Coleman fuel ?????

[pabooger]

Can you burn plain unleaded gas in the older coleman lanterns and stoves?? Im just using them for back up in an emergency or shtf situation.

I have propane, kerrosine and the older liquid fuel stoves for backup.

The coleman fuel is like $10 a gallon but im told it has a much longer shelf life than regular unleaded fuel.

[stilltryinat50]

Under no circumstances would I use any gasoline in a lantern...especially one that you pressurize. Gasoline vapor is one of the most explosive substances that I have had any dealings with. It will travel quite a distance from the tank to any ignition source ( like a fireplace, in an emergency situation) so even if the lantern is not lit, it can still leak vapor. :o :o

[pabooger]

Coleman fuel is gasoline, they are designed to run on it. Coleman fuel will burn in any combustable engine.

You don't think Propane is highly explosice?? ::)

Many of the new stoves are multifuel and will run on white gas, unleaded gas and Kerosine.

After doing some research; Im told unleaded gas will burn fine in the older type lanterns and stoves, but after a period of time it may clog up the jets and they will have to be cleaned.

[Cil]

If you aren't sure I'd call Coleman and find out for sure. Better safe than blown to bits and pieces.

[beekeeper]

Coleman makes a regulator for burning leaded fuels.

Their normal regulator will burn gas that is not leaded, but for leaded fuels you need the other regulator. Our Coleman has the duel-fuels regulator.

Also the Brytelite lantern will burn all liquid fuels. 500Cp lantern and it will burn kerosene, diesel, gas, lard, citronella oil, any flammable liquid. Their website has a great discussion forum too.

Also their lanterns put out 5kBtu, and have an option to use them as a cookstove.

[RangerRick]

I've got an old coleman that was designed to burn regular gas and specifies such on the base however this lantern was made for the army back in the 1940's. Under no circumstances would I consider anything other than K1 in my newer Colemans. That's why I keep 20 gallons of K1 in the barn as it will keep for 20 plus years easy.

Ranger Rick

[JakeLeg]

Coleman fuel is gasoline, they are designed to run on it. Coleman fuel will burn in any combustable engine.

You don't think Propane is highly explosice?? ::)

Many of the new stoves are multifuel and will run on white gas, unleaded gas and Kerosine.

After doing some research; Im told unleaded gas will burn fine in the older type lanterns and stoves, but after a period of time it may clog up the jets and they will have to be cleaned.



Coleman Fuel is not gasoline. It is called "White Gas" and is primarily Naptha.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_gas

[pabooger]

Coleman fuel is a very highly refined version of GASOLINE!! it has no additives in it. It comes in sealed metal cans and it stores at least 5 years if you keep it cool and LEAVE IT ALONE till you use it!! It will work in ALL gasoline engines!

As will unleaded gas burn in coleman stoves!!!

Some of you people are really friggin rude!!!

[pabooger]

Is Coleman fuel White Gas?

Question:
That was a great in-depth answer to the question about the shelf life of Coleman fuel. However, I am confused about the term "white gas" and exactly what fuels are considered such. Since white gas stoves are common, at least in the U.S., and multi-fuel stoves more expensive, why do I only see Coleman fuel or generic "camp fuel" in stores that carry outdoor gear? The "camp fuel" that I mention is supposedly comparable with Coleman fuel.

Will Coleman fuel work in stoves that burn "white gas" (i.e. Whisperlite) or will it clog them, etc? This may seem like many questions, but I'm mainly just looking for an explanation of what fuel to burn in a white gas stove. If necessary, where would one get true white gas as I've only seen Coleman-type fuel in stores.

Thanks for the help,
-Robert Brookshire

Answer:
Although Coleman fuel and other camp fuels are routinely called white gas, they are actually a naphtha. The two are very similar in characteristics. Naphtha is refined one more step and is therefore considered cleaner. It also has a slightly lower boiling point than unleaded gasoline, although it is in practicality undetectable. Coleman fuel has some additives to help prevent rusting of internal parts and facilitate long shelf life.

I feel confident in recommending it for other brands of stoves that burn "white gas," but it would be prudent to check with the stove manufacturer.
Jim Reid --- Coleman, Director of Public Relations

[pabooger]

White Gas, Coleman Fuel, and Unleaded Gasoline White Gas, Coleman Fuel, and Unleaded Gasoline )1995 E. Michael Smith These fuels are all related in that all of them are of similar boiling points and are distilled from petroleum from the same 'cut'. Gasoline is more broad in the 'cut' and has a wider range of materials in it. It also has additives that make it store less well. Coleman Fuel is a particular brand of the more generic product, white gas. White gas is gasoline without the additives in it yet, and may or maynot be a broad cut like regular gasoline. They all have some very nice properties as a storage fuel. They also have some profound differences. Coleman fuel doesn't age and varnish up the way gasoline does

[ASG]

Modern unleaded may not have lead but the stuff that is added to it isn't too good for you. I wouldn't burn it except as a last resort. True pure "white gasoline" is quite hard to find, at least around here, I've never come across it anywhere. The coleman fuel isn't gasoline but similar. It wouldn't be a good idea to use it in an engine, it has a very low octane rating.

[ASG]

Also the Brytelite lantern will burn all liquid fuels. 500Cp lantern and it will burn kerosene, diesel, gas, lard, citronella oil, any flammable liquid. Their website has a great discussion forum too.

Also their lanterns put out 5kBtu, and have an option to use them as a cookstove.


It'll burn almost anything but whether or not it's safe to is another question. The Brytelite is just one of many imported clones of the old German Petromax lanterns. They were designed for kerosene not gasoline. As such, they lack some of the safety features the Coleman and other (older) brands of gasoline lanterns have. In a Coleman lantern pump, there's a tube in the tank that bring the air up to the top of the tank, above the fuel level, so that liquid fuel can't get into the pump as easily (shaking the lantern up obviously can defeat that). On top of that, the pump screws shut tight and completely closes off the opening in the bottom of the pump so that no air or fuel can pass through. In addition, there's a check valve which is what allows the pump to work. The Petromax designs only rely on the check valve and if it fails fuel can squirt out the pump easily while the lantern is running. With kerosene that wasn't a major hazard as the kerosene wouldn't catch fire too easily if that happened, but with gasoline, that's another story.

Second big problem, the "valve" on the Petromax designs actually runs the tip cleaner and uses rubber plugs to stop the flow of fuel. It's not a true positive shut off like gasoline lanterns and lamps have. They can and have failed, making it impossible to shut the lantern off. Again, not a problem with kerosene as many old kerosene pressure lanterns actually had no valves and you simply opened the cap on the tank to let the pressure out and shut them off. With gasoline, that is not safe.

Lastly, the Petromax's fuel feed is soldered in the tank (at least, on most of them) rather than being threaded like most gasoline lanterns always have been. This is actually a problem even with kerosene but it's more dangerous with gasoline because gasoline is more explosive. A hole in the mantle in the right spot and unnoticed long enough can result in that solder softening or even melting and giving away. There have been explosions recorded because of this. Whether or not the heat shields sold with some of the copies of the Petromax work 100 percent remains to be seen.

This has been discussed in more detail at a lamp forum I occasionally post at, search the archives for petromax, brytelite, etc., at lampguild.org In fact, you'll find old posts there by the owner of Brytelite unsuccessfully trying to convince everyone of them being safe with gasoline. It's interesting that as far as I know, every other company that imports these lanterns (under other names) says to use kerosene only.

Not trying to scare anyone or anything, just want everyone to know the potential dangers. Personally, I'd love to see an improved Petromax come out that is truly multi-fuel safe, made for fuels like gasoline. There have been some custom made ones (modified petromax clones actually) to make them safe but nothing commercially yet...

[pabooger]

ASG: Finally someone responds with some usefull info!! Great response with good info!!!

Thanks Much

Pa