Turned off my 246 after about 4 hours use. Came down in the morning to find a pool of paraffin… Hard to tell where it had come from, but I think the seal above the control valve. I’d given the lamp a lot of pumps, so wondering if I’m meant to release the pressure after use? Or just nip up the various seals? No sign of any leakage when lit. Thanks!
The fuel is not being stopped by the non-return valve (NRV) at the bottom of the control cock; nor is it being stopped at the jet at the top of the vapouriser by the pricker (pricker full closed to right). If I have a Tilley that I know well, and know it’s not incontinent, I leave it pressurised. Otherwise I release the pressure, especially for storage. Cheers Tony
@Mark_H Starting and stopping a lamp seems to be a matter of choice. I like to soft start and stop by releasing pressure by loosening the pump. I never leave a lamp pressurised. Others will do things their own way...
I always shut the control cock valve off, then release the pressure so I never have a pool of kerosene waiting for me to clean up.
I always release the pressure from a paraffin/kerosene pressure lamp/lantern/heater and with Tilleys I leave the pump loose after the pressure has been released.
None are positive shut off valves. It will leak if you leave it pressurized for hours on end. When you finish with the lantern let the pressure out, that way you know for sure it’s not going to leak!
This can happen even if you release the pressure and just keep the lamp closed. When the atmospheric pressure goes down, the lamp becomes pressurized and the fuel might find its way out. The handbook for my lamp says: When I once forget and left it closed, I found a kerosene pool then. Maybe some newer lamps could withstand the long-term pressure better…
Tulley control valves were never (as I understand it) meant to be positive shut off valves so even when they are on the 'off' position, they can and will allow some fuel to escape and dribble down the vaporiser causing a mess. Early on in collecting Tilley lamps I learned the hard way to release the pressure at the pump tube otherwise there will be a puddle to clean up. The control valve is only to operate the pricking needle.
@ColinG We might be running into a problem of definition here… What do you mean by the “…control valves were never… meant to be positive shut off valves…”? They operate on the same principle as Primus non-return valves and at the same or higher pressure. Tilley, as a kerosene lamp, does not have the additional safety features that Coleman gasoline lamps do, but for decades Tilley instructions say to turn the lamp off by turning the control knob “B” fully anti-clockwise. Tilley does not say to release pressure. See here (1940): “To extinguish the lamp. Turn Knob B to the ‘off’ position, when the Lamp will immediately go out. The air pressure need not be released”. From: https://classicpressurelamps.com/threads/tilley-instruction-book-1940.5633/ As I said above, if I have a properly working Tilley that is not incontinent I usually leave it shut off by the control cock (and pricker) only. For longer storage or transport, I loosen the pump. Of course, for extra caution, especially inside the house, or on good furniture, I would also loosen the pump, but I’d do that with the filler cap of a Coleman as well. I’ve just checked my “emergency” lamps. I’ve got two Tilley X246s among them that still have tank pressure - no leaks. They’ve been there for weeks. I usually spend a bit of time getting the pip in the control cock to seat properly. Cheers Tony
I think we have all had an embarrassing puddle at some point of our Tilley careers.... I have found washing up liquid and a scrubbing brush gets rid of the smell quicker.. Or like many others: why take the chance ? Let the air out.
On the models where the control cock is below the tank, such as the donut range, the valve is all that stands between you and a paraffin puddle, even if you release the pressure.
Also at AL21 Flood light, when tank is 1/1 full, it's important that the pip in valve properly shuts off the fuel. As jet orifice is lower than the upper end of tank.
Thanks for all the input here - I've resolved just to release pressure after use, at least while I get to know the lamp better. I have nipped up the vapouriser / control cock seals, so we'll see how we go. Meanwhile the various items that were paraffin covered have been washed and are gradually off-gassing their new smell....
To round off this discussion, I thought I would post some “exploded views” of the Tilley control cocks and pump to illustrate how the non-return valve (NRV) is designed to work. Note the comment by @Ian Bingham above. In the above illustration the washer (#155) is held against the control cock lip immediately above it by a combination of the action of the spring (#610) and the pressure in the tank. This is exactly the same mechanism that is used in the bottom of the Tilley pump to stop fuel exiting the tank while the lamp is in operation. The later control cocks and pumps as seen on Tilley X246B lanterns have a differently shaped rubber seal (now called “washer valve” #155) that does not require the brass valve (#611). As an aside, I always replace the new Tilley washer with the brass valve and washer of the old style. I hope this is useful. Cheers Tony
