Now that the weather had turned a bit chilly here in Surrey I'm using my various lamps indoors. I have an old house and when it is cold the central heating can't really cope. We are used to a cold house but when the living room drops below about 10 C it gets a bit much. There are only so many jumpers one can wear. Anyway, the cold provides a marvellous opportunity to use paraffin pressure lamps for heat as well as light. I just wondered whether any of the collectors here have noticed differences between various designs of jet/burner etc and their effect on how badly a lamp smells of paraffin? I enjoy my lamps but I hate the smell of paraffin. I have noticed that Petromax lamps are the worst for paraffin stink whereas Tilley, Bialladdin and Vapalux lamps are much less offensive. Perhaps the fact that Petromax lamps have an open gap where air mixes with paraffin vapour means they will always leak (and waste) a tiny fraction of paraffin vapour. What are other collectors experiences of the tolerability of various lamps in terms of fumes? Incidentally (and very off topic here but it is lamp related) I am planning some major refurbishments in my house. I knew that all of the rooms still had the blocked off connectors for the original gas lamps. I don't think the house was electrified until the 1930s. I had planned to put a long case clock against the wall on the landing but the blanked off gas lamp sconce was in the way. Cautiously, I started to undo the fitting. Well I'm sure you can all guess what happened......all of the gas light fittings are still very much connected to the gas. It did it up again pretty quickly! Got me thinking though. Rather than have them disconnected maybe I'll go back to gas lighting.....
What a great idea! To go back to gas lighting would be wonderful. But, the gas main will now be using "natural" gas, whereas the original mains supply would have used "Town" or as it was called "Coal Gas". You will need fittings that will run on modern gas. It sound like a great project. I am sure that some of the members here will be able to help. Best of luck with your idea - Steve.
Yes. Our gas fires have stickers on them to say that they have been modified to run on the new natural gas. I think my mother had that done in the 1960s. I think the previous inhabitants of the house were reluctant to move to electricity and possibly continued with gas lighting longer than most people did. Certainly my mother remembers houses that had no electric light at all and she is only in her 70s.
I wonder if it's not more the general condition of the lamps that causes a smell or not. Worn jets, wrong mixing proportions etc. A smell indicates bad burning, and no quality lamp were designed to burn badly from the beginning.
I think Christer is correct, in that I always associate the paraffin smell with somewhat incomplete combustion. I know of the few pressure lamps I have that feature adjustable air intake, when you get the air/fuel mixture correct, they are virtually odorless except upon start up and shutdown. I have noticed the odor reappears even before you notice a change in light output while adjusting the air intake to a "richer" mixture. I sort of wish more lamps would feature some manner of adjusting the mixture to allow for variance in jet size, altitude, and fuel quality. Regards, Doug
Would there be a reduction of smell if one used low smoke refined Lamp Oil instead of straight Paraffin? I use the Bartoline Lamp oil in my wick lamps and find it OK. Steve.
I've been using a bialaddin table lamp indoors and the resident smell detector (wife) is happy and doesn't mention the smell at all,I do have to take it outside when i turn it off ,she'd notice anything smelly as she grew up with a wickie paraffin heater on the landing as the house had no heating and knows my fishing coat is inside even when she's in the next room, If the lamp is in good condition and you are using c1 you should be fine, I havn't used c2 for a while so cant comment.
Thank you for your replies. Yes it all makes sense that a badly adjusted mixture or worn jet would cause a smell of unburnt fuel. I think my two 3 Petromax 829s are all adjusted correctly and they do not have worn jets either but they are still smellier than my Tilley and Vapalux lamps which I cannot smell at all. Perhaps I need to have a go at adjusting the Petromax lamps. At the moment they are set to the standard gap (as measured with spanner/jet tool) and they burn well with a bright light but maybe the mixture could be tweaked. I suppose this is just trial and error? Of course, shutting down a lamp is smelly if the pressure has to released. I also lived in a house with wick paraffin heaters when I was a child and that put me off the smell of paraffin for ever.
I frequently use Blue Flame Heaters (Aladdin, POD, Turm, Haller) and a year or two ago I did some testing with different brands of paraffin available in 20 ltr. drums here on the continent and I noticed that there is a distinctive smell on each of them but some are more and some are less smelly
I have noticed that most people I come across hate the smell of paraffin, or any kind of odorous fuel smell. I don't mind it at all, however, and thankfully I live alone! Then again, I have been a bit crazy about non-electric lighting since I was a kid and was annoying everyone with tallow candles, grease lamps, and all manner of burning things since I was a child. I think the tolerance for smell has decreased since most of the population, at least in the US has moved away from solid and liquid fuels for heat and light. (granted, there still are a lot of wood burners in this area) Funny, what really bothers me is those darn scented candles that seem so popular everywhere! Drives me nuts and sends my sneezing and congestion into fits!
That's interesting Stephan. I was actually considering buying a big drum of paraffin on the continent when I next drive over to France. I believe it is much cheaper than in the UK but I did not know that there were differences in the odour between different brands.
Doug, I certainly agree with you about the scented candles; I absolutely hate them. Must go back to the 60's when people burnt joss-sticks to hide the smell of the stuff they shouldn't have been smoking! Either that or their house stunk and the candles masked the nasty smells! Steve.
Hi Svenedin I dont mind the smell of parafin/petroleumlamps either, but some does. If a parafin-lamp burns correctly its almost dont smell. Gasoline-lamps smell when you light them up and the the smell disappears totally if they burn correctly. If you want a lamp that doesnt smell at all then you should buy a alcohol-lamp or a kit to rebuild your lamp to alcohol. It will give you at least 2 benefits. You loose the smell and have a excuse tho buy more lamps Claus C
I actually enjoy when you can hint a bit of smell out of paraffin. It brings back many memories from the past. But it shall never be too imminent. Just this vague hint of past times when burning paraffin actually was a natural thing.
Claus & Christer, How right you are about that nostalgic' gentle aroma of a paraffin/kerosene lamp or stove. If the lamp is working efficiently there will be almost no smell, but when it does smell it is telling you that it needs some TLC (a tender loving cuddle; i.e. a fettle). IMO there is nothing better in this world than a lamp, stove, or heater gently hissing away in the background whilst I listen to the radio. By the way, anyone invented a kero powered radio yet? Happy days - Steve.
Norf - I want one This one makes also a cosy hizz and dont smell at all. This Primus 1320 is a beautifull lamp and runs on alcohol. I bought it unused from a merchant who had it in his grocery store ;O) Claus C Claus C
Some years back, at Newark 2005 I think it was, Nick (brassnipplekey) had one of those wickie-crap hurricane lantern things with something similar, but much smaller, on the top. This used some 'effect' - possibly the Hall effect, or something - to generate an electric current which was available at a jack-socket. I've a vague recollection there was a radio involved somewhere and I think it would charge up a mobile phone as well...
Was it something like this David? http://www.pelam.de/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=&products_id=530
Not the Hall Effect, that has many uses in technology, and one that is used in several lawn mowers and other small spark ignition engines for ignition in place of contact points. But the thermal generators have been popularly seen in these so called 'Eco Fans' that can be bought and placed directly on top of solid fuel stoves (in the main). The current generated is sufficient to drive a fan and thereby distribute the heat from the stove further into the room. Some wood gas stoves use a sensor near the rim to drive the fan in the base of the unit too. They seem to work quite well. THERMOELECTRIC GENERATORS. Back to stink: I have an Aladdin Blue Flame stove that stinks to high heaven. It's almost new, in as much as it has seldom seen any use since new thirty odd years ago, and even with a new wick and a good all round blue flame, it stinks. Paraffin smell I can handle easily, but not this beastie. My little Valor Minor with an old wick performs better, and whilst it gives off that characteristic paraffin smell so reminiscent of Grandma's house in Winter, it doesn't stink like the Aladdin. Same fuel from the same container, it almost smells like someone has used White Spirit in the past. (Now there's a thought.) But surely it would have burnt away by now? It's certainly had more than three tankfuls of paraffin in so it ought to have burnt out. Thirsty blighter too. I'm giving it the elbow. Edited to add: Never have smelt any of the pressure lamps in my small collection, though they are only Tilley's and one Bialaddin. Paraffin bought in France comes in two grades, regular and premium. The cost difference two years ago was €18.30 and €21.50 for a 20 litre container. When burnt I couldn't tell the difference form any smell experienced.
Talking of gas lamps, I don't know of any such lamps that could be used with Natural gas as supplied piped in the UK, some technical research needed on that one. But LPG is catered for. May not be quite so many nicely ornamented lamps and shade available to create that 'period' look, but having used them on the boat I can vouch for their bright but warm light, not to mention some welcome heat during the cold months. Nice comforting hiss accompanies their light too. After a quick look: Some nice styles HERE, and natural gas jets available, but what's USA natural gas compared to ours. Probably the same natural resource, but same pressure?
I may be wrong, but I believe the standard pressure for natural gas in the household here in the US is 11" water column or roughly 1/2 PSI. Many of the late 1800's-Early 1900's houses here in my town have evidence of gas lighting systems still intact, but that was done when there was a gas plant in town that became defunct in the 1920's. Natural gas within the town limits was a more recent addition starting in the late 1970's
Hi Doug, I've been looking at this stuff and this guy seems to get to the point pretty well - PSI and Water Column inches.
I guess I overestimated. I did not realize the household gas pressure was so low. Perhaps I was thinking of "low pressure" LP gas systems. Pretty good video tutorials!
Likewise - I imagined at least a couple of psi! And water column inches was new to me. Now if I'd had a teacher like that at school . . .
Measuring pressure by height is common enough. Town gas if I rmember right was about 5 inches. I worked in the water supply industry all my life and we normally measured pressure in feet head or meters head. Sensible really because nearly all water supply is gravity fed from either a high reservoir or a water tower so you can just look at an OS map for a spot height and from that work out what the pressure in the mains is by working out the difference in height from ground to water level in supply storage. ::Neil::
It is logical enough when shown how. Water head would be an easy understanding - the higher the tank level above outlet - the greater the pressure. Last house we were in had mains pressure cold, but a tank in the loft sitting on the joists feeding the hot water cylinder. Lift the shower head too high and you got a cold shower pretty smartish! It could have been cured, but her 'old man' was too tight. Town gas; that reminds me of Gran's gas cooker, fold out taps, cast iron hobs, and mottled blue vitreous enamel doors and sides. - And the smell of paraffin from her old black wick heater. (Got back on topic eventually!)
I have found over years of playing with Tilleys as toys as a child and now as an adult that the only time they give off a distinct smell is when the vapourisor jet is worn oversize, thus excess fuel passing into the burner.
