Many alcohol stoves produce relatively high levels of carbon monoxide. Using one indoors is not a good idea.
CO will give you headaches. If you're getting headaches testing stoves with limited ventilation, STOP and go outside.

"Just curious- how many of you wear respirators and rubber gloves while putting gas in your tanks? Do any of you work on your own cars? Come into contact with used motor oil? How about household cleaners? Drive down the freeway or just live in urban areas? I probably inhaled a years worth of sniffing burning stoves in the 2 or 3 miles I drove down the highway following a few cars behind this 1972 Chevy 4wd gross polluting pickup. I even had my windows up and the a/c on recirculate. The smell of raw gasoline inside my car was overwhelming.

I mean, with the amounts of chronic exposures to harmful chemicals we deal with in our day to day lives, it really seems to me that occasional contact with some form of stove fuel or another is a rather trivial matter. Just don't stiff the bottle or run the stove without adequate ventilation and quit worrying."

I try and avoid those harmful chemicals as much as possible and take precautions when I can't. Everyone can and will do what they want, of course, so I'm not going to change anyone's mind, I'm sure. That doesn't mean what they're doing isn't harmful or at least potentially so. Me, I take precautions whenever possible. When I'm working on my cars and truck, I wear Nitrile gloves. I'm surprised when people don't. I just came in from trying to chase down a fuel leak on my truck. Slipped the gloves off and not only are my hands clean, they don't stink like diesel. Those days of working on a vehicle and scrubbing my hands for 30 minutes are long gone for me. No chemical contact either.

Methanol is seriously nasty stuff. WAY worse than gas or diesel. If you breathe it at all, you will get a headache. I wondered if the pain is your brain cells dying (I'm just guessing, I'm not a doctor). I worked with large amounts a lot for years making bio-diesel. The system was in a 3 sided pole barn so open on one side and exposed to the prevailing winds. Not only did I still take it outside to work with it, I held my breath whenever I was exposed to it. You need a high end respirator to deal with it. Masks and cheap respirators don't provide protection for it. If you don't mind being exposed to it, knock yourself out. Not me. I can make more money. I can't make new brain cells. I'll spring for Everclear. If you can't get it, the ESX Green seems like it might be the best alternative. I believe it is 90% ethanol.

For those who test stoves inside, a word of caution. A guy on the bio-diesel forums had his system installed in a second home on his property. Not a guest house, a full size house. A fire started when he was testing waste vegetable oil for water content. The house was destroyed and the insurance company refused to pay. I have no idea if that would apply when testing an alky stove inside, but why take a chance? Insurance companies look for any reason not to pay. Why give them one?

Daniel, get a subscription and read the articles Anna posted- those articles alone are worth a years subscription. They answer your questions about all the fuels you listed and clear up some of the "opinions" on this thread.

Good post, Randy! I'll also add this: Toxins are ubiquitous. No way to eliminate our exposure....but there are 100's of ways to minimize them.

Edited by rustyb on 04/06/2012 21:36:52 MDT.

I didn't think this would attract so many responses. Thanks for all of your input. I read Anna's post as well as all of yours. I will definitely not be using my Denatured Alcohol anymore and it looks like I'm going to have to pick up some good ol' Kentucky Everclear.

Everclear seemed like the best option for me because I can pack extra and drink what I don't burn! :) I hope the rangers don't bust me for having alcohol on the trails! hah :)

Just don't drink it straight! It goes well with some powdered Gatorade, though. :) Travis said that he uses a 190 proof alcohol called Volkov which is cheaper than Everclear. I haven't seen it here in Colorado yet but maybe they have it where you live.

Supposedly, the following brands are cheaper than Everclear: Diesel, Golden Grain, and Clear Spring. I'm sure there are other brands.

Um, not that I'm an expert on cheap liquor you understand.

HJ
Adventures In Stoving

Hic!

;-)

Party On,

Newton