Tilley lamp -paraffin smell

[tarik]

Is there an additive or other product that I can use in the Tilley lamp that will minimise the paraffin smell?

as usual - thanks for any advice


David

 

[2nd_apprentice]

Isopropyl alcohol will do the job. Add very little though, an ounce the gallon should be sufficient.

 

[alldownwind]

Lamb poil from your chandler or camping shop should be an improvement.
Sorry I meant to say 'lamp oil' but I had a very good lunch.

 

[rich]

I used to put a drop of bleach in my paraffin heater.

 

[Anonymous]

There are some very low-odour paraffins but they are expensive. Some lamp oils, and some heater oils are odourless. There is one posh electrically-controlled paraffin heater available that uses its own fuel which you can buy in 5l+ quantities and is a bit cheaper

 

[vyv_cox]

If you can get to Holland easily you will find that lamp oil is sold everywhere, at considerably reduced cost compared with UK.

 

[SwedishLass]

Found a source of lamp oil in the garden ornament section of BinQ. Not on shelves at moment, no doubt hidden away to further the onslaught of the tupperware xmas tree. Appears to be stocked for summer oil lamps in garden, virtually odourless.

 

[michael_w]

White spirit works well with minimal pong.

 

[CaptainBob]

I bought a Tilley new and had endless trouble with it, so sent it back and got a Vapalux M320 off Ebay instead. Seems like a much better product all round.

I've found that the only time I get the paraffin smell is when I turn it off at the end of using it... if I take it outside to turn it off before bringing it inside again, zero odour.

NB. You can't run a Tilley or any other paraffin pressure lamp on lamp oil I don't think.

 

[vyv_cox]

Lamp oil is straight paraffin without additives and low in sulphur. It is perfectly OK with a pressure stove. There are toxicity problems with coloured lamp oils, they are banned in Germany for example. I guess it is possible that the dyes might lead to deposition in the jet but otherwise no problems should occur.

 

[tarik]

Thank you everybody - as ever most informative


David

 

[roger]

White spirit and paraffin are interchangeable for most purposes. White spirit is, I'm told a narrower cut fraction compared with paraffin. I've used paraffin to dilute oil paints and lamp oil to wipe away unset Sikaflex.

 

[2nd_apprentice]

Concerning the quality of Tilley lamps: it's been said that in 1957 they sacked their last engineer and promoted an accountant instead. The one to get is the pre '54 Tilley Guardsman.

 

[bluedragon]

We use Parasene from B&Q. Seems quite clean and low odour in our Tilley. Sold for greenhouse heaters, etc.