Evening all, just wondering If it’s ok to leave my steel fount PL53 filled up, or regularly topped up with fuel for several months in a row,if the lantern is used regularly. I’m aware of the printed decal warning about corrosion if the tank isn’t emptied and dried out regularly. But how regularly? with modern paraffin being drier than fuels available in the 1940s, this shouldn’t be a problem, or is it?
It may well be but the air we pump into the fount most certainly isn't. At least not here in the U.K., where we're surrounded by water. There is moisture i.e. water vapour in the air and every time we pressure a lamp (or lantern), we pump that water vapour into the fount, perhaps not much but it's cumulative and over time, that moisture condenses, sinks down and sits on the steel base plate. For us in the northern hemisphere, the days are getting shorter giving us good excuse (do we really need one ?) to light a lamp more "regularly" and let it burn for longer each time we do so. By "regularly"; do you mean once or twice a week every week, or one weekend every month, or every night of every week ? How often is "regularly" ?
The Vapalux steer tanks are supposed to be emptied out once a week. I would think the same thing applies to the Tilley steel tanks too. I live in a slightly dryer area but I do agree with @Henry Plews I wouldn't leave the fuel stay in there too long. A month may be a little too long in your area.
Ahh, thanks guys, by ‘regularly’, I actually meant weekly or fortnightly use. I hadn’t thought about the moisture in the air condensing in the tank. This is somewhat counterintuitive given the small volume but of course, it’s pressurised. So, after each use, it’s probably best to drain any remaining fuel, remove the pump and let the tank dry out. I’m surprised that Tilley hadn’t thought of a passivating treatment to prolong the lifespan of those steel tanks. For instance dichromate is used to passivate magnesium which is more reactive to moisture than iron. Or perhaps a coat of fluoro polymer lacquer. Those steel tilleys would have been given to the army and I doubt they had the time to empty the tanks after each use?
'Regularly' and 'frequently' are different words with different meanings and shouldn't be be used interchangeably. Halley's Comet appears regularly - but not frequently...
David I am frequently accused of being a pedant, despite my lapses in grammar. My most common annoyance to others is to insert the Oxford Comma in manuscripts I’m refereeing. You, being of similar bent, may wish to know that the “Style Manual” for AP (Asociated Press) has now allowed “less” to be used to mean “fewer”. Who gives a $&@# about the Oxford Comma: Cheers Tony @David Shouksmith
Thanks because that really helps me with grammar, because i have no idea when its come to grammer, see i cant even spell it thats where the computer helps.
Back on topic, steel pl53 is wartime economy production, which has variable steel quality and gauge of metal, not to mention production standards, add almost eighty years of use misuse and storage, a bit of water sat in the tank, perhaps a few drops isn't much but can cause rust or further deteriorate older treated rust patch's which can't be easily observed from the outside, so even if it's not causing trouble now, it may do in a few years, there are variables to that, but long term dry is good, a week or two not so bad, all winter in an out building, not so good. Pour the fuel into a glass jar and you will soon see what is in there after a while. Odd water amongst things will sink to the bottom.
Thanks for the advice guys, including the impromptu Philosophical discourses on English lexicon pedantry! We have almost identical words in Italian: frequentemente and regolarmente, which also get mistakenly used interchangeably. So, I shall put your advice into action now, and drain that steel tank after each use, and let the lamp dry out until it’s next used again. It only takes a minute to drain it so it’s time we’ll spent. I’ll see if I can take a photograph of the interior of the steel PL53 tank, for future reference. Lets see what condition it’s in. I guess that will depend on where and how the lamp has been stored during the last 7 decades or so. I expect a rich and thick layer of lepidocrocite, aka rust, to cover the entire surface!
