Tilley X246B not staying lit

@Darryl Durdin thanks not tried that yet although the pressure is holding well and I have replaced all the seals.

presume you have to dry it well to prevent corrosion afterwards.

 

Indeed and that's proper pints so 30 Fluid Ounces which is near enough a 32 floz US quart. Then a total of 100 pump strokes to full pressure. I have tested it as well and in general that gives a pressure of about 28-30 psi. ::Neil::

 

The instructions (in the library) confirm Henry is correct - one and a half UK pints which, if my maths is correct is 852ml (or cm3). I'd get that and the pressure correct before I started faffing about with anything else.

Without wishing to over-complicate the issue, Volume and pressure are inversely proportional so if you haven't put the full amount of fuel in the tank, you'll need more pump-strokes to achieve the same pressure in the tank.

It strikes me your problem is/was to do with insufficient fuel coupled with insufficient pressure leading to underburn / burning back into the burner.

When you get this lantern going properly you'll find that there's a point where pumping up any more doesn't produce any more illumination. However many pump-strokes that is depends on several factors such as how much fuel is in the tank and how good your pump-leather is etc., etc. You'll get a 'feel' for it and when you've reached that point, stop pumping...

 

Same problem here on a 300x and a Tilley PL53. They both start normally but turn dark after one minute. Changed Vaporizers - checked seals ... problem remains the same.
What I dont get so far is the burner issue. What could be the problem with these ? Lets say I blow out any whatsoever spider net or rusty parts by pressurized air what else could be the point?

 

Hi @Christoph-HH !... If you look at some of the recent posts they show pics of distorted burners... Because they aren't air-tight, basically when everything starts to get nice and hot, instead of settling down it just gets hotter and hotter...

What is happening is that the gaps or leaks in a burner let in superheated air which then burns inside the burner, which is why if left unattended the burner can melt!

I can't say if this is the problem you have, but it might be, so it is well worth the effort of taking the burner out of the hood (if possible) and having a good look at it? Check for loose burner tubes and distortion.

Hope this helps,

Good luck with things

 

Will try to unmount them ..but I have some respect to the PL 53 as not sure how to remove the clips from the tubes.
Seems some tricky job to finsh
And even worse...in case I need new burners and/or hoods the will be fairly complicated from what I see

 

If one of my Tilley lanterns went out after one minute, the first thing I'd do is a dunk test - or simply put some soapy water on the area around where the pump is screwed into the tank. Bubbles will indicate an air leak. Anywhere else will leak fuel...

 

The lamps keep the pressure and the 'sound' ...but just turn dark

 

Christoph, it seems odd that you're having this problem with both Tilley and Vapalux but, presumably, not with your Petromax and other lanterns (otherwise you'd have told us about them). Maybe your UK lanterns don't like to drink German kerosene.

My Petromax and similar lanterns don't seem to like drinking UK kerosene.

It's a mystery, sure enough...

 

Nahhh. Some other UK lamps pretty much love our good German petroleum. They better do as there is no other option.
Now seriously...only two cause trouble. But I follow your advice and will report on any progress

 

Do you mean the air buttons that screw onto the outside of the air tubes?

Perhaps someone who has fettled a few PL53 lanterns can be of assistance?.. Anyone???

 

You have to flick/winkle off the air intake covers and then unscrew the outboard ends of the air intake tubes - making sure you're not unscrewing the inner end of the tube from the burner body...

 

Thanks to your excellent suggestions the 300x is now running perfect.
Changed the burner which is no rocket sience to do...