Propane Stove

[cal40john]

As usual, you guys get me curious. I have never been on a boat that has a thermocouple shutoff on the stove burners. I do see that all the bright shiny new ones in the store have them now. I asked someone at a boat show selling stoves how long they have had the thermocouple shutoff, and he estimated about 5 years.

So I must hang out with the wrong crowd, since we didn't immediately throw out our dangerous stoves and plop down the boat buck to be safe, and I'm fairly sure this unsafe stove is going to last me another 10 years. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against advancement, but sometimes some of the advice sounds like anybody that buys an older boat without all the current safety equipment is going to immediately die.

John

[GordMay]

FWIW: Our 1984 Force 10 propane Cabin Heater had a thermocouple safety, but our propane stove of the same vintage didn't.
As Paul said: "It [thermocouple] was invented shortly after they invented the explosion."

[Jim Cate]

FWIW, the French "Eno" brand stove on Insatiable I, installed in 1974 had thermocouple shut-offs which worked well.
The Kiwi-built stove on I-two (can't think of the brand name right now) also has them, and these are a pain in the arse because they are far too conservative, and shut off the burners at all flame settings below about 1/3 throttle.

But, I for one would not be real happy with a stove that did not have them. The penalties for an un-noticed blow-out are WAY too severe to take that risk.

Cheers,
Jim and Ann s/v Insatiable II lying Gladstone Qld, Oz

[Cheechako]

Yeah, I'm not sure the burners usually have an auto safety 'couple or not. The ovens did for a long time. Flameouts do occur. I've had it happen a few times in the Carribean. Pay attention, dont go up on deck after 3 rums with your visitors for long while entertaining and forget about it!......etc

[Tropic Cat]

Originally Posted by GordMay

FWIW: Our 1984 Force 10 propane Cabin Heater had a thermocouple safety, but our propane stove of the same vintage didn't.
As Paul said: "It [thermocouple] was invented shortly after they invented the explosion."

My 1985 propane stove/oven does not have a thermocouple and she's a British boat.

Originally Posted by jwidahonurse

I had a propane cookstove on my 64' schooner. It is messier than alcohol. It creates a film on the galley bulkheads. Also, it smells bad and has a potential for leaking where my alcohol stove doesn't.

No fair, you're comparing the cramped onboard galleys we have with the onboard kitchen you had.

Play fair.

[jwidahonurse]

My boat may have been 64 ft stem to stern, but the galley was very small. The stove was a very small 3 burner.

[jwidahonurse]

Hey Cabo....don't know why you have a problem with understanding. I would assume maybe it is the type of stove. I just know, we had residue on our bulkheads after using a propane cookstove. We never had residue with alcohol. What can I say?....It's the whole truth and nothing but the truth!

[Unicorn Dreams]

Just rememner the camp stoves are made out of thin sheet metal and will start rusting almost immediately after putting it in the boat.
I agree with Cabo with the Pardee's about putting cheap camp stoves on a boat, they had to replace theirs twice if I remember right.
Most good marine stoves are made out of stainless and will probably last as long as the boat..

[GordMay]

Originally Posted by jwidahonurse

I had a propane cookstove on my 64' schooner. It is messier than alcohol. It creates a film on the galley bulkheads. Also, it smells bad and has a potential for leaking where my alcohol stove doesn't.

Your problem was due to insuffient air (a rich fuel/air mix), not the propane fuel itself. The film could have been prevented by cleaning your stove, or adjusting the orifaces.

In the presence of sufficient oxygen, propane burns to form water and carbon dioxide. Complete combustion of propane is evident by a blue burning flame.

When not enough oxygen is present for complete combustion, incomplete combustion occurs when propane burns and forms water, carbon monoxide (which can kill you), carbon dioxide, and carbon (which will form a carbon soot overhead).

Incomplete combustion is defined as within the limits of flammability but higher or lower than the ideal ratio of 4 parts propane 96 parts air. Incomplete propane combustion can occur in one of two ways:
Lean Burn - The ratio of propane to air is less than 4 parts propane. 2.5 parts propane to 97.5 parts air would produce a lean burn. A lean burn can be recognized when flames appear to lift away from the burner and can potentially go out.
Rich Burn - A ratio of propane to air is more than 4 parts propane. 8.5 parts propane to 91.5 parts air would produce a rich burn. Recognizing a rich burn is very simple as the flames are much larger than they are supposed to be and are largely yellow in colour.

Visible signs of incomplete combustion include burner flame appearance (as listed above), soot collecting above appliances and on appliance windows (such as a space heater) and excessive water vapours forming on windows and cool surfaces during appliance operation. Appliance service and adjustment is needed if any of these visible signs of incomplete combustion are noticed.

[Cheechako]

Actually you can get stainless camp stoves now for as low as $25!