Stinky Lanterns? Burning Lamps Indoors?
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- čas přidán 11. 07. 2024
- I've had lots of questions about using lanterns, lamps, and stoves indoors, whether or not it's safe, and what kind of ventilation is necessary. I've also had a lot of questions about smelly lamps and lanterns. I address these issues here.
Video Content
00:00 Intro
07:28 Gasoline Lanterns and Lamps
11:26 Kerosene Lanterns and Lamps
16:28 Using Gas Pressure Appliances Indoors - Jak na to + styl
I am an old man of 72 and love the smell. It reminds me of better times in my life with my grandparrents and how they lived in poverty but free in every way and i loved it.
My wife and I both grew up in rural areas where kerosene lamps and wood stoves were just part of every day life. We have to remember that in that time and place houses were drafty and even children were familiar with fire. Today, energy efficient houses recirculate interior air, and open flame is nowhere as common as it used to be. People who use oil lamps need to develop the same caution they naturally use when handling electricity.
People bring highly flammable, oil/resin filled trees into their homes every winter and wrap them heavily with electrified wires and leave them to dry out with THOUSANDS of them going up in flames every single year but using a well maintained and working lantern indoors is dangerous? sigh...,.Thanks for a great video.
Your videos are great!!! I have done extensive testing with a Bacharach Carbon Monoxide analyzer. Much to my surprise, my highest reading was 34ppm of CO & the lantern was filthy!! A lantern that is clean & properly working, CO readings were ranging from 5-10ppm CO. The testing was conclusive enough that I use them every night in my home. Added bonus during the winter is the heat they release as well. In a blackout during the winter, I'd feel very comfortable heating my home with a few lanterns. I'm not telling anyone what they should do... I'm just letting everyone know what I'm comfortable doing. Use your own judgment
I don't have anything that sensitive, just a standard CO detector. I looked up the specs and saw that it will go off after eight hours of sustained 50ppm. I put it in a room with a 236 and a 237 for fourteen hours. I had to alternately shut them off for refuelling, but at least on of them was running the whole time and the alarm never went off, so that tells me two high-power lanterns combined are putting out less than 50ppm.
I also find it interesting that when Coleman did include a note about ventilation in their warnings, it was about oxygen consumption and made no mention of carbon monoxide.
@@king.coleman I'm alot like you!!! Constantly doing experiments with these. I just wrapped up a 3 month long fuel comparison test Coleman VS Crown. It's that part of this hobby I enjoy!! I do enjoy your videos as well. Your theory of operation videos are very informative!!
@@rickdavis4740 What were your results?
These were our source of light in our old farm house in Ontario until I was about 12 and we got hydro hooked up. I did my homework under the light of these old beauties. Never a problem. Best video I've seen on the subject. Cheers
Most times I purchase an old lamp I hear a similar story. Elecrification came pretty late to the rural parts of northern Vancouver Island.
Just one point to clarify: - there is a difference between square inches and inches square. The hand demonstration was more like 5 or 6 inches square; 25 to 36 square inches. Colemans's recommendation of 5 square inches would be 1" x 5" or take the square root of 5 to find the length of each side of a square of equivalent area.
I recently got hit with a bout of nostalgia, having grown up with Coleman stove and lantern's in the late 50's and through the 60's....so I bought some naptha stoves and a lantern. Winter is coming and I need some projects. I've watched a lot of your videos, I find them to be thorough and instructional...thank you for taking the time and effort to make them.
Today's project will be to heat and quench, followed probably by an acid soak to recover the generator from my 4M stove. I really need to get the spring out and clean the tube.
i run a different lamp every night on the kitchen table during winter. none really are stinky because they run good. I actually like the smell of white gas burning
Thanks for clarifying issue. I always thought they were as safe as the handler and we do live in stranger times these days. This year they have roped off more bonfires on our Guy Fawkes’ Night, here in the UK, because people have started to burn themselves on flames they’ve never seen before. 🥴🤡
‘Wisdom is a perishable skill with every generation’ - me
How very true!🇬🇧🏴
I'm 60 years old and I didn't even know, they made a gas lamp ? That is awesome 👌 Thanks for sharing your videos..I think 🤔 you have alot great info
Haha 24:27 We love power outages. I also told this to my girlfriend. To avoid smell I'm using Aspen 4T alkalyte fuel in my Coleman stoves and lanterns. This has a significant lower aromatic compound content then other fuels. Since I'm using that I don't receive any complaints about smell anymore.
Years ago I was going to a tech school and living in a 20 ft camper trailer. Heating with the furnace would use all the lpg in 2-3 days. Turning on a stove burner would last 2 months. Didn't die. Thanks for the video🙂
While slightly different, we run a Coleman propane bottle lantern every weekend from October through December and have given no thought to ventilation really being needed. What actually causes us to open a window in any capacity is when the wood stove is raging and you have 5+ guys playing poker and having a good time haha.
In the state of Victoria, Australia the residential building code used to mandate vents high up on the outside wall of each room. There were usually at least two depending on the room size. Apparently these were to allow for the use of kerosene appliances. After around the 1980s these vents were dropped from new buildings as being no longer necessary.
we have 9 lanterns from coleman, we love them and use them when we can, mostly at the cabin, we also have the cook stoves, love using those as well.
we keep plenty of fuel on hand for emergencies. we light the porch of the cabin another at the stairs, another by the fire pit, just a great tool for the off grid cabin.
Using a lantern is common sense inside.
Do it all the time almost every day.
Okay maybe not in the summer lol
Coleman collector here.
Great topic and video, Bill. Enjoy all your videos especially your Theory of Operation series.
Excellent video. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent. Thank you for posting
Nice vidéo and good informations ! Thanks
It is done for legal protection for the company. Also homes from years back were not very energy efficient. So, there was always a draft coming in from some where. Today’s homes are very well sealed and energy efficient, so more issues with CO.
That being said, I agree with your comments toward the end of video regarding safety. It is the lack experience with these wonder devices and to some degree, lack of sense, that create problems and fear.
I enjoy your videos very much and appreciate your time and effort. Keep Em Burning buddy!!!
Very helpful videos Filled with good information and old school common sense 👍👍
Thank you. I had hesitantly come to the same conclusion, but wanted verification, incase I was missing something.
Excellent demonstration, and fantastic hair!
Just got addicted to pressure appliances, and love the channel. Keep up the awesome content. :-)
Excellent video. Have been considering getting into the Coleman type lanterns after having spent some time with oil lanterns and candles
Thanks for the great video!
Thank you for explaining this, we recently had a power outage for three days and I have 7 Coleman lanterns and multiple stoves but decided not to burn them indoors. It sounds like good ventilation and shutting them down outside would be good. Can't wait for the next power outage!
I have wrought iron hooks outside of our front picture window and in the back window outside of the dining room and sunroom window. From these I hang the Coleman lanterns and inside the house I use oil lamps with Lamplight 99% pure paraffin oil if we have a power outage. I use an oil lamp with a very low flame at night in the living room next to a photo of a deceased loved one.
Who does your hair , I like it 👌
Very interesting point here about the chimney effect! I have been using a pot screen on my Coleman stove and was wondering about airflow as well. This is kinda relevant to my current stove issue, which is water in fuel (from high humidity air get pumped into the fuel tank) slowing down combustion and then needing to restart the flame sometimes. A hotter flame would probably help with that...
I see why my dad always used propane for camping, raw gas on cookware is so nasty.
What fuel are you using in your stove? Unleaded gasoline contains slightl levels of water from the holding tanks as well as many additives for vehicle engines. Coleman white gas is the purest from of fuel. It is even more pure than propane. Using a stove with pure CF is the cleanest way to cook.
I would love a good power outage when I am at home one of these nights. LOL It always seems that I am away from home whenever we have an outage. With 80+ lanterns and who knows how many lamps, I am always looking for a reason to fire them up. :)
Me too. We've had two power outages in the thirteen years we've lived here. One was for two days during a big storm and we were over on the west coast of the Island spending Thanksgiving with friends.
❤❤lamps.
Let's remember that I, and millions others, burn four natural gas stove burners in my kitchen with no problem.
I came for the stink and stayed for the history lesson. I love History.
I burn my kerosene lanterns in doors every night. When shutting them down I release the pressure from the tank rather than shutting off at the valve. Only do this on kerosene models! This allows the kerosene to immediately drain back down the generator and stops the vapor as well as it extends the generator life. Preheating a gen with kerosene in it is what causes the carbon build up that leads to a clogged gen. This is the way I do it. If you don't like it then please don't do anything you are not comfortable with.
Yeah...I expect I'll catch all the flack I can handle just telling people it's okay to burn these indoors, let along telling them to unscrew the fuel cap while it's still running.
@@king.coleman Ditto. But if you have spent any time with a lamp or lantern you start to figure out all of it idiosyncrasies. You know the ones that are bullet proof and the ones that are absolutely going to fail every time on you! 🤣
Yes. If I were to get into that, I'd probably note the kerosene "Euro-stoves" like those made by Primus and Optimus, which you extinguish (or "turn down") by venting pressure from the fount.
@@king.coleman Exactly!
You are correct, I do the same, no odors. But I wait for the flame to be out before releasing pressure on the gas models as you mentioned.
I enjoy your programming and my wife likes your dew
Great CZcams! I have a question I hope you can help me with: I have the identical Lamp you show in the intro, not the one you used in the demonstration. Mine is in good shape, but it is unsafe to light. The fuel valve leaks. Taking it apart its packing is twin or string and some sort of grease. I can not find an illustration to show me how to repack. Could it be some previous owner did this when the original packing failed? Where can I get a packing for my lamp or instructions on how to re-twin/string it and what grease do I use? I really want to enjoy my lamp, but can not due to the leak. Thank You!
There shouldn't be any grease in there. It sounds like the original graphite packing failed and someone replaced it with graphite rope. I've got plans to make a video showing how to do that. You can purchase new packings from Old Coleman Parts (the easiest way to replace it) or you can use graphite rope. It should be available anywhere plumbing supplies are sold. Just be sure to get the kind that's twisted graphite, not graphite impregnate string. The latter won't hold up. If using graphite rope, remove the old packing, make sure everything's very clean, then wrap the new rope around the valve stem. How many times depends on the rope and the size of the valve. My rule of thumb is enough wraps that it's difficult to get the nut to catch on the threads when putting it back together. I find that's typically about five wraps. Tighten the nut and see how it feels. If that's not enough, you can always take the nut off and add another wrap or two.
Great video brother thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise I have a old lamp like your Chrome one On the right where can I find a pump for that style of lamp I paid $15 For my lamp At a yard sale it had the pump it was never burned the date on the bottom reads 1924 is that correct Could it be that old and never fired the brass was shiny and new Hello from Detroit Michigan USA
You can find pumps pretty readily on eBay. Old Coleman Parts sells them at a reasonable price. It's certainly possible to find the occasional Quicklite that hasn't been fired, but it's also possible it passed through the hands of a collector who cleaned it up and that it now only appears to be unfired.
Vancouver Island? Damn, you're local!
I cover my aladdin chimney with a glass candle lamp cap evaparation cut down alot and no smell, my neighbor adds a drop of pepermint or cinnamon oil to her wick lanterns and aladdins
When Coleman first made lamps and lanterns for use indoors, people lived in air leaking houses and energy was CHEAP.
Ya know, leaky double hung windows. Leaky doors, etc.
Oh and most did not have much if any insulation.
Dang hard to find a good kerosene lantern.
Coleman actually still makes a kero pressure lamp if you can find it in stock....i have one and really like it!!Cost of kerosene these days almost makes whitegas more appealing and campfuel stores muuuuuuch better then kero
I got a hurricane lantern as part of my "Oh Sh*t Kit" for when power is out for extended periods.
I was wondering what's the best size of flame to have? (Best as in best fuel efficiency to light output to wick preservation ratio). It's a standard flat wick, "classic" hurricane lantern, Dietz brand, the shorter globed of their 2 main lamp types.
I don't know that I can give you a definitive answer. I don't have much interest in wick lanterns and have little experience with them. It does seem that each one has a pretty narrow window where it burns efficiently, putting out a bright light and not smoking. Adjust it to that point and that's your answer.
Doesn't the kerosene pressure lamps spray kerosene out if they get to low on pressure? I had one we were running and went out to bring it in and shut it off and that's what appeared to happen. I understand they are meant to be tended too.
No, the issue isn't pressure. As long as the generator is hot, the liquid fuel will turn to vapour. It'll only spit liquid fuel if the generator is cold and that won't happen once the lantern is running. If the pressure drops it'll just shut off. While you shouldn't leave a lit lantern alone, a Coleman lantern doesn't need any "tending" once it's running. It's not like an Aladdin lamp. On those the draught can increase as the burner heats up leading to a runaway flame. Pressure lanterns don't work that way.
That nickel plated lamp. I have one similar but I've no idea what type of glass shade fits. Is there any specific diameter?
If you can't find a Coleman shade, Aladdin shades are more common and will usually fit. For a CQ shade, the bottom diameter is about 10" and at the narrowest point in the top about 3 1/4".
Man Yeh!
Ok….I have several oil lamps and lanterns in which I burn Madellion clear lamp oil and there is virtually no odor at all…I recently purchased an antique oil lamp..washed out the fount , changed the wick , used the same oiL..while burning there is a prominent odor…similar to kerosene fumes…there is no smoke ..just obnoxious fumes…Could it possibly be the burner .?? Any suggestions?? Thank you
I'm afraid I don't have an answer for you. My interest is in gas pressure lamps, not wick lamps.
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The one thing I can't find, and no-one can explain is the purpose of the removable air tube cap on my lamp. When I remove it, my lamp runs much brighter. Does anyone know? It's a Leacock 107SS. I'm also trying to figure out which mantles it takes, it doesn't even say in the instructions! Thank you
It will take #21 Coleman or 2C-HG Peerless mantles...the standard for pretty much every double-mantle lamp or lantern. When you refer to a cap on the air tube, I'm assuming it's screw-on restrictor at the bottom of the air tube. These have been used on a number of lamp models, usually those that can burn both gas and kerosene, so that the air mixture can be adjusted depending on the fuel being burned: off for gas; on for kero.
methyl hydrates (99.9% methanol) is different that denatured alcohol (usually 10% methanol, mostly ethanol. Its "denatured" here in the US since 100% ethanol required an alcohol tax and is not sold to the public. The methanol is added so you can't drink it
Yep. But if you ask for denature alcohol in Canada, you'll either get a blank stare or they'll point you to the methyl hydrate. I'm an American expat living in Canada and this confused me at first. I've never seen denatured alcohol for sale here. (And I don't recall ever seeing methyl hydrate for sale in the US.)
@@king.coleman In the States, methanol/methyl hydrate is sold by the gallon under the brand name HEET.
I'd like to see a test with lantern/lamps burning in a room with a carbon monoxide detector to see how long it takes and the levels
Like I said in the video, I tried that by burning a 236 and 237 at the same time in my laundry room and the CO detector never went off.
@@king.coleman oh I'm sorry I missed that. Lol. Good to know. And I agree with you that the same mechanism was made for burning inside a house with a window cracked. But now in their litigious society they have to give legalese disclaimers as a "just in case" for the worst of the worst situation.
All I meant was a live video of it to show it but I trust your word 👍🏻
Great content and thank you
The only thing that has changed over the decades since "stoves & lanterns" were invented is society. We live in a litigious society these days and with countless numbers of people who fear just about anything as well as fail in the terms of common sense which is why you find the Coleman official indoor use as a big no. Today, gasoline and kerosene are well overpriced, in fact I believe purchasing a 1 or 5 gallon container of K1 kerosene is more expensive that pump gas. Kerosene today doesn't make any sense unless gasoline isn't available at the time of need. Another fact about "candles" is that they are very dirty...folks don't think of where that wax goes to since it doesn't fully burn, the unburned was ends up on you walls, ceilings and surroundings so it wouldn't make a lot of sense to use them often in locations having expensive furnishings and fixtures.
The only reason oil lanterns stink is using low quality oil use proper lamp oil it is oderless and clean if it is dirty then the wick is too high
That is true when it comes to oil-burning wick lamps. Gas pressure lamps don't have wicks and burn gasoline or kerosene rather than oil.
Are all fuels equal in terms of toxicity and air pollution ?
@@roseskyschmolesky If you're asking about carbon dioxide output, I couldn't say. The more potential energy stored in any fuel, the greater it's CO2 output is going to be. If you're asking about gasoline versus kerosene and how they compare for burning indoors, it doesn't really make a difference if your appliance is burning properly.
I burn paraffin oil in my "kerosene" lamps.
Terminology is tricky when it comes to kerosene. In North America "kerosene" is the usual term, although here in Canada "coal oil" was the more common term a century ago and many people still use it when referring to kerosene. In Britain it's referred to as "paraffin". All three are referring to the same product, despite technically being three different things. What's usually sold as "paraffin" in North America is a different product than kerosene, although there are some products sold in Canada as "paraffin" that are actually kerosene. I always check the MSDS on any product labelled "paraffin" here in Canada.
@@king.coleman I’m confused. Are paraffin and kerosene the same thing with a different name (and thus interchangeable) or not ?
@@roseskyschmolesky See my reply above. Different regions use the terms "kerosene" and "paraffin" to mean different things.