Sciencemadness Discussion Board

Cooking stoves!

Rich_Insane - 16-10-2012 at 09:22

So, I was planning on purchasing a hotplate, but I realized that I've gone over budget and am unlikely to be able to afford one (unless a miracle on eBay happens). Are cooking stoves suitable for basic heating applications? I only need to get to around 110oC in an oil bath. I won't need to go higher and as long as the temperature is above 105oC, it is good enough (doesn't have to be very accurate). Should I purchase an electric stove or one of those butane-burner ones? Any recommendations?

Thanks,

Rich

Hexavalent - 16-10-2012 at 09:39

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1500W-ELECTRICAL-SINGLE-HOT-PLATE-...

I have this exact one and it works extremely well for lab use - heats up quickly and seems to provide quite nice, even, heating, particularly when using oil, water etc. baths.

triplepoint - 16-10-2012 at 12:35

I use both cooking hotplates and a lab hotplate-stirrer. I find both types acceptable, except that the cooking hotplate-stirrer doesn't stir for me.

Endimion17 - 16-10-2012 at 13:37

There's virtually no difference between a laboratory hotplate and a small cooking stove with a regulator such as this one.

It's just a heating element. Ta-da, it heats stuff.

If you use that, plus overhead stirring, you can save tons of money. No need for expensive magnetic stirrers/hotplates. Better invest in decent ground glass equipment.