[pct-l] Burning HEET

[Nathan Miller]

> is it true that if it burns completely,  like Ethyl it
> will not give off carbon 
> monoxide;  but rather carbon di-oxide?

Theoretically, anything, even gasoline, will give off only CO2 if there's sufficient O2 available to react with it during combustion and as long as the temperature remains high enough for combustion to be complete.

> is there a way to tell?   
> 
> ... i bing it up because i have noticed when playing with
> alcohol stoves people 
> often remark on the distinct smell...  i actually
> don't think it's fom the 
> alcohol, but perhaps a give off from the tin cans?

CO is odorless, as is CO2, so you really wouldn't be able to tell that way.  Any smells would be from additives, not from CO or CO2.  If your stove is make from an Al can, you might be smelling either the paint on the can's OD or the coating that's on the ID as the can gets hot while the fuel is burning.

-Nate the Trail Zombie