Problem with Aladdin Lamps (y2k?)

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I was trying out my two aladdin lamps last pm (which use kerosene for fuel) .....they are on the ends of the mantle on my fireplace. I have large mirrors as backgrounds behind each one hanging on the wall....(was hoping for more reflection from the light)

After using the lamps for several hours with nary a glitch,,,,suddenly there was a huge leap in the flame of one of the lamps , and the wick & chimney turned black and the mirror behind the lamp cracked from the heat! The chimney itself didn't crack (I was able to turn the lamp off quickly)....

After this episode, I turned off the other lamp (or so I thought) by lowering the wick as instructed...However, I apparantly didn't lower the wick enough as about 30 minutes later, flames shot up and were evident on the second lamp....

Anyway,, I hope everyone is careful with these new fangled preps we have been trying out....(make sure the lamps feel cold to touch shortly after they are turned off)....

-- mmmm (mmmm@mmmm.com), January 03, 2000

Answers

Yes! Always blow the lamp out after turning the wick down.

Also when using the lamp, check the mantle once in a while to make sure flames are not beginning to show through. That can cause a ugly deposit on the mantle and reduced output. Once adjusted correctly the deposit seems to burn off. I have never let it get real bad but I wonder if that is what happened in your situation.

-- Jim (jimed@iglobal.net), January 03, 2000.


That's what was bothering me....I was watching to make sure the flames were very low - no black deposits were building at all - then they just shot up suddenly....

-- mmmm (mmmm@mmmm.com), January 03, 2000.

What you describe has never happened to me so this is a guess. How many hours did you soak the wick before you used the lamp?

-- Ken Seger (kenseger@earthlink.net), January 03, 2000.

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