Just wondered what thoughts you have on this. I have a few pressure lamps but recently acquired an Aladdin with a 12 burner. It was filthy but I have cleaned it up and it has come up well. A credit to the plating quality. It was quite smelly but I found that the flame spreader was a bit squashed on one side, like it had been tapped with a hammer on top but I managed to tap this perfectly straight using a metal rod of the correct inside diameter and it works a treat now. New mantle and now no smell when it's running just when extinguished. I am still surprised at the heat this kicks out which makes me wonder if they are quite inefficient. Ie loads of heat for a relatively little light. The pressure lights certainly seem more light for less fuel but are less suited to a domestic situation. I do like the Aladdin. Nice and quiet and bright enough to light a room reasonably well.
An Aladdin is rated at about 60 candle power and most pressure lamps and lanterns are rated at 300cp..
Must remember that all paraffin lamps give off heat as well as light, and in the draughty homes of the late 19thC and well into the 20thC without central heating, this was a welcome by-product. I sometimes light a 21 in my 11ft x 7ft spare room/office and there's no need for a separate heat source.
The mantle wickies definitely make more heat than light, so to speak. For the amount of light they produce, they use a lot of fuel. I do like my Aladdins in the winter. They make good small heaters, with the benefit of very nice mood lighting and no hissing sound
If you use the fuel consumption to calculate the heat output you will find: * A recent Aladdin 23 burner puts out roughly 900 - 950 Watt and gives 40 - 60 CP of light. * A Petromax for example puts out 1200-1300 Watt and gives up to 500 CP. * I did not check the Tilley lanterns I have. * But a 20''' Matador burner puts out 800-900 Watt and make far less light than an Aladdin lamp does. (I do not know the light output of a Matador burner.) Erik
Yes close to 1kW of heat from an Aladdin.. If you fit one of the insect screens on top of the chimney the wire mesh actually glows dull red. Not very efficiant in terms of light, but warms a room up nicely in the winter and is great for mood lighting.
If I remember right a Tilley radiator was supposed to do about 1.25KW. As the vaporiser is the same the lamps must also give that amount of heat. Makes the pressure lamps much more efficient of course but still a lot more heat than light. ::Neil::
Thanks for the informed replies. I've been using mine to do some work in the evening in a small room and it has been a welcome warming pleasant light theses rather chilly evenings.
