What is the purpose of the perlite in the stove?
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- Опубликовано: 9 фев 2025
- On my video, "CanteenShop GrillTop Stove Stand - Sterno can refilled with Perlite - Boil Test - Reloaded" BluegrassBushcraft asked, "This may be a stupid question but what is the purpose of the perlite in the stove?"
I think this is a pretty good question that I would address in this video.
Perlite is a type of volcanic glass that can be added to soil to improve it's condition and also used in hydroponics as a medium so it's usually available at most garden centers or hardware stores. It's pretty cheap too.
MatoNupai partially answered BluegrassBushcraft when he commented, "It absorbs the alcohol the way a wick of carbon felt (welding blanket) or fiberglass holds onto the fuel."
I prefer to use perlite over fiberglass insulation because it doesn't seem to melt or fuse when the alcohol runs out. There are times I choose perlite over carbon felt/fiber because it's cheaper and sometimes easier to use in odd shaped burners.
Perlite absorbs the alcohol so that if the burner, especially if it's an open top burner, tilts the alcohol isn't so apt to just spill out.
The perlite brings the alcohol to the top of a burner so that there is a bit smoother flame. Without the perlite in an open top stove the flames can be burning down in the burner making for a bit hectic flame. With the flames up at the top of the burner the burner itself will stay a little cooler as you will see from the two burners I use in the demo.
So when it comes to wicking my choices usually are carbon felt/fiber and then perlite.
I thank BluegrassBushcraft for question and I hope this video helps,
I thank MatoNupai for his comment,
and I thank you all for watching my videos,
Hiram
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I sure wish this guy would create some new content, he is so awesome and thorough.
He is no longer alive.
Perlite also serves as a very good heat insulator, used to fill the area between cans in a home-made rocket stove. Thanks Hiram!
Keep up the good work brother! It is an awesome resource to have someone like you testing and showing the result!
hey hiram just happen to trip across this video and as a camper and a bit of prepper thank you very much for this video great information on here . keep up the good work and thank you.
the bad thing about a pointed plame is thwt it will create a very concentrated hotspot on your pan. if you use like a thin backpacking cooking set, where the pots are about 1/16th or so thick, youll burn the shit out of your food. the rest of the stuff are bonus's. i think if i were to use the perlite, i would shape the perlite like a cone, where the center is pushed down, and raised up around the sides inside the can. i would love for you to make s video testing this idea with the perlite
Thanks for the tip. Ive used perlite in other stove projects. It’s light weight and also acts as an insulator
Many R stoves are constructed with bricks or cement blocks right off the shelf so it's not a necessity to use perlite.
Great tip on getting the flame higher in the can!
New sub.
Roy
Be careful when buying perlite from big box stores or hardware stores. It usually also contains fertilizers (like MIricleGro), which you probably don't want to be burning. Hydroponic stores carry the plain ol' perlite (NO additives) and is also A LOT cheaper there. Nice vid. Cheers!
Ith Bombgard lekker
Ith Bombgard Good to know. Thanks
Great videos just stumbled across your channel and I've been looking for alternatives for heating my camper I've been using the fiberglass after using toilet paper. Never thought about pearlite
Thank you again for doing the research !Always great advice.😃
Great advice, but it left me wondering:
Is there a difference in burn time with identical amounts of alcohol?
Thanks Hiram. Great informative video. Now that I've seen the video I guess it was just common sense. Thanks again. Atb. Robert
Your question was not stupid and now we all gain some knowledge ! I too thought it was only for the wicking effect .
would you be able to put perlite into the center of trangia type stove to help slow evaporation and extend burn time?
Great words - I bought all of them they had in the store...
Excellent, thanks Hiram.
That's pretty cool...I just learned how to solve a problem I have had with my stoves for 2 years!!! thanks! !!
Thanks Hiram, I didn't know about perlite.
God bless you real good 💕 🌿
Good job man is a good for people whom ignore many things. Grasias dude!!
Perlite has a high surface volume. Since the perlite has a bunch of tiny holes in it the alcohol has a larger surface area to cling to. That's why it's good for soil, it will trap water for plants.
Good simple video. Thanks for sharing!
I learn something from you with each video.
We need Hiram back asap
Hope you are well Brother
Excellent presentation ! 👍👍👍
This is exactly what I wondered to…
Glad I was able to help
thanks for the vid, informative. Just a thought, have you ever used vermiculite in a stove, I know it is porous and will hold water. I wonder if it would change the burn rate, or maybe have more fuel capacity?
Please do a side by side comparison of one with alcohol and one with lamp oil. The perlite is a great tip. Thanks.
You might remember the old "Soupy Sales" kid show from the fifties. I grew up watching him on TV. He had two so-called "dogs" on the show (named White Fang and Black Tooth) which were nothing more than two long hairy arms of guys on the set clawing the air as they talked to Soupy in grunt and growls. Here's why I bring this up: we never see your face. All we see are your two hands clawing the air, and so help me . . . all I can think of are those two arm puppets talking to Soupy. It brings back a lots of fond memories from my childhood watching your informative demonstrations. Thanks :-)
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! Had a hard time finishing the video! Laughing too hard!
Odd question, but what would happen if you lined the bottom 1/4-1/2" or so of the tin can with Perlite, then used the carbon felt on top? That way, you'd get the wicking action of the carbon felt (minus the small Perlite layer below) without the problems of leftover fuel spilling out, or having to wait until the fuel completely burns out.
thanks very much for this video greetings from the UK
Learn something new every day
Hello! Can horticultural grade perlite be used for cooking?
Thanks in advance!
What type alcohol?
How about using rock wool? Thanks
This is a great video! Thank you for sharing.
Hi, one question: is perlite the same stuff as silica gel, used to absorb moisture from several boxed items?
Thanks.
Have you tried gel hand sanitizer with perlite?
Hey thats pretty cool.
I was actually learning all this stuff for concrete design mix for fire.
I needed a decent demonstration that helped me get my head around what happens with the addition of pearlite.
So thanks very much. Ive give you vid a like.
Chris. :))
Besides using Perla and tin cans have you made a table top stove with perlite
Thank you. Does it work with kerosene, too?
We all be missing your videos......Ron
Good question @@BluegrassBushcraft thanks guys
Great video,
Which is better, carbon felt or 6) Perlite, Carbon Felt, or Bio Ethanol Ceramic Wool Wick Sponge?
So,would your burner be something like a Swedish M71 military burner,they look about the same size.
Can you do a time and boil test please?
Perlite is used in concrete as an insulator.
Can the perlite container hold more alcohol than what you poured into it thus making it burn longer?
Or was it saturated?
I wonder what happens if you put perlite into the fill part of a Trangia.
What is the expected burn time for one of the cans with the same amount of alcohol, but with the Perlite added? In other words, how long can you use such a can for lighting or such?
Does one burn longer than the other? Thanks
Can you do firelogs project
I really like the way you explain things
How long does the stove burn or what is the ratio of burn time based on the amount of alcohol used
What a great idea! The directed flame with the perlite is less wasteful and heats food and water faster. Would sand work as well? Have lots of that, but no perlite yet.
Yes sand does work. I did a video here I dug some sand out of a creek bank.
What is ratio alcohol to perlite!!! Ty!!!!
I have a gel fire place can I use it in there
Informative. Thanks. Do you think diatomaceous earth would work similarly?
U stole my thought, im gonna try it.
Another issue is that the perlite occupies space that fuel would otherwise occupy thus shortening the burn time.
I like the perlite for simmering rather than a superfast hot burn
Hey zeolite does pretty much the same thing so what I'm wondering is this could I use Pearl Light to produce regular clean O2 like if I were to replace the molecular sieves in my concentrator with the Pearl Light That should work the same I would assume or am I wrong I would love to get your input great video
Absolutely
Could fire place rope seal be used for wick?
Sam Barton I bet it could. That stuff doesn’t burn and would certainly wick fuel.
Can you check out times for the RUCAS. ALCOHOL STOVE COMPARED TO THE PATHFINDER STAINLESS STEEL STOVE?
Good info. I'm gonna to try perlite in my penny soda can stove.
So Pearlite in used Sterno Containers is a good idea ?
Looking for ideas, and this seems like a good one.
Does the perlite or carbon fiber help the gelled fuel last longer
Mull item list.
Wool vs. carbon felt.
Find some discounted wool yarn?
Squeeze, stuff it into an alcohol stove, cut a wire mesh dome cap to go over it?
"Wool is classified as a flame-resistant fabric. The textile is flammable, but it has to reach at least 1,058 degrees Fahrenheit, to ignite. The material has high water and nitrogen contents in its cells which means if it did ever catch on fire, once removed from the source of the heat, it would self-extinguish the flame.”
Perlite can suck up four times its weight in water, vermiculite up to sixteen times its weight.
Vermiculite sourced from one place In the US used to have asbestos in it, I'm not sure if for plants, it's still being sold.
Old Vermiculite insulation had it in it.
Pill bottle disc, made of vermiculite....
The Vermiculite pill bottle disc each hold 1 ounce of fuel, you use two, they work best with the pot, pan sitting on the disc.
Either 2 stacked, or 2 side by side.
You want to rest the pot, cup on the stones.
You eliminate the top surface as a burn surface because of the pot on it, the fuel burning from sides, it's more like your gas stove in the house.
It appears to provide more of a blue flame, then having the pot located over the stones, top burning.
A heat diffuser will give all pot an even cooking 🍳 surface. ..if you don't want to cremate the food. I subscribe from Tasmania Australia 🇦🇺
You can buy purlite in big bags as well
it adds more surface area for the alcohol to burn on
Could you use Vermiculite? From its composition it seems to be able to withstand 1300c (2370f) and hold 3 to 4 times its volume with liquid! and is lighter than perlite. I have not tried Vermiculite as I don't know if it produces any gases, but they seem to use it in pizza ovens and as bricks in some wood burners... anyone tried it?
Vermiculite and Perlite are both made by grinding rocks into dust and heating the dust until it pops like pop corn. While they are different minerals, the biggest difference is basically that Perlite is heated by volcanoes and Vermiculite is heated in furnaces until it pops like pop corn.
Vermiculite is used in fireproofing and refractory insulation so I see no concerns with replacing Perlite with Vermiculite.
How do you make bio ethonol alchohol fuel? Can you use moonshine from corn/other?
People use Everclear 190/95% for stoves.
@@pearlllllgarcia$ expensive $ i'd rather drink it.
Wow that was great. Thanks for sharing
Can perlite be replaced by other sand?
Sand could probably work, but perlite is superior because it is extremely lightweight. It feels, weight-wise, like Styrofoam.
@@griffinsmithish i tryed sand, it works but heavy, stick with perlite
Can you use vermiculite instead?
Another poster said yes above.
Great video. Question: scars on hand from burns or from psoriasis/eczema? Just wondering as I see it from to time in your videos.
It is so....the perlite is very important......I have got a DIY alcohol stove and off course with something similar as perllite....saludos de BILLIG CAMPER desde Alemania.
How much do you put in
Very help thanks.
I looked perlite up on Wikipedia and I saw that you can get very fine or coarse so I was just wondering what is better to use, coarse or fine grind perlite. thanks
Thomas V It depends on what you need it for: gardening, stove making, experiment etc. what is the reason to want perlite?
Coarse
@@accountantintraining4752 we R talking stove's here
Very nice thanks much!
How long will it burn
kool dimo ,makes since---GOD BLESS ---jd avery
I've seen a diaper interior ripped into small pieces and alcohol.. I never tried it
How much alcohol do you use per meal.
25ml
I normally drink 1 or 2 16oz cans with my meal.😃. 🍺 .
And also some things to be said about simplicity...
Excellent. Thank you. 🍺
thanks for the info
you can ask the dollar store to order the candles for you or even try going out to their website online and order them yourself.
Hello, I was wondering... When the alcohol burns out does the perlite start burning or does it just go out and remain the white color? Thank you ;-) Great video as usual...
No. The perlite has already been exposed to temperatures ranging from 1,560 to 1,650 °F (850-900 °C), and your little stove isn't going to get near even near that. A steel can will probably melt before there's any change to the perlite. It's finished. When the alcohol burns out, just refile it with alcohol, indefinitely.
Thank so much ;-)
Nice job.
Could you just stuff a rag in the can to act as a wick?
Thanks
sir how i get perlite at home
Would Perlite work as a wick for a Fancy Feest stove?
Any kind of small can will do: any cat food or tuna can, a cut-down aluminum beer can, a soup can, etc.
thanks cause I want to make some of these.
What's wrong with just using regular sand
Sand is heavy. Perlite is very lightweight.
I am not sure that the can with the perlite was burning at a lower temperature. In metal casting many hobbiests use perlite as an insulation and it holds the heat in from escaping sort of like insulation as in a house so it would make sense that the outside of the can was a cooler temperature. So basically in a nutshell perlite acts as a high heat insulator. Good video by the way good luck!
I agree. Also, Mr. Cook seemed to be aiming at the BOTTOM of the cans, which I didn't understand. You'll notice that the flame from the perlite was a steady blue, and the other can showed yellow, which can be a sign of incomplete combustion. A better test might have been boiling a measured amount of water over each can, and noting which one boiled first.
@@Frantic618 i think he just was testing to see if the can got really hot, which could burn the surface it's resting on.
Has anyone tried "Roxul" spun rock insulation?
Rest in peace hiram unless I'm wrong but I don't think I am sadly
👍👍🇧🇷 Parabéns
Good, Video!
If you put some stainless screen inside of the can on top of the perlite it could help keep the perlite in if the can tipped over.
Later, FW.
What type of alcohol?
Vy Chi Denatured alcohol.
great video :) would you believe.. in the UK it's known as Methylated Spirits... Lol
Campers recommend SUNNYSIDE CORPORATION 1-Quart Denatured Alcohol Solvent as one of the most clean burning brands.
have you ever tried Rockwool?
Why don't you try it and let us know? I've heard that one of the reasonst that Rockwool (aka Mineral Wool) is good for home insulation is because water just rolls of the surface and isn't absorbed. If it does that with alcohol, I can't see it being very useful for the application.
OK, I tried it, and the Rockwool did burn, It was old and used so it could have been nutrient (plant fertilizer) that was burning.
There are so many easy ways to make a stove out in the field, and so many litterbugs that it would be difficult not to have a stove as long as you have fuel.
Did you ever notice that the intermission music for the Olympics is from the old T,V, show "Brisco County, JR".
Hi Hiram, I have another question for you. Does the Perlite put off any toxic fumes or smoke?
God bless you Hiram, real good 💕 🌿
No, it doesn't. It is inert.
Thank you so much, I love you Hiram. God bless you so big!✝️🥀🐎 Jesus is gathering the angels for battle. Be ready. Here's a hug for ya 🤗
So are the burn times the same between the perlite and the alcohol tins? Was thinking the perlite tins should have a longer burn time.
Why would it be longer? Nothing has changed -- it's just the alcohol burning. If there is a one-eighth cup of alcohol in each can, it should burn for the same length of time.
Another channel timed and compared. Perlite seemed to help stove burn alcohol hotter and longer!
He seems to have a red stain on his right hand. Did he burn himself?