If you’re prone to spend too much time in the shed fussing around with Tilley lamps, it’s good to be able to test your burners and vapourisers. I’ve posted about about my X246 test-bed before (called “David”), but I’ve been working on a KL80 (not at all often found in Australia), and I thought it important to test the ‘as found’ components before reassembling. While I was at it, I tested a few 606 and 169 vapourisers that were lying around. First though, from the testing: Bad vapouriser. Good vapouriser (same burner/same mantle). It’s easy to see the result of the enlarged jet in the 169 vapouriser from the KL80. The second photo above is a 606 vapouriser that I new worked properly. This next photo is testing another 169 vapouriser. It’s jet is fine. Testing a burner and gallery: Cheers Tony
John, I was quite pleased with the photo of the orange flame outside the mantle on the vapouriser with the enlarged jet. It was that photo that prompted me to put this thread together. I’ve got a whole stack of used vapourisers, so I should spend a few more hours sorting the wheat from the chaff. Having spare good quality Tilley burners is a good thing. Cheers Tony Also: *its not it’s above! @presscall
Yup - somehow the good ones and the bad ones get mixed up. Poor workshop discipline I guess... Although I have found that one lantern's "bad" vapouriser will work acceptably on another lantern. I suspect when not as bad as the one you pictured above when married up with a more "tolerant" lantern they work, for example I have a 169 vapoursiser that flares in a R1 heater but works perfectly in a FL6 without a hint of flaring. Given the smaller burner and mantle on the FL6 perhaps even more surprising..
Nice topic Tony. Good info. I had a flaming yellow umbrella under a burner recently and a good vapouriser swap proved the problem; though the jet seemed normal but obviously not. Drop peening the vapouriser didn’t help either. As you say, that’s what good spares are for.
Good stuff Tony. useful info. Thanks. Can I ask, when you say 'bad' vaporiser, can you elaborate 'bad' - caused by what? Is it blockage? is the jet hole worn / enlarged? The pricker no good? What else can cause these problems. Today, having cleaned my Guardsman vaporiser with no improvement, I'm going to try to clean the fuel feed tube, it'll be interesting to see if it fixes/improves my 'dullard' problem.
@Buggerlugs & @Julian Whittaker “Bad vapouriser”: Note: 1. I’m talking about Tilley vapourisers here, but similar comments may and do apply to other vapourisers and generators. 2. A bad flame or mantle colour can be caused by many things, not just the vapouriser. The vapouriser is key to converting liquid fuel to gaseous fuel. To do this it must be able to get hot enough. Then it must emit the gas at a rate that allows for the correct air/fuel mix in the burner. What can go wrong? 1. The jet is enlarged, allowing too much fuel into the burner. 2. Carbon can build up in the vapouriser, limiting the ability for either adequate fuel flow, or complete vapourisation of the liquid fuel; or both. Cheers Tony
Just playing with my first Vapouriser and doing my first test runs. I have found I have the same outcome as the good picture you have shown with the little blue flames sitting on the burner outlet ring. At about 10-15 pumps very stable small little blue flames. At about 20-25 same result just more flow slightly bigger brighter blue flames. How many pumps should you be able to achieve this for as if I keep pumping eventually the blue flames leave the outlet and sit away from the ring? Does this mean the vaporizer is enlarged or is this normal?
@Jody If you pump too much pressure into the tank the flame will blow out from the burner holes. So, testing it like you did is correct. If your jet is enlarged the flames will show as yellow tails at low pressure. Cheers Tony
@Tony Press thanks for the quick reply much appreciated :-) Great news I have no yellow tails, and all seems well. looks like it’s time to put its first mantle in and have my first lantern fired up for Xmas :-)
