lamps mysteriously always fails after transport/time

    Hi,


    I have 3 lamps (2 HK 500 and one HK 350)
    I got them from various places at various times. (one was in a very very sorry state)
    However, so far i have run into numerious problems, and i still have to find out what causes the problems, or what i do wrong. :whistling: Over the last 2.5 years I have opened and fiddled with them numerious times, and got them each time back in running condition (eaven including resoldering the preheater to the tank), however, each time i take them with me on a weekend, one or more gets broken. :cursing: I think however the answer may lie in one off these questions? Sorry if some off these questions sounds stupid, but i have to ask to be sure and don't know good where else to ask them.

    - Can anyone tell me what diffrences there are between a 350 and a 500? I think I have swapped parts mistakenly ( I thought i had all the same lamps):S As far as i can tell from the site, the only diffrence is the nozzle, needle and mantle. Is this correct?? i'd expect there to be more diffrences.     ?(
    - Is there a diffrence in wich petroleum to use? Is the one they sell in gas stations good enough? Does it degrade over time? Can this cause leaking seals?
    - How sensiteve are these lamps to transport? (I have two metal bundeswher transport boxes (still searching for a 3rd one) Can this cause leaks?
    - Can i store these for a long time with petroleum still in the tank?
    - How sensiteve are these lamps to dust/humidity,.. etc in the air?
    - To what lenght should i adjust the Conducting rod? (104-500)
    - There is a small screw/blade on the mixing tube (33-500) What direction should this face?
    - In wich pressure range do you guys keep your lamps?
    - Is there anything else that has to be calibrated apart from the gap in part 117-500?
    - How long should i expect a mantle to last?
    - how do double hole mantles work?
    - Is there anything else i might do wrong?


    Sorry to bother you guys with these stupid questions but I'd love to hear anything so i can keep my lamps burning.

    ..yes, nozzle, needle, mantle only
    ..if not Sure about petroluem/paraffin/kerosene quality from various sources, try liquid barbeque fire lighter. Not petrol/gazoline/spirits/meths , within Eu This liquid bbq fire lighter fluid is veritable Petroleum.
    ..transport is no Problem , mantle may be damaged but never had that,
    ..for long term storage pls empty tank, otherwise bacteria Can gelify The Petroleum. Then You must clean The valves.
    ..rod length: Needle should in upper Position not exceed More than .5 mm The nozzle.
    ..mixing screw vertical.
    .. Range .5-2.0 bar
    .. Needle , valves , pump, burner, many parts Can ne optimized
    ..5 second toll 5 years
    .. I avoid those
    ..in download section is a manual for px Inspektion. Check it.


    Good luck

    Hey Bp4wili


    Yeah, i had found already that pdf in the downloads section, however it is in german and my german is not good enough :(


    All this does explain a lot off stuff. I'll check it out and try to get them all back in perfect order.


    Thanks a lot!

    Hello,


    Thanx to all these tips, i managed to identify and adress most off the problems, and 2 of my lamps have been able to run perfectly for a whole weekend on the last trip i did :)
    About the tird lamp,.. I discovered i have some algae (bacteria or however it is called in english) etc in my reservoir. I have tryed to clean it using a lot of brake cleaner, but there is still some stuff in there :(
    https://www.dropbox.com/s/c2fq…09-03%2017.01.54.jpg?dl=0
    While i have managed to get a lot off stuff out (it is currently already a bit better then that picture) there is still a lot inside.
    Does anyone knows a good way to get it out? or is it best to just buy a new reservoir? Or can i try to use it again since the rest seems fairly stickey?


    @Orthotiger: thx a lot, I'll read it :)


    btw, Much to my wife's displeasure, I also bought in the mean time a Coleman and a Tilley FL6 :D :D :D

    You can try gravel (small sharp edged stones, approx. 4-6mm dia) in the tank. Fill in about 1/4...1/6 together with water and some detergent. Shake well for 5...15 minutes, depending on the grade of dirt. This will work as an abrasive-
    After this, pour out all gravel and the inside should be clean and shiny.
    To get out remaining water, fill in some spirit (alcool), shake, pour out and let it dry completely.


    BR
    Andy

    Grüße


    Andy


    Fiat Lux !

    Hi Tony


    I tried various ways to clean a (Pmax) tank. What works the best (my experience and only mine!) is lye. With lye I mean the stuff you use when the kitchen sink is stuck. I put some lye in the tank, add boiling water (carefully bit by bit) it starts to react immediatly, then let the stuf do its work for 10/15 minutes then empty the tank (iyt gets hot due to the lye doing it's work) and have a look inside the tank. The lye is agressive stuff, be carefull, use gloves aso. Don't leave the stuff in the tank very long.


    I did the gravel method too, hand shaking, it takes ages!! I made a disc on a drill, mounted the tank on it with rubber bands. Then let the drill turn slowly at a certain angle so that the gravel (in my case small nuts + some kind of solvent like thinner) slides over the tank botom and let it turn for several hours. The speed and angle are hard to adjust right, once it's done you can let the drill do the work.


    regards Henk

    Zitat von Henk Kloosterman

    I tried various ways to clean a (Pmax) tank. What works the best (my experience and only mine!) is lye. With lye I mean the stuff you use when the kitchen sink is stuck. I put some lye in the tank, add boiling water (carefully bit by bit) it starts to react immediatly, then let the stuf do its work for 10/15 minutes then empty the tank (iyt gets hot due to the lye doing it's work) and have a look inside the tank. The lye is agressive stuff, be carefull, use gloves aso. Don't leave the stuff in the tank very long.


    Be carefull. I filled some drain cleaner into the fuel tank and came back 20 minutes later. The reaction spilled some foam out of the opening and discoloured the matt sourface of the fuel tank. X(