Hello All, I may be treading old ground but I haven't found a previous post which answers my question.. My Bialaddin 300x fired up properly after for the first time after a service- change of all washers etc. I realise now compared to a later 305 (using same brand mantle) it was glowing more orangey than pure white light. It has now started to flame around the mantle even after an extended heat-up with meths, with some flame going up into the hood. The pricker operates; when it is shut off the mantle glows but goes out, operate again and there is the sound of kerosene under pressure and it lights up, but with blue flame around the mantle .I've tried a new mantle.Still the same. Is this a vaporiser issue or a burner problem? Or operator error!? What is the most likely cure please? Siatbury
Usually this issue is due to hole in the vapouriser becoming enlarged in which case the only real option is replacement. However before you do that, check that there are no obstructions inside the airtubes as that will cause pretty much the same fault. Although it may extigiush the lamp the "control knob" is only there to operate the cleaning needle, there is no shut off valve in these lamps. The way to shut them off is to release the pressure. If you are putting the lamp away it's also good practice to loosen the filler cap as well as the pressure release....
Hi Gneiss, Thanks for the prompt reply! I'm a newbie so pardon my ignorance- are the air tubes the three arms of the burner, and the little screw off top part? (see what I mean?) Siatbury
Yes that's exactly what they are... The little buttons should unscrew reasonaby easily but don't force them. The easiest way I've found of undoing them is to use a thin screwdriver through the holes as a little T-bar. If you do have to resort to mole grips or the like then make sure you protect them with a leather strip or similar. Once the buttons are off you can just shine a torch down the tubes to check for anything obvious like a dessicated spider... If you do blow it through with air then you will probably lose the mantle even if it didn't break before that point. It's best not to try and remove the tubes themselves from the burner as there is a high probability that you will break something. Finally when you put the buttons back they only need to be finger tight...
Vapourisers appear on eBay in various states of repair- I get the feeling I might be replacing one dodgy vapouriser with another? Do you or anyone else know a source of new vapourisers- does anyone still make them?? Siatbury
Yes they are sill being made and are far better made than modern Tilley spares. Base Camp who sponsor this site do them: http://www.base-camp.co.uk/Vapalux.html Other suppliers are available...
