Evening everyone, I've got round to looking at my Petromax HK500 which I last used on holiday last September when it worked very well with no issues. Came to light it tonight and I cannot get it to light up using either the meths route or the rapid burner. It's pressurising and there are no leaks that I can see so I'm a bit stumped as to why the mantle will not ignite. Can anyone help me? Thanks a lot
Is fuel coming through the vaporizer? Could be plugged. Jeff has a good idea but before you go to all that trouble just be sure fuel is coming through vaporizer. Sounds dumb but make sure you have a full tank of fuel. Make sure the manometer is tight. Not too many things to go wrong on these 829 Petromax lanterns. You have the option to use alcohol or the rapid lighter so it sounds like you have one not made in Germany. Try the cold start method, leave the air screw open until the alcohol has heated the lantern about 3 minutes, close the air screw and start pumping the lantern. Sometimes this works, some times it doesn't. If all else fairs, take Jeff's advice and tear it down!
Have you checked so the cleaning needle has not broke off and got stuck in the nipple/jet? If not, before preheat, remove the top and pressurized the tank and open the valve. You should have a stream of kerosene straight up. If not you might have a stuck foot valve at the end of the pickup tube. Michael
To be honest, there are so many variables with these lanterns you need to be more specific with the starting problems. Could you post a video or link that would help the knowledgeable volk on this forum! And never any harm to put up pictures and plenty of them!
Pressurizing how to you know ? .. 1..by undoing the air release screw ... some escape of air... or 2.watching the mist jet stream of fuel vapour from out of the brass nipple when the control wheel is rotated to descend the needle ...having removed the top cover and J tube assembly ... if its pressurizing correctly you will see the mist spurting out .. If no fuel out of the brass nipple you have .. 1, A blocked vapouriser tube or some other blockage down below needle / nipple assembly or 2. a blocked foot valve right at the bottom of the vaporiser tube assembly which fuel passes through from the tank. Either problems at 1 / 2 involve the removal and the strip down and cleaning out the vapourising tube/ Preston loop .... and whilst you are at it having taken out the tube from the tank ... give to the tank a good clean by swirling it with nuts and paraffin to remove residual crud ... dont forget paraffin is hygroscopic and absorbs water you can see droplets often of it ... so a couple of hours work there m8tey for you .. I have a couple of 829s from Germany I really like them... It will be up and running in next to no time
Sorry, not been online over the last day. Yes, my error I did leave fuel in it which I don't normally do to be fair. By pressurising I meant when I undid the air release screw there was some escape of air. I will do what has been recommended here and go back to basics with it to try and identify the issue. Sigh, I find Vapalux's so much easier to understand!
Well two options: dismantle and clean, start her up an d a lot of needling.. Does it, cold, spay fuel without the burner and with pressure ?
Hi All, had a play with the petromax and I must have had a blockage in the vapouriser tube but cleared it, pressurised it and had a nice jet of fuel coming out of the vapouriser so fired her up and she lit first time. Out of interest, I pumped it up to 2 bar but noticed that the pressure doesn't hold for ages like a vapalux for example. I can't see any leaks anywhere so was wondering if you just have to pump these up more often to maintain pressure?
A pound to a penny there's a leak. Have you done a dunk test ? No need to drain the tank, add pressure and immerse in water, air bubbles will show where the leak is. Henry.
I am not sure a Vapalux will hold pressure till the tank is empty but a petromax you have to pump every now and then. More then logical because in the beginning the volume of air above the fuel is small, then the fuel is used and pressure gets more volume so one has to give: the pressure will gets lower. But when the tank get hot the temperature will increase the pressure again. So its a complicated natural phenomenon. What also helps to keep pressure up is to cool down first the fuel before filling. Again temperature will increase fuel volume and ergo the pressure. Btw: an unlit lantern should hold pressure. A petromax type lantern will also start to leak most of the times....
