Charcoal lighter fluid

Sounds stupid to me. I would think the fumes would explode

Use that gel hand sanitizer

Very dangerous. Please do not try it.

No no no. Charcoal lighter fluid has a lot of the same properties of gasoline. Use only starter gel or hand sanitizer. Alternatively you can use a propane torch to start a fire. I know I used to use the torch method and it's quick and easy. Plus I get to keep my eyebrows

Don't do it not safe at all If your igniter is out you can add a handful of pellets to the burn pot then us a hand held propane torch to light.

There is better choices that have a higher vapor points and ignition temps. It's basically mineral spirits.

Charcoal lighter fluid can be a lot of things, The ones that advertise, no added flavors, are made of methanol or ethanol, the same thing that is in hand sanitizer.

A good way to tell if it is kerosene or diesel based is to smell it.

Dave

A lot of lighter fluids are made from naptha. A component of gasoline. Sure some are made from ethanol or methanol, but why chance it. Hand gel is cheap and you know whats in it.

Naptha has gotten very expensive due to the use of it to extract oil from sand.

Bioburner said:

Naptha has gotten very expensive due to the use of it to extract oil from sand.

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Interesting, I was not aware of that. Must be a great solvent to dissolve heavy tar sands.

There was a case with a Harman where a woman was applying a a substance to her pellets to manually start the stove but forgot to switch to manual mode and the igniter set off the fumes of the substance and she experienced severe burns. Stick with the gel - no fumes. You spent thousands on a stove so a few bucks for the right stuff is the right thing to do.

I use pellets gently soaked in lamp oil, works for me.

Mark_ms said:

I use pellets gently soaked in lamp oil, works for me.

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I figured this is what I would use as well since we have it on hand for our lamps anyway. And it lights off gently/slowly. Glad to hear it works.

Mark_ms said:

I use pellets gently soaked in lamp oil, works for me.

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I used the same for when I had to test fire corn stoves after servicing. Would provide a good fire that would get the corn to temp quick so wouldn't have to spend half hour waiting for the cool fire of gel to get stove to temp. Never use anything of petroleum product on a very warm stove, gel included.

Bioburner said:

I used the same for when I had to test fire corn stoves after servicing. Would provide a good fire that would get the corn to temp quick so wouldn't have to spend half hour waiting for the cool fire of gel to get stove to temp. Never use anything of petroleum product on a very warm stove, gel included.

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How about Sterno ? We have that on hand for our chafing serving dishes. Its gell.

I guess I should clarify why the use of lamp oil, tiki oil, kerosene etc is a bit better to get a COLD stove going. Alcohol is around 90k btus per gallon verses 130k of distillate.

In a pinch I don't see why you can't, but, keep in mind unlike the gelled starter, the lighter fluid will run everywhere and not stay put. The onset of a fire will burn all affected areas. Perhaps pre soak a handful in a plastic cup and drain, pour the pellets in. Again, in a pinch it'll work.

A tablespoon on a 3/4 cup of pellets was all I needed and would mix in a container outside of stove. Just enough to wet the pellets and not have any liquid remain or to have dump into stove.

I'm a cheap sob and just use news paper. Works great for me!

KodiakII said:

I'm a cheap sob and just use news paper. Works great for me!

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I don't know about the cheap part but I find it admirable that you put the lies perpetrated in print to a fiery ending.

I've tried hand sanitizer with less than stellar results. Is their a brand you guys prefer?

Get a bottle of 90% Isopropyl Alcohol and you will never use anything else again. Soak a handful of pellets in a cup with the alcohol for 30 seconds then pour it into the burn pot and lite it. Done

Scroll down to near the bottom of page 1. I put pictures of the alcohol. https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/gel-starting-a-pellet-stove.133815/#post-1798822

chuckster said:

Has anybody tried lighting with charcoal lighter fluid. I was thinking of trying it but would like to know if it is safe first.

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Did this when my igniter went bye-bye. Turned stove off. Cleaned out the firepot. Turned stove on on auto, room temp. Let the stove feed in auto as if it was going to auto-ignite. When it stopped feeding pellets I opened the door, spritzed in some barbeque igniter making sure to wet, but not soak, the pelletts evenly, then used a barbecue fire ignition wand to light the pelletts in several spots. Closed the door and let the room-temp auto-cycle take over. Worked fine. No problems.

once you light it in Oct. you should never turn it off till spring