I have a Coleman 339 and a Sea Anchor 999, both kerosene, the fact is that where I live it is very difficult to find this fuel or something similar and I would like to know if it is possible to convert at least one to use with gasoline. Thanks in advance
but how? Or do you mean without making any changes? I read somewhere that you cannot use gasoline or alcohol in these models
It would be a very bad idea to run the Sea Anchor on anything other than kerosene. However, the Coleman 339 will have exactly the same safety features that all (most?} Coleman models do. The difference between using kero or gasoline* is in the size of the jet hole and the preheating. Kero models will always need preheating which takes the form of a preheating cup where methylated spirits / denatured alcohol is burnt to vaporise the fuel. The 339 was made as a kero burner and should have a preheater cup installed already but you might find the fuel/air mixture isn't perfect when running on Coleman Fuel or one of the substitutes. * Note that using regular pump fuel from a petrol/gas station will clog the generator due to the additives that are put in auto-fuels. There are a number of alternatives such as Aspen fuel or pure naptha based solvents that will work perfectly well. As for why you shouldn't use gasoline in the Sea Anchor, it's important to understand the mode of failure. With kero, if anything goes wrong you end up with a puddle of smelly kero to wipe up as it won't burn unless it's been vaporised. If you run it on gasoline and any of the seals fail, you'll have a fireball you can't put out. This has happened to me and it's terrifying. I was extremely lucky when it happened to me but others have been killed in accidents like this. Consider the scenario... a pressurised fuel tank spraying ignited gasoline over you and anything close. You can't get close enough to release the pressure and even if you could, that would allow more fuel to escape and potentially cause an explosion. Gasoline and kerosene are two very different fuels which should not be confused.
You should research the Coleman 339's sister model which runs on 'gasoline / Coleman Fuel / Naptha' this is model 335. This sister model has been sometimes converted to run on kerosene (and diesel fuel) by a generator swap from a 339 and a pre-heater cup, though the 339 generator was harder to find; though you have it already. I refer you to Book 6, Kerosene Pressure Lanterns by Ron Brown p73. Apparently the kerosene generator worked Ok on the 335 running kerosene and also with diesel on a Silk-Lite no 21A mantle on the converted 335 lantern. Take care. PS I agree strongly with @ColinG that the Sea-anchor should stay as kerosene only.
Thank you all very much for your answers and explanations, I will look for the book that @Sedgman suggested and I will continue investigating, I think I can make my 339 work with what I have seen so far
I leave some photos of my 335 running on gasoline, thank you very much to everyone who helped me, especially @Pancholoco1911
Nice job done on the 335. Do be aware that most modern gasolines(both regular and premium) around the World are no longer the light paraffinic distillates or alkanes. They are chemically very different from the light naphtas, Coleman or Crown, etc campfuels. Modern gasolines would decompose fairly quickly in these kind of applications. You'll need to clean out the generators quite frequently. As for the Sea Anchor 999, a different 'mindset' would be required for the light up. It can only work safely with non-volatile fuels. This is a Petromax-styled lantern. You can also view it as a modern equivalent of the original Anchor from China. If you are unable to easily find kerosene in your location(Cuba?), there are other altenative fuels. Do not use highly volatile fuels like gasoline or Coleman Fuel for these types of lanterns. They do not have the necessary safety features for this. If you can make the Sea Anchor work, the following are the alternative fuels: 1) Mineral spirits (sometimes called mineral turpentine, turpentine substitute or turps). Found in most regular hardware stores and used as thinners for alkyd-based paints. **this isn't the real gum turpentine. Mineral spirits usually smell somewhat like kerosene. They are slightly 'lighter' in terms of volatility compared to kerosene. 2) Low sulphur road diesel found in most, if not all gas stations around the World. More preheat required for startup. All Petromax styled lanterns can be operated (at least temporarily) using these types of diesel. Like gasoline, you'll need to clean out the generators frequently when using diesel as the fuel. More foul-ups(carbonization) in the generator should be expected when using diesel instead of kerosene.
