I recently received a rebuild kit (Petromax) for the Aida 1500 Express. I do not have the alcohol cup so would like to use the rapid starter. As part of the rebuild I replaced the shutoff pip. The starter makes a strong stream and mist but I cannot get it to light and sustain itself. I am burning 80% K-1 kerosene and 20% Coleman gas. It seems like it blows itself out but when I try it on low pressure it does not light. Nor does it light on higher pressure. I am able to start the lantern with a propane torch in the lighting hole for the rapid starter and it burns just fine. The propane torch burns the kerosene mist and heats the generator like I hope to do with the rapid starter. Is it my technique? I am new to this type of lantern.
Hello Brad, Did you completely dismantle and clean the rapid ? Did you see the air holes ? Did you clean the bottom filter ? Like all jets, this one can also been wrong out and only operates at a certain pressure. Rapids are pressure sensitive. Also they consume air from the tank so overfilling this ain't good either.
I did see the bottom holes and clean the filter. There is plenty of kerosene coming out of it in a steady stream/mist.
As Wim said, the rapid starters can be a bit temperamental. Most Petromax type lanterns also have a spirit cup as standard. But I must ask, why are you adding 20% Coleman fuel? If everything is in good condition it will not make it run any better. That lantern is designed to run only on pure kerosene. Please bear in mind that there are potentially life-threatening fire and safety hazard issues when using anything else in it. Just a gentle admonishment, because we'd like you to stay safe.
But I must ask, why are you adding 20% Coleman fuel? Amish Mix. Usually a proportion of kero to naptha , 70/30, 80/20, 50/50 etc. Its believed this mix of kero and naptha originated with the Amish religious community but the Amish don't label it. Generally its felt the Coleman fuel will help keep the vaporizer clean as kero burns so dirty. Also the mx may mean the lantern is easier to light.
You can have plenty of kero shooting out of center jet but if the tiny 3 holes surrounding center are clogged you will not have correct fuel to air ratio for it to burn correctly.
Even though I could see light through all holes and jets, I took it apart again and soaked in citric acid. It lit this time but would blow out every three seconds. Apart again I soaked it a half day in lacquer thinner. This time it only blew out once in the starting preheat. It appears those holes and jets must be perfectly clean to function.
Just an update on the Aida lighting feature. I don’t know if they are all like this, but my rapid starter only works well when the tank is filled to “full”, maybe 2/3 to 3/4 actually full.
I have a couple lanterns with working pre heat torches, but I can't be bothered by them. My preference is a spirit(ual) pre heat. Always works, no hectic pumping needed. But alas, some lanterns came sans spirit cup. They can be found, new, from China (Butterfly sells them). Best regards, Wim
If you want to keep the fuel system clean try using a cap full of plain old injector cleaner in a full tank of kerosene, mix it around and you're ready to go. This is a lot safer than mixing gasoline in a lantern that's suppose to run on kerosene. use cleaner about every third time you fill the tank.
How much pressure did you pump-up the lantern? These rapid preheaters tend to blow itself out if the pressure's too high. I've an Aida Express which the rapid only works well at around 1 to 2bars(approx. 15-30psi) of initial pressure.
I have thoroughly cleaned the entire lantern including the rapid start. I am still trying to figure out how much pressure it likes to start. It is certainly possible it could blow out with higher pressure. I have tried a couple pressure points but have reached no conclusion yet.
You might need to re-inspect the rapid torch again. Unscrew it from the fount and check that there's no breakages in the fuel pick up tube. There could be a minor leak of air into that tube from the fount, causing it to pick up less fuel if you're saying that it works when the tank is almost full of fuel. If there's really sufficient fuel getting through, its not easy for it to blow itself out after it has started. And you shouldn't be getting a perfectly blue turbulent flame ( should have a slight yellow but sootless at the end of the flame) if there's enough fuel in the mix. I think the air-to-fuel ratio's too high.
