case of an emergency such as a flare up during cooking.

In an earlier posting I called it a 20 gallon tank, not sure that thats right. Its a typical BBQ grill size tank.

[Kelly Hanson East]

As a propane advocate, Gypsy, that plan is a really bad idea.

A 25# tank (standard BBQ) should be in an isolated locker, with an external vent. It should not be below deck unless you somehow build such a locker, with a vent, blower, solenoid, gas sensor, flow sensor, etc..

Please reconsider.

[Gypsy]

I do have a bilge blower , I might could rig up a vent .

[ROAD Soldier]

Gypsy please do anything but that. One of my additional duties at my position at work in the Army is being the Additional Duty Safety Officer (ADSO) the new politically gay correct way of saying Safety NCO. As the ADSO I get all the accident reports in brief form Army wide and this is one time please listen to Kelly Hanson in her way of installing propane if not to me in abandoning it altogether. Now if you don’t listen to at least Kelly Hanson I will have no problem in announcing the “Next Darwin Award Goes To______”. To some that may sound cold and heartless but after seeing on average of 20 fatal accident killing Soldiers not in combat a week, that are half my age, for the same stupid things over and over, I have gone from feeling sorrels, to angry, to cynical.