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Rockinar · 15-04-2021, 23:46

Dometic quit making the Origo alcohol stoves. Any reason why? Not popular? I dont like my propane stove and was going to take it out and put in an alcohol stove.

Simi 60 · 16-04-2021, 04:28

Dangerous,
Don't believe me ask Google

valhalla360 · 16-04-2021, 04:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Dangerous,
Don't believe me ask Google

Invisible flames are always fun to play with.
Pouring flammable fluid inside a rolling vessel.
Having to find suitable alcohol.
Almost no one has them anymore.

Other than some old boats with old stoves, they are going away and with good reason.

rwidman · 16-04-2021, 04:47

You might find a used alcohol stove somewhere. There are a couple "used boat parts" stores around the country and you might find a private party either upgrading their stove or junking a boat.

Why do you not like your propane stove? Is it a "real" marine propane stove (Force 10, etc.)? We love ours. We had an alcohol stove on a previous boat and for us, the propane stove was a big improvement. It's just like cooking at home.

Ken Pole · 16-04-2021, 09:33

I have one which has never been used since I replaced my original alcohol stove about six years ago -- I mainly daysail solo so no real need, thanks to my sternrail BBQ. You can have it if you want to pay for shipping and that, of course, depends on where you are.

caffel · 16-04-2021, 10:12

I recently got to use one of these Origo brand stoves and it was sturdy and very effective:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YIRCFePn10

Not pressurized.
Alcohol purchased at Home Depot or Hdw store.

Scorpius · 16-04-2021, 10:14

I imagine the cost of the lawsuits and insurance persuaded the manufacturers to stop producing alcohol stoves. Will YOUR insurance permit you to have one? I'd be surprised.

jen1722terry · 16-04-2021, 10:27

Actually, we love our Origo 6000 non-presurized alcohol stove. It boils water a bit more slowly than propane, which is not a problem for us, for we never cook for a large group. Just the two of us. The oven gets plenty hot for biscuits, bread and cookies. Well gimbled. We've never had a spill in 7 years of full-time liveaboard summers. It's so easy to light in the morning for tea and knocking the chill off the cabin.

Of course, we have a history with other types of stoves. My old Bristol had a pressurised alcohol stove back in the '80s. Hated it, particularly at a rolling anchorage where I had a few flareups

I also had the sad experience of seeing a propane explosion on a cat boat. The solo crew was in the cockpit. The explosion broke his legs and hurled him overboard. Hence, we don't use propane below decks. We're sure there are safe ways for diligent skippers to use propane, but not for us. We do use a propane grill with a homemade propane locker for the gas bottles, basically a piece of PVC pipe clamped to a stanchion with a vent overboard.

Sad that the Origos are scarce. We love ours.

Cheers

rwidman · 16-04-2021, 10:30

A fully ABYC compliant propane installation and stove is very safe. Unfortunately, some folks don't bother with the ABYC requirements and just cobble something together that seems to work.

Phantom Jim · 16-04-2021, 10:56

If a cooking unit is USCG approved then it is safe to use within the parameters issued by the USCG.

Every hydrocarbon cooking fuel has its issues:
pressurized alcohol has flareups
pressurized kerosene has flareups
Evaporation alcohol may be difficult to see burning
Propane may leak into the bilges and be an explosion hazard

The correct approach is to have the correct installation and then follow the instructions.

All of them can kill you if you are careless.

thinwater · 16-04-2021, 11:29

So funny. Why do people offer up unfounded guesses instead of just following the thread if they do not know? Only politicians are supposed to do that.

Dometic did NOT get sued. They sold the product line because they are focused on OEM sales, and everyone wants gas in a new boat. The little bench-top butane stoves are dirt cheap and they feel like home to the Admiral. (I had several conversations with contacts at both Dometic and the new owners (a non-profit donating them into the 3rd world, where they can burn local ethanol).

Safety problems require you to be an idiot that does not read instructions. Remove the canister and fill in the cockpit or sink. Don't pour from the hardware store metal can--put it in quart fuel bottles first. I never spill a drop. The non-profit (Project Gaia) has put thousands of these into the third world, many to people who cannot read, and have had zero accidents.

Denatured ethanol is easy to find anywhere in the US but California. Most of the people on this forum don't care about overseas. We don't sail there.

Your insurance company will be fine with it. Don't know where that came from. You don't really want to argue that propane is always safer? With equal care, they are both safe.

Would I buy a propane stove now? Probably not. Origo was always expensive and butane is nice, or I would install propane (expensive but very nice--I've had that too). But I might if the price was the same as butane.

HopCar · 16-04-2021, 11:43

I agree with Thinwater. Used correctly the Origo was quite safe. Alcohol might burn but I’ve never heard of it exploding like propane can. If alcohol some how gets where it isn’t supposed to be and starts burning, it’s easy to extinguish with just water. I loved my Origo.

Of course now after a year of hand sanitizer absorbing through my skin, I think I could burn my urine in an Origo.

Thinwater, who bought them and will they bring them back to the market?

bumpman · 16-04-2021, 11:44

I agree that propane is safe, provided regular due diligence. But I really like my Origo cause it's KISS. No gas pressure, easy to fill once you get the technique, and no hazard of bilge gas. Any slight spillage immediately becomes the angel's share at safe air concentrations. Hope you can find a used one. Sometimes the box hardware stores carry denatured ethanol, esp. with a receding pandemic. There are also other similar non-pressurized alcohol stoves on the market, though one would have to make them safe for the marine environment. There was a rumor a while ago that another company was going to make them - don't know if that happened. Good luck.

**roverhi** · 16-04-2021, 11:46

The problems with alcohol stoves was with the pressurized stoves that have been out of production for decades. A leak would allow the alcohol to pump out the storage tank until either the tank was empty or pressure depleted. When you'd fire up the stove there could be major fire that was hard to see in bright sunlight and difficult to put out.

The Origo stoves didn't have this problem. Alcohol was contained in the burner base and only rusting out after many long years of abuse would result in a leak. That leak would be minimal confined to the small volume of the burner base.

The biggest issue with the pressurized stoves is/was their low heat output. You could grow a luxuriant beard waiting for coffee in the morning. For some reason the Origo burners put out nearly as much heat as butane/propane. Not equal but heat enough to boil water PDQ. I'm really at a loss as to why Dometic felt the needed to shut down production of the Origo stoves.

Propane's danger can be minimized by installation, maintenance and use. The problem is when it leaks it makes for a deck lifting explosion that is not survivable if you are below when it blows.

I'm thankful I got my Origo when it was still available.