If you leave an origo turned on, but not lit...nothing happens. Your fuel will evaporate. Slowly. But there will be no explosion, no calamity. I challenge anyone to try that with their propane stove!
I'll take that challenge ! A marinepropanestove is fitted with thermocouples that turn off the gas if the flame goes out.
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Markus, something you should also beware of is that butane likes to hibernate for the winter. Something like 34F/2C is the point where it stays liquid at room temperature, making the stoves inoperative. Propane goes down well below that, something like -40F before it refuses to work.
If those butane cannisters are set up to draw liquid butane from the bottom of the can, that wouldn't be an issue. If they are expecting the butane to be a gas...that won't happen.
But of course, you may haul for the winter well before that point.
Spent two hours wandering around Home Depot today trying to answer this question. The short answer is no.
Not easily, no. But I'm pretty sure you could fabricate something (like a gimballed shelf it screws to)... or pay someone to do so... at which point you'd probably be near the price of a proper marine gimballed stove.
I could be mistaken but I believe the problem always was with the "pressure type" alcohol stoves that are prone to flare-ups when lit incorrectly. I don't know the history all that well but I believe the Origo style was never part of the problem.
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Originally Posted by hellosailor
Markus, something you should also beware of is that butane likes to hibernate for the winter. Something like 34F/2C is the point where it stays liquid at room temperature, making the stoves inoperative. Propane goes down well below that, something like -40F before it refuses to work.
The practical temperature limit for propane is quite a bit higher and is dependent upon the withdrawal rate compared to the amount of fuel remaining in the tank, among other factors. For home heating use the practical limit is about -30; parts of Minnesota are cold enough where once every few years the conditions are such that you can have the heat go out in your house due to vaporization problems. For cooking use from the 20 pound cylinders common on boats the limit is similar but if you're trying to run cabin heat there will be problems anywhere below 0 degrees.
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If those butane cannisters are set up to draw liquid butane from the bottom of the can, that wouldn't be an issue. If they are expecting the butane to be a gas...that won't happen.
The portable butane stoves use vapor withdrawal, but they have a little warming band that transfers some heat from the fire to the butane bottle to compensate for the cooling effect of evaporation. The regulator in them shuts off the stove if the canister pressure exceeds a predetermined amount to prevent overheating and overpressurization.
This sort of arrangement works fine on much larger yachts where there is enough space to devote to a proper 120v electrical system with a permanently installed diesel generator. On a smaller boat like mine, these setups have a very poor track record for safety because of the problem of carbon monoxide accumulation from the (inevitably gasoline fueled) generator. I myself would want to be able to make a pot of coffee without waking up everyone in the boat and anchorage.
Interesting discussion. I have used propane, butane, and alcohol for cooking. It is certainly true that propane and butane heat more quickly than alcohol, however, when we are cruising or on the hook, is an extra minute really critical? Is this time difference significant enough to justify another never-ending expenditure directed at achieving boat nirvana? I have been an outdoorsman, hunter, and fisherman my entire life and the beauty of the outdoor experience, for me, is to escape from the highly controlled, codified humdrum of daily existence and reconnect with a simpler life. Geez, is this a discussion about propane? Good luck and safe sailing . . . Rognvald.
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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
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On my Bristol 32 I reach out of the main hatch. Start my 1200 watt 2 hp gas 2 cycle generator that runs 6 hours on a little less than a gal of gas. At anchor the noise is minimal. Can charge batteries at the same time from 12 volt outlet. Charge laptop and phone also. Plus watch the morning news.
CFS-
I would say yes. At that same Home Depot you can buy some simple latch hooks and some steel cable. That will allow you to strap the stove down one way or another. Or, you can buy some powerful rare earth magnets online, the larger and stronger ones are quite sufficient for that job and if you get your fingers in between two of them you WILL be hurt, be warned. They can be semi-permanent on steel objects.
Or you could add some plain angle brackets to the gimbal, and place the burner snugly in between them.
I don't suggest that -40F is a practical limit for propane, just that somewhere near that point, it will no longer vaporize. There are some portable stoves, some MSR brand camping stoves, that are designed for use with the "Gaz" cylinders that use a propane/butane mix. Some of them are designed so that the gaz canister can be used upside down in cold weather, feeding the liquid gas to the burner head, where it is preheated and vaporized. So, it isn't impossible to use the liquid--if the stove has been designed to work with liquid.
Rogn, I don't think the extra minute for alcohol will kill any of us. On the other hand, the invisible blue flame has proven more deadly than gas vapors. But it was waking up in a rain forest from alcohol's water that really turned me off to the stuff.(G)
"Rogn, I don't think the extra minute for alcohol will kill any of us. On the other hand, the invisible blue flame has proven more deadly than gas vapors. But it was waking up in a rain forest from alcohol's water that really turned me off to the stuff.(G)" Hellosailor
Hi, HS . . .
I claim total, honest ignorance in re: "the invisible blue flame." Can you explain? Thanks, R
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"And those who were seen dancing were thought to be insane by those who could not hear the music."
Friedrich Nietzsche, Thus Spake Zarathrustra
"Rogn, I don't think the extra minute for alcohol will kill any of us. On the other hand, the invisible blue flame has proven more deadly than gas vapors. But it was waking up in a rain forest from alcohol's water that really turned me off to the stuff.(G)" Hellosailor
Hi, HS . . .
I claim total, honest ignorance in re: "the invisible blue flame." Can you explain? Thanks, R
Yikes. I had not heard of that. Something to watch out for, certainly.
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