Each of us have our own unique way of doing things and our own instincts will guide us to what works best. Going with your own personal experience is ALWAYS best. Even a simple tip can be very useful.Ģ2 Responses to “Keeping the Flame Alive: Cigar Lighter Maintenance” If I’ve left anything out, please let me know in the comments section. The Cigar Lighter Maintenance tips listed here should serve as useful guidelines for getting the most out of our lighters. (The practice of lowering the flame adjustment to refuel is one I don’t recommend, and find it to be unnecessary). Once this happens our options become limited to either too much flame or too little.
The flame level adjustment “wheel” is a nice feature but one that can wear out quickly. But one part that does move is better off left untouched. Cigar lighters are simple devices and have very few moving parts. Not a good thing.ħ) Adjust the flame…then leave it alone. And never tilt it when blowing or fluid will spray all over your lighter. But it’s important to follow the safety rules written on the can. The “canned air” that is sold at any office supply store is perfect for this. So it stands to reason that things like lint and ash can contaminate the nozzle of a torch lighter.Ī routine of blowing out debris from the nozzle is helpful to insure optimum performance of a lighter. Cigar lighters do a dirty job, in a dirty environment. With this in mind, a cigar lighter we deem as bad, might simply need to be exchanged for another.Ħ) Clean the nozzle. Chances are it will never perform as desired so we should take advantage of any exchange policy before it expires. He suggests that if we buy a lighter and it doesn’t work well, send it back. Additionally, Eric from The Big Easy Cigar Sanctuary says that some new lighters that are shipped by the manufacturer, and contain fuel, can have compromised performance. Over time, unused fuel that has been left in cigar lighters can get “funky” leading to poor performance. Butane will stay liquid below that temperature, so on that blustery day, that shirt pocket inside your coat is a warm and cozy place to keep your lighter.ĥ) Don’t store lighters with fuel in them. But I have learned that butane has a boiling point of 31 degrees Fahrenheit, which means that a lighter used in the cold weather will not work well at all. My physics is a little rusty, but all the manufacturers state that a cold lighter doesn’t perform well and we should let them warm up after refueling (which makes them very cold, again, physics is not my thing). BTW, liquid butane will not harm the finish of a lighter and any white residue is easily wiped off.Ĥ) Let the lighter reach room temperature after refueling.
If this practice is applied with each refuel, the lighter should perform well, provided it has a clean nozzle. The empty lighter will begin filling immediately and will fill quickly.īut it’s important to emphasize that refueling your lighter is a messy job and if it’s not, then your lighter isn’t getting completely filled. With the lighter upside down and the butane canister directly above the lighter (it is very important that it not be at any angle above the lighter), quickly depress the canister down onto the lighter’s fuel intake valve. But there is a simple refueling technique that actually purges while refueling, resulting in good lighter performance with less lighter maintenance. There are many techniques to purging and some require emptying the lighter and using probes to depress the fueling valve. If this happens, purging (bleeding) the lighter of trapped air is the remedy. Sometimes when filling our cigar lighters with butane, we inadvertently introduce air into the fuel tank, causing misfires and flameouts. So I suggest not leaving your beloved lighter to “tan” in the sun.ģ) Purging. Also, any prolonged sunlight exposure can harm a delicate torch lighter. Even an expensive lighter can lose its good looks if warped by an overheated environment. There are many plastic parts in the modern cigar lighter that can deform in the extreme heat of an enclosed, sun exposed, automobile.
This is a ruinous environment for just about anything, including torch lighters. Thirdly, don’t leave a lighter in a hot car. My suggestion is to keep the lighter in a pocket between touchups. Secondly, butane performs best at room temperatures. Drying it even for a short period of time can cure this ailment.
The good news is that moisture doesn’t permanently ruin a lighter. The nozzle needs to be dry to perform as condensation inside the nozzle can cause a misfire. First of all, unlike cigars, torch lighters don’t like moisture.