I've got a Coleman 200 and converted it to kerosene last summer. I fitted it with 201 gen, made my own preheater cup and clip. It worked perfectly fine in the summer, I burned about 2 liters of kerosene in it. Now I tried to run it on kerosene again and it pulses and gives bursts of sooty flame a few minutes after start. I cleaned the old gen - it didn't help. I got a new one - that didn't help it either! What's going on? Is it colder weather (+10C) that doesn't let it vaporize fuel? And it runs perfectly fine on white gas with its 200 gen. Puzzled....
It's a gasoline lantern so run it on gasoline. If you want a kero lamp then best way is to get one that is designed for it. I have never understood this need to convert lamps to do things they were never meant for. Interesting perhaps but you are always pushing the limits. In this case probably the colder weather is the problem. I know that kero stuff is not so easy to find in the US but they are there and there are plenty of Canadian kero lamps on the Bay. ::Neil::
Probably it's not heating the generator enough. I read that 99 mantle gives better heating of the gen. It is possible to get Canadian kerosene lamps off ebay but the prices are outrageous.
OK I will allow you cheaper as a good reason. Not safer though except of course in storing and handling of fuel. 10c is not cold enough to be a problem. Odd because as far as I know both 201 and 200 use #21A mantles as standard. have not run either lantern for a while but I know they have never had #99s fitted and they worked well. You have I assume checked that the air tubes are clear. No insects crept in there to affect air flow because that will surely affect the burn as you describe. ::Neil::
I'll check the air tube. Though it burns perfectly on gas. It's an odd problem. Just like all problems I'm facing with pressure lamps this month.
But isn't kerosene safer to store? It's not so volatile and it won't explode as easily as gas. It also has greater calorific value than gas - so more energy in less volume.
Well yes it is and that is what I said. Kero is not safer in use except for storing and handling. Gasoline Coleman lamps don't go bang but the fuel needs careful management much more so that kero. ::Neil::
Neil you say that Kero is not safer to use but surely if there is a fuel leak when the lamp is operating then Kero is less likely to ignite that Gasoline. Okay so a Coleman is unlikely to leak but I am not sure that is true of all brands.
Well this is true of course but then you don't run a leaking kero lamp either. When I say safe in use I do mean in a lamp designed for gasoline and in good working order with no leaks. You have to service your lamps anyway for either fuel. It is also true that some makes are not as well designed as Coleman but makes like Standard Primus Optimus and such designed for use with gasoline are. Guys like W.C. Coleman knew very well that blowing up customers would be poor marketing as word would get around that Coleman kills so he made sure they did not. And they don't. There have been millions of Coleman gasoline lamps sold and used in America for over 100 years and I am not aware that any of them has exploded in use because of a failure of the lamp. It just don't happen. I do know that a Thermos did cause a serious injury but in that case it was partly a user fault and well as a design feature than made it difficult to service and tighten the valve gland and it was a leaking gland that released fuel and caused a tent fire. So know your fuels, service the lamps and gasoline is as safe as kero in a lamp designed for that fuel. ::Neil::
Yes, Coleman 200 works extremely well on gas. And it never overheats or does anything funny. I guess I need another lantern that operates on kerosene.
Sounds like a good idea , don't forget " you can never have enough lamps , bowlfires & stoves " says so in the rule book Best get a couple just in case Stu
What do you consider outrageous..? The days of me sending lamps all over the world gratis are long gone, but I'm just wondering if it would be possible to get some sort of a Bialaddin / Vapalux kerosene lantern over to you at a total cost you find acceptable. PT me if you prefer...
Thanks for an offer but I think I'm fine. I'm getting a Tilley Guardsman for repairs soon. And I've also got to fix my Hippolito 150CP. So hopefully I'll end up with 2 operational kerosene lanterns after getting them fixed
Hi David, A friend of mine in England recently sent me a few vapalux lanterns and I must say that they are fantastic. I have a few Coleman kero lanterns too and though hey have their place the Vapalux is a lantern I grab very often when I want a kero lantern running. I wish there were more models of bialladin/vapalux here in the US for us to try though. Have a good evening, Dan
I like the Petromax (and clones) 500CP lanterns for Kero use myself (although the Work Horse is a little fidgety to get going as you can't soft start it like the others...).
The 150CP one looks promising. It's compact, rugged and burns kerosene. Good for backpacking, for example. And Tilley X246 is good for power outages at home. I like that detachable preheater - you don't need to deal with those messy alcohol bottles in the darkness, just dip it into a small jar of alcohol, clip it on the tube and light. This is a lot easier to do by feel than trying to put the right amount of fuel into the right place without creating a mess
seems to me a 201 generator is all it takes to retro a 200 into a kero burner, of course a spirit cup is called for. i would think the lantern would operate as expected. correct me on this if i'm wrong buzz
" I fitted it with 201 gen" what is the model number of this kerosene generator? and does it or will it fit other lantern models such as the 286-288 and so forth? thanks for your reply buzz
Hi Buzz, If you want to experiment with Coleman lanterns or just want to know what generators were used in particular lanterns, Doron maintains an excellent web site. His generator list is here. The first thing to look for is the dimensions of the generators of interest. From the list you will see that the 201-5891 generator dimensions are not correct for the 288 (the base diameter on the 288 is larger). You will notice however that a 214-5891 has the same dimensions and is listed as a kerosene version of the 288-5891 (although I don't think Coleman ever made this combination). One thing to note about the 214 generator is that the current production versions (214A-5891 & 214B-5891) have a different gas tip thread, limiting your choices if you wish to experiment with different gas tips. Mike at Old Coleman Parts has the original (214-5891) but you need to ask for is specifically. Mike also has the pre-heater cup 201-5101. Note that the cup has a larger hole than necessary and has a "sloppy" fit on the generator, but it works. I think a piece of 3/8 copper tubing fitted inside the cup may take up the slop The 288 is a fabulous compact double mantle gas lantern, but if you do this conversion, let us know how it works out. The interesting thing is how this 288 will work with kerosene, especially with the adjustable output. And one more thing. For these gas to kerosene conversions I would suggest a "soft start" lighting procedure to by pass the fuel/air (instant light) feature of the gas model. That is, open the fill cap and let all air out of the tank, open the control valve all the way, fill and light the meths, and just before the meths flame dies out, close the cap and slowly pump in air until the mantles light, then pump up as desired. This method works great for all my UK and Petromax style kerosene lanterns. Good luck, Dan
Dan, thanks for the info. makes sense to soft light , using kerosene and pre-heating should create enough pressure . REPLACEMENT PART 201-5891 KEROSENE package states," This replacement generator extends the life of the Coleman kerosene lantern." so i'll start looking for a 214-5891 for the 288 so i can use a back up fuel source just in case. buzz
