I decided to write this post after much tinkering to cure 2 different pulsing Tilley Lamps. The first lamp is the one in my profile. A Guardsman that was gifted to me and my 1st Tilley restoration. The restoration went without hiccups. The usual scrubbing polishing and rust treating before new seals fitted The 1st issue on the light up was a larger yellow flame stack, knackered vaporiser, hmmph After sourcing a decent guardsman early type everything ok except a pulsing light. After much research which all seamed inconclusive my friend said normally cured by adding a second washer or 'O' ring to gland washer in the control cock. Cured. It has been running fine on normal heating fuel Kerosene. Then we come to my second Tilley. A 1990 X246B "New Improved' version. I paid the hefty sum of £22 plus some shipping. It looked to be hardly used with original box and paperwork. I think an attempt at lighting or one camping trip at most. The vaporiser tube and needle in perfect condition mint crisp clean. A very small carbon deposit on the burner. The cage had no rust. The tank came polished and the paperwork and box stated polished finish. Date stamp 9 90 An easy evening of brasso and aluminium polish, tank wash, burner cleaned which took 2 minutes. Vaporiser washed and checked. Filled with fuel and lit. The only difference I can see to be improved is in the longer spigot for the mantle. It lengthens the mantle to give some improved light. The pick up pipe in the tank is larger in diameter and I think they may have sorted some of the issues with bulging tank bottoms. It is worth noting that it recommends 6 to 8 pumps to light then 90 pumps should be sufficient for a full tank then 40 pumps per hour in the instructions. Whereas in the normal 246B instructions it recommends 60 to 70 pumps for a full tank. There again, the dreaded Tilley pulse. Much more pronounced this time. No problem let's add the second control cock gland washer, and to note that base camp recommend 2 washers. Nope, still pulsing. A second and third attempt to no avail. More research just more confused and all inconclusive. I tried a different vaporiser, a different burner, a different mantle. Different control cock washers. A different control cock altogether. Still pulsing. So I swapped the vaporiser and burner onto my guardsman and it didn't pulse. I swapped the guardsman stuff onto the newer lamp and it pulses. It was during this looking for reasons I noticed the Guardsman and a 246A have much smaller diameter pick up pipes. Was this larger pipe allowing back pressure. I tried more fuel, less fuel, more pressure, less pressure. After trying a different tank altogether it still pulses. Was my fuel contaminated with something. In the end i tipped the fuel, washed out the tank, filled with premium Bartoline Paraffin and hey presto. It burns bright with no pulsing. Just the odd Tilley flicker as the pressure gets low. So I'm guessing at some point I contaminated the tank and this the fuel. I used this fuel in the spare tank too. My next check is to empty it out and see if what the premium paraffin Vs heating kerosene. Maybe the larger pick up pipes in the newer tanks don't like standard kero. I'll be back. But if anyone having trouble with pulsing it could simply be contaminated fuel.
Sean, I'm wondering if this 246B is a 500 CP Tilley? Tilley X246B 300CP vs 500CP differences Help identify this Tilley…
Interesting findings. Wonder if the pulsing would recur on the latter case if you repeat the lightup with the suspected fuel.
