Problem with rapid preheater

    Hallo folks from Italy!
    I'm a newcomer in the hobby of collecting and using pressure lamps.
    In a couple of months I've found two Hipolito 500, a Petromax HK500 and other stuff.
    The rapid preheater of one Hipolito, won't work. I've completely dismounted it, cleaned, changed the nipple (221) .
    The petrol comes out but won't light. Something is going wrong, someone have an idea?
    I have some other problems with this lamp, but I decided to start with the pre heater.
    Thank you in advance for some suggestions
    Carlo Bianconi

    Hello Carlo,
    at first wellcome here in the forum. :D


    To your problem with the rapid heater:


    What happens when you start the heater.
    Comes only air?
    Comes only Kerosene?
    Comes nothing?



    Ciao


    Hartmut

    Und möge das Licht mit Dir sein. ;)

    Hallo,
    I think that kerosene comes out, I can see a sort of fog, but also a steady flame generated by a gas burner don't ignite.
    Regards
    Carlo

    Well, just a minute ago I've tried with the pressure gauge on the red line, my hand over the " fog" smells of kerosene, so I think that some kerosene comes out, in about 30 seconds of test I've lost about 1 Atm. of pressure but the flame does not start.
    On the other Hipolito, with 1 Atm. I can experience a steady flame. Of course, exchanching the complete heater, all is fine.


    By the way, I'm becoming to think that the old good method of " priming" the lamp with alchool in the bowl ( Hipolito has the bowl, Petromax does not have) is a bit tricky, produces smoke because the temperature is not high enough, but is the handiest way. You don't loose pressure, so you don't nedd to repump etc.
    Regards
    Carlo

    Have I understand right, when you exchange the complete heater it works?


    When you take off the nozzle #221 you see in the middle the hole for the kerosene, arround that you see 2 or 4 holes for the air.


    Take a needle and look if they are alle free.


    Zitat

    By the way, I'm becoming to think that the old good method of " priming" the lamp with alchool in the bowl ( Hipolito has the bowl, Petromax does not have) is a bit tricky, produces smoke because the temperature is not high enough, but is the handiest way. You don't loose pressure, so you don't nedd to repump etc.


    That´s right. :D



    Greetings


    Hartmut

    Und möge das Licht mit Dir sein. ;)

    Hallo,
    it's right, exchanging the complete group, all is fine.
    I've here the nozzles, the old one and the new one ( part 221) and my best magnifyng lens, but I can see only the central hole, and no holes around or on the sides.
    But the funny part of the story is that last evening, just after my last post, I came back to the lantern for another test...........and the preheater began to work! And worked many other times in the evening. May be some dirt remained inside after my cleaning, but I'm not really sure of this. This evening I'll try again.
    I'm not really happy about this, my job is repairing radio equipments and I know that when a defective thing starts to work without any fixing, soon or later the problem will come again.
    Fine forum, I'm learning a lot about these this fascinating way of producing light.
    Cheers
    Carlo