Good evening, i hope to find an answer to my problem with a petromax 829 500 cp rapid heater. It's a new lamp a have it since two weeks ago. Everything was ok, but now when i start the lamp, after i torn on the rapid heater and keep it on for about 2 minutes just to be sure that everything is heated up very good, when i turn on the handwheel the mantle make flames and burning with some black smoke for about 10 seconds, and after this, it becoming normaly and lights properply. Does anybody knows why the mantle makes flames in the beggining?after i torn on the handwheel? because i keep the rapid heater 2 minutes so this should be enough....
Hello and welcome aboard! The lantern is not hot enough. I prefer to pre heat those lanterns with meths, if there is not a meths cup fitted to you lantern, then perhaps you should fit one. Also, do not have the lantern at full pressure when you start it, give it 25 strokes of the pump to begin with and then once the lantern is lit, gradually increase the pressure. Do let us know how you get on, Jeff.
I got my first Petromax lantern couple of weeks ago. it´s 829 500cp. it doesn´t work at all and i changed all the gaskets and the U pipe too and jet/needle. It works better now but not even close to perfect. When i light it up, it burns near to normal but after 2-3 minutes light is start to pumping and its not bright at all. I´m now lost with that lamp, i have done everything with it. it´s like a 40w normal light
Does your lantern have a pressure gauge? If so, when the lantern is working, the needle on the pressure gauge should be nearly at the red mark. That is the pressure which I run that type of lantern at and they work, Jeff.
Yes there is the pressure gauge, I have tested to put more pressure just like you told, very near that red mark, and it´s working a little better when it´s there but not perfect i think. There is still small blue flame out of the mantle. Light is not that bright what i want, my tilley and optimus are way more brighter that Petromax. I tought Petromax should be brighter than those lamps.. Very soon i start hate that lamp
i just tested again, double preheat and more pressure in the start, before that i lift the u pipe about 1mm. i also notice that there is dust in the tank. ofcourse i checked that in the first thing when i got the lamp but it was "clean" Now i have cleaned the tank by shakeing it and changed gasoline couple times. YES it burns much better now. There is hope still availeble But tell me is it dangerous if i pump pressure over that red line?
Petromax lamps are designed to run on paraffin/kerosene, not petrol/gasoline. Perhaps you should also clean the vapouriser and the pricker rod, a clean lantern will always work better. I would not over pressurise any lantern, Jeff.
maybe i have to clean my lamp again, but now it burns ok to me. It burns lamp oil what i use all of my lamps, it´s the same stuff like a parafin or very near of it, i think. Thanks, i will not overpressure!
Hello Ari, that's good news and I'm glad to hear that you are using paraffin, you had me worried when you mentioned Gasoline in your previous post, Jeff.
pressure gauges at lanterns are often not exact ! if the gauge says 2 bar it could be much more, so be careful ! @threadstarter the flames at starting the lamp can result from kerosene/paraffin remains which are liquid. when they have burnt away the kerosene gas is coming through the hot generator and makes the lamp work properly.
