Courtney,

I don't know how you know when to replace the burner. I suppose when you
feel that performance is falling. As has been suggested, they'll
probably last a very long time if you don't let them run out of fuel. We
lived aboard for a year, two adults, a child, and for a couple of
months, a teenager. Cooked all meals on the two-burner stove and the
burners are still functional some years later.

As I recall, we simply used the West Marine gallons. Found the plastic
to be far less likely to rust in the bilges.

Burning anything inside a cabin without a chimney is something to be
cautious about. In warm weather, the hatches are open. In cold weather,
human presence produces an awful amount of humidity and condensation. We
never noticed any additional condensation from the alchohol stove. But
if it had been running all night, it might have been noticed. I defer to
folks who have actually used one that way for their experience.

Chuck