Bio-ethanol burner

[dannytsg]

Recently bought a bio-ethanol burner for use indoors in an emergency situation as a room heater. Does anyone else have one or have used one indoors? I believe that bio-ethanol is a clean burning fuel making it safe to use indoors.

Any experiences and or tips would be appreciated.

[ForgeCorvus]

Anything that burns something needs a little care to be safe.

Alcohol (in all its forms) is however one of the safest (as far as I know anyway)

I'm going to have a 'boil-off' soon between the three types of Alc I currently have.

I'll be checking things like speed of boil, cleanness of burn and smell.... Can anyone think of anything else ??

[gcp1975]

what about co2 detection ???

[24942895]

I'm not sure if it's relevant or practical but if you can weigh the fuel before and after boiling an amount of water you'll also know how much energy the types have. It may well be an insignificant difference though, but just a thought.

Sent from my GT-I9100 using Tapatalk 2

[Silence_is_Golden]

@ Forgecorvus, Although iv'e only ever used it for recreational purposes

Alcoholic beverages
Alcoholic beverages, typically containing 5% to 40% ethanol by volume, have been produced and consumed by humans since pre-historic times.
Antifreeze
A 50% v/v (by volume) solution of ethylene glycol in water is commonly used as an antifreeze.
Antiseptics
Ethanol can be used as an antiseptic to disinfect the skin before injections are given, often along with iodine. Ethanol-based soaps are becoming common in restaurants and are convenient because they do not require drying due to the volatility of the compound. Alcohol based gels have become common as hand sanitizers.
Fuels
Some alcohols, mainly ethanol and methanol, can be used as an alcohol fuel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alcohol

Its good to know that alcohol isn't just a one/two trick pony.

Taking vodka for an example :

1. To remove a plaster painlessly, saturate the bandage with vodka. The solvent dissolves the adhesive.

2. To clean the sealant around bathtubs and showers, fill a trigger-spray bottle with vodka, spray the caulking, let set five minutes and wash clean. The alcohol in the vodka kills mold and mildew.

3. To clean your eyeglasses, simply wipe the lenses with a soft, clean cloth dampened with vodka. The alcohol in the vodka cleans the glass and kills germs.

4. Prolong the life of razors by filling a cup with vodka and letting your safety razor blade soak in the alcohol after shaving. The vodka disinfects the blade and prevents rusting.

5. Using a cotton ball, apply vodka to your face as an astringent to cleanse the skin and tighten pores.

6. Add a shot of vodka to a bottle of shampoo. The alcohol cleanses the scalp, removes toxins from hair, and stimulates the growth of healthy hair.

7. Fill a sixteen-ounce trigger-spray bottle and spray bees or wasps to kill them.

8. Pour one-half cup vodka and one-half cup water in a Ziplock freezer bag, and freeze for a slushy, refreshable ice pack for aches, pain, or black eyes.

9. Fill a clean, used mayonnaise jar with freshly packed lavender flowers, fill the jar with vodka, seal the lid tightly and set in the sun for three days. Strain liquid through a coffee filter then apply the tincture to aches and pains.

10. Make your own mouthwash by mixing nine tablespoons powered cinnamon with one cup vodka. Seal in an airtight container for two weeks. Strain through a coffee filter then mix with warm water and rinse your mouth. Don’t swallow.

11. Using a cotton bud, apply vodka to a cold sore to help it dry out.

12. If a blister opens, pour vodka over the raw skin as a local anesthetic that also disinfects the exposed dermis.

13. To treat dandruff, mix one cup vodka with two teaspoons crushed rosemary, let sit for two days, strain through a coffee filter and massage into your scalp and let dry.

14. To treat an earache put a few drops of vodka in your ear. Let set for a few minutes. Then drain. The vodka will kill the bacteria that are causing pain in your ear.

15. To relieve a fever, use a washcloth to rub vodka on your chest and back as a liniment.

16. To cure foot odour, wash your feet with vodka.

17. Vodka will disinfect and alleviate a jellyfish sting.

18. Pour vodka over an area affected with poison ivy to remove the poison oil from your skin.

19. Swish a shot of vodka over an aching tooth. Allow your gums to absorb some of the alcohol to numb the pain.

20. If all else fails, just turn the bottle up and drink it . http://philippa-pippasplace.blogspot.co ... vodka.html

[preppingsu]

Silence is golden - please could you acknowledge the sites you got that information from .....thank you

[nickdutch]

Steel 1/2 L tins are used in ethanol fireplaces and are as complex as a tin that you pour small quantities of ethanol into and then set fire to. The trick is to do it safely an to devise ways of reducing the risk of kicking the thing over. If you can do that, then any tin that does not have chemicals and coatings on it that can be toxic when burned and inhaled would do nicely.

A handful of trangea type burners could be used as a short lived (30 minutes) bioethanol fireplace.

I LOVE alcohol as a fuel and cleaning agent. but if you do clean your bathroom with strong home made alcohol, make sure you open the window and don't do it for too long or you may start involuntarily singing Irish Rover.

[piglet]

Recently bought a bio-ethanol burner for use indoors in an emergency situation as a room heater. Does anyone else have one or have used one indoors? I believe that bio-ethanol is a clean burning fuel making it safe to use indoors.

Any experiences and or tips would be appreciated.

Hello there

I have a Bio ethanol fireplace in my home. It does not have/require a flue/chimney.
They are more for effect and do not give out a great deal of heat....They will take the chill from a cold room but not a lot more than that.

Mine will run for approximately 2 hours before it requires refilling....Obviously it takes a few minutes for it to cool before it can be re-filled.
At that rate of burn you will easily use 2 litres of fuel a day for little heat.

Bio Ethanol can also be tricky to obtain as not many places carry it, and when they do it is usually in small amounts, and consequently the shelves clear quickly.
Also there are cheaper, easier obtained and more efficient heat producing fuels out there.
Although, Nick Dutch, on here, can probably point you in the right direction should you wish to try to make your own Bio Ethanol.

You can buy a fireproof foam specifically for Bio Ethanol fires, to use like a kind of wick, which will reduce the speed the fuel burns at..... which in turn will lenghten burn time, but probably at a slightly reduced heat. (I have not tried it)

Although they are promoted as safe to use indoors, I still make sure I have a reliable Carbon Monoxide detector close by.

piglet

[nickdutch]

Hello there

I have a Bio ethanol fireplace in my home. It does not have/require a flue/chimney.
They are more for effect and do not give out a great deal of heat....They will take the chill from a cold room but not a lot more than that.

It depends on the rate of combustion of the burning tin and how many burning tins you have going, but you do need to ventilate to get the results you need.

2L a day is not enough for heating a good space. That's only about 12 KwH total energy released into the room over the whole day, like having a 1 KwH fire on. Its not quite enough to give substantial heat unless you have a modified burner that can turn the heat into radiant energy.

You will need to burn more then that to get real temperature improvement, but if SHTF, a few degrees here or there will make all the difference.

To rapidly increase the internal temperature you need 3 - 4 burning tins (1/2 L steel tins) to give you a output nearer 3 KwH of convection power, then after the internal temperature has gone up after maybe 30 min - 1 hour, you can lower the number of tins you use to top up the temperature.

The same fuel can however, be used in your alcohol stoves and it therefore is multi purpose.

[piglet]

My Bio ethanol fire is simply for effect or just to take the chill from a cool room. I would not rely upon them to heat my entire home as I already have other 'fall-back' resources for that purpose.
But I will agree it is works very well in my Trangia camping stove.

My main point was, as you have said is that they are not really that good for supplying large quantities of heat from a solitary unit, especially if you are trying to heat a large room.

Also, at times I have found it hard to locate stores that have any and often resort to buying up a store's complete stock to ensure I have adequate to meet my limited needs. (I recently bought 60 litres and that was the stock of 3 stores almost 100 miles apart).
So therefore, I personally would not recommend it as a necessity resource unless you have a supplier of large quantities locally, or have the ability to make your own.

But, its all about resilience, and having one more option is certainly useful.

piglet