In need of kerosene lamp help

C

Charlie_K

Joined
Jul 16, 2012
Messages
4,067
Something is definitely not going right over here. I have a fairly sizable collection of kerosene lamps, and lately I've been burning several of them on a nightly basis for a couple of hours at a time, just to see how they perform. Gear has to be tested to know how it performs and all.

For the better part of a week there haven't been any problems. But last night that all changed. Suddenly the wicks themselves are burning, rather than the fuel being what's burned. The wicks are cracking and popping like they're fireworks, and they're being reduced to nothing but burnt fabric in very little time, and I can't figure out what's going on. The wicks are the same, the burners are the same, the chimneys are the same, even the oil is the same; the tanks haven't even been refilled yet, so there's no differences that can be factored in. It's not even limited to one lamp, but it's affecting several of them, and it all happened at the exact same time.

Does anyone have any clue about what might be going on? The wicks are properly sized to the burners, and this is the first time they've given me any trouble.
 
the tanks haven't even been refilled yet
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Fill them up to the level they were performing well at, and they'll perform well again.

I've often wondered why they make the reservoirs of lamps so deep when you can't burn more than a small fraction of the oil they hold. Once the level gets down much below the flame, the oil can no longer wick up as fast as it gets burned and the wicks go dry.
 
Cougar Allen said:
Fill them up to the level they were performing well at, and they'll perform well again.

I've often wondered why they make the reservoirs of lamps so deep when you can't burn more than a small fraction of the oil they hold. Once the level gets down much below the flame, the oil can no longer wick up as fast as it gets burned and the wicks go dry.
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I Just tried that in one of them. Filled it up almost all the way to the top, trimmed the burnt portion of the wick off, soaked it to ensure that it's totally saturated. The wick is still sparking, crackling, popping, and burning like it simply doesn't care.
 
I have another idea. Now it seems the only thing that has changed at all is the wicks have burned down some. Seems they were good at the ends but after they burned down a little you hit the part with synthetics (nylon, polyester) blended in. Crackling and popping sounds like a nylon wick to me. My new prescription: get some new wicks of a different brand. Or braid one yourself out of cotton string (make sure it's all-cotton).
 
Never had that problem before, so I'm just throwing out suggestions. Have you trimmed the wicks and tried them? Is it possible that the tanks have sweated from temperature changes and water is now in the fuel?
 
Cougar Allen said:
I have another idea. Now it seems the only thing that has changed at all is the wicks have burned down some. Seems they were good at the ends but after they burned down a little you hit the part with synthetics (nylon, polyester) blended in. Crackling and popping sounds like a nylon wick to me. My new prescription: get some new wicks of a different brand. Or braid one yourself out of cotton string (make sure it's all-cotton).
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Are the Dietz brand wicks with the red stitching down the middle made with nylon in them? Because that's what I've been using for a good while without any problems, until just now.

longun said:
Never had that problem before, so I'm just throwing out suggestions. Have you trimmed the wicks and tried them?
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Repeatedly. It hasn't helped at all.

Is it possible that the tanks have sweated from temperature changes and water is now in the fuel?
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Not even close to possible. In light of everything going wrong I dumped all the oil out of one, washed it out, dried it thoroughly, and tried new oil. The results were the exact same.
 
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Charlie_K said:
Are the Dietz brand wicks with the red stitching down the middle made with nylon in them? Because that's what I've been using for a good while without any problems, until just now.
Repeatedly. It hasn't helped at all.

Not even close to possible. In light of everything going wrong I dumped all the oil out of one, washed it out, dried it thoroughly, and tried new oil. The results were the exact same.
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Dietz are good wicks and should be all cotton. Did you use new wicks when you changed the oil? I sounds to me like your oil was contaminated with water somehow. That water, soaked into the wicks, would keep oil from going up the wicks, at least at the rate needed for a clean burn. So the starved wicks are burning. And trying to burn the moisture causing the popping. Why didn't it do it at first? Water is heavier than oil so even if mixed in, it would be near the bottom of the container. As the level dropped with pure oil siphoned off the top, the oil was more laden with water. Or even some other unknown contaminant. Try fresh wicks with a new bottle of oil. Just changing the oil won't clean out the wicks.
 
Codger_64 said:
Dietz are good wicks and should be all cotton. Did you use new wicks when you changed the oil? I sounds to me like your oil was contaminated with water somehow. That water, soaked into the wicks, would keep oil from going up the wicks, at least at the rate needed for a clean burn. So the starved wicks are burning. And trying to burn the moisture causing the popping. Why didn't it do it at first? Water is heavier than oil so even if mixed in, it would be near the bottom of the container. As the level dropped with pure oil siphoned off the top, the oil was more laden with water. Or even some other unknown contaminant. Try fresh wicks with a new bottle of oil. Just changing the oil won't clean out the wicks.
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I tried that too. Twice. I have a five foot roll of wick in a plastic bag so I was ready and able to try that out. Brand new oil, brand new wicks, completely dry lamp bases devoid of any sign of water, and they're still snapping and popping.
 
Charlie_K said:
I tried that too. Twice. I have a five foot roll of wick in a plastic bag so I was ready and able to try that out. Brand new oil, brand new wicks, completely dry lamp bases devoid of any sign of water, and they're still snapping and popping.
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Granpaw would say "You ain't holding yer mouth right son!" Are you also using the same brand of oil?
 
Codger_64 said:
Granpaw would say "You ain't holding yer mouth right son!" Are you also using the same brand of oil?
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Yeah, it's the same florasense lamp oil that I've been getting from Wal-Mart. As with everything else, I haven't had any problems until just recently when everything started going wrong.
 
Charlie_K said:
Yeah, it's the same florasense lamp oil that I've been getting from Wal-Mart. As with everything else, I haven't had any problems until just recently when everything started going wrong.
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Floral scents from Walmart? Find some better stuff like Aladdin or KleanHeat. Walmart may have a pallet of that stuff to get rid of before they get a new lot number or even new supplier.
 
Codger_64 said:
Floral scents from Walmart? Find some better stuff like Aladdin or KleanHeat. Walmart may have a pallet of that stuff to get rid of before they get a new lot number or even new supplier.
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I've looked around for alternatives even before now, and those aren't available locally. Klean Heat is like $25 a gallon on a particular river based online store. Most every variant of lamp oil is actually that price for a single gallon. And the Aladdin fuel is $25 for a 32 ounce bottle.

EDIT

It just occurred to me, shouldn't the oil be tested to see if somehow water did get in?

I've read on other sites that liquid food coloring is suspended in a water medium, and it can't be used for adding color to lamp oil. So if I dump the oil into a clear jar, add a few drops of food coloring, shake it up, and let it set and settle for a day, would that show if there's any water contamination present? And if so, couldn't the oil be siphoned off the top, while leaving the water behind?
 
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It could be water. Or it could be some other contaminant from refining. Perhaps return the bottle to the merchant and buy a fresh bottle from a different store. Many hardware and big box stores carry it. Lamplight Farms is a brand Wallyworld used to carry and I never had problems with it. You might contact the folks at Lehmans' and ask their advice. They are a major supplier to the Amish of lamps and fuel.
 
Alright. So this is the current situation I'm in.

All the lamp oil at Wal-Mart has the same number on the bottom of the jugs. So if the one I have is contaminated, it stands to reason that they're all pretty much the same, so exchanging it won't do much good.

The camping section at Wal-Mart has 32 ounce jugs of kerosene in red jugs and blue jugs. I know the red stuff has dyes for tax purposes, and the dyes are said to be hazardous to your health, and clog up the wicks of lamps. What about the blue jugs?

One of the hardware stores in town sells Lamplight brand purified lamp oil. Only problem is the clear stuff is $6 for a pint, and I need two just to fill up one lamp. The blue dyed stuff is $9 for a 32 ounce bottle, but I don't know if the dyes are safe for indoor use.

The other two hardware stores sell nothing but straight up K1 kerosene, or what's claimed to be kerosene. Reports are that it's going to stink, and it's going to soot up bad. I've read of ways to help deodorize it, such as adding rubbing alcohol, mineral spirits, or filtering it with limestone powder. No mention of the soot issue though.

That's the current situation locally. Looking online at Lehman's the prices they charge really aren't much better than other online retailers, especially when they say right on the page of particular fuels that they may not travel up the wick as well as some others. Online reviews of various brands are mixed, with warnings and disclaimers that they won't work with wide flat wicks, and are only intended to work with narrow round wicks.
 
Charlie_K said:
Alright. So this is the current situation I'm in.

All the lamp oil at Wal-Mart has the same number on the bottom of the jugs. So if the one I have is contaminated, it stands to reason that they're all pretty much the same, so exchanging it won't do much good.

The camping section at Wal-Mart has 32 ounce jugs of kerosene in red jugs and blue jugs. I know the red stuff has dyes for tax purposes, and the dyes are said to be hazardous to your health, and clog up the wicks of lamps. What about the blue jugs?

One of the hardware stores in town sells Lamplight brand purified lamp oil. Only problem is the clear stuff is $6 for a pint, and I need two just to fill up one lamp. The blue dyed stuff is $9 for a 32 ounce bottle, but I don't know if the dyes are safe for indoor use.

The other two hardware stores sell nothing but straight up K1 kerosene, or what's claimed to be kerosene. Reports are that it's going to stink, and it's going to soot up bad. I've read of ways to help deodorize it, such as adding rubbing alcohol, mineral spirits, or filtering it with limestone powder. No mention of the soot issue though.

That's the current situation locally. Looking online at Lehman's the prices they charge really aren't much better than other online retailers, especially when they say right on the page of particular fuels that they may not travel up the wick as well as some others. Online reviews of various brands are mixed, with warnings and disclaimers that they won't work with wide flat wicks, and are only intended to work with narrow round wicks.
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I've not used kerosene since the 1960's so I can't tell you much about that. My advice to ask Lehmans is that they do know the lamps and fuels from years of experience. I doubt they are open today but you can contact their customer service tomorrow. I don't know that I would mix additives to lamp oil or try filtering it. You might find another lot number in another Walmart nearby though. There are nearly as many of them as there are McDonalds locations. We have two here in this town and every nearby town has one. Ace and True Value hardware stores and farm supply stores are also possible local sources.

I've never encountered this problem with my antique oil lamps in the many years I have used them for light and heat in power outages. I've just always used uncolored, unscented oil I found available. And kept the wicks properly trimmed and adjusted to reduce sooting of the chimneys and give best light. I think I have four of them last count.
 
Could any of this be related to how some of the lamps have sat out in the open for months without being used, with the oil just sitting in them at the ready in case of a surprise power outage?
 
IMHO, no. Paraffin oil should not be hydroscopic. I've never had it happen. I have had old wicks dry out and not draw new fuel. Shellaced?
 
Charlie_K said:
I'm afraid I don't understand the question.
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Referring to the leftovers of old dried oil as a kind of shellac, like you get in small gas engines from old gas. Something that blocks the capillary action of the wick besides water.
 
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