Hello, I had purchased a used optimus 111, I believe it is a T series. It was not lighting at all at first, after cleaning all components ( tank, jet, needle, nozzle, NRV) I got it easily firing up but outer flames have an orange hue. Someone told me it means it is not achieving maximum heating capacity and is not burning efficiently. I am using the cleanest paraffin product on the market in Norway, a type I have been using since the 90's. The jet is not marked with an "A" and the jet hole is too small to accommodate alcohol based fuel nor is it equipped with a restrictor, so I believe it is running with proper jet. I submerged it in water to see if there are any visible leaks, none that I have seen. Any suggestions?
@Akrofly It is certainly burning at full power, the flames begin a small distance from the holes in the outer cap, a sign that you have no problems with pressure. Were there any signs of carbon deposits in the burner? How long have you run it for, it may just be metal oxides still burning off? Also, does it leave soot on the bottom of a cooking vessel? Sorry for all the questions!
As @Blackdog indicates, boil a pot of water and see if it leaves soot on the pot that can be scrapped of with your finger. if so, it probably has an enlarged jet. If not, it’s ok. Cheers Tony
Orange flame is just stove burning corrosion off. Yellow would be too rich. Run it a while bet it cleans up.
Yellow tips to the flames indicate a rich mixture. This does not look like there is much to be alarmed about yet. Is the fuel fresh? Just let it burn for a good while and see if the flame clears to a blue hue.
I tap the burners while burning to loosen/remove the collected crap, after it is hot. Watch the sparks burn off as you do.
Than you all for your suggestions. @Blackdog, @Majicwrench, @Primus 96: No visible signs of any deposits, the metal netting inside the tube feed was clear and shining clean. The fuel is from a freshly store bought paraffin produced for this very purpose, produced by "Blåtind". I have run it many times, once for a little over 30 minutes. I have boiled water on one of my trips, i used approximately 7 minutes to boil 0,5L, leaves an extremely little amount of soot residue, but it is visible.
That is a bit slow, although outdoors, the wind can have a big impact on boiling times. Might be best to put a few more tankfuls of fuel through it and see if it clears up. If not, the soot would suggest that possibly the jet hole is a little worn and enlarged (less likely than a normal nipple jet cleaned manually) or the burner would benefit from a decoke.
I have now removed the jet and hammered it 3 times in a vice with a peening tip hammer. Will make a difference even if not visible to the naked eye. Testing showed a slight improvement. I decided to perform a water submergence test in the sink, a few bubbles were rising from the pump tube, (not the air in the pump tube since the test was performed after pumping and without the pump handle). I removed the lead washer from the NRV and replaced it with a home made washer from a plastic container. Water tested again with no visible bubbles. The flames now are blue with little sign of contaminants or pressure deprivation. I hope the new washer will withstand the heat on the long run.
Good work, hopefully problem solved. If the container was HDPE that's a viable fuel-resistant obtion. Heat at the NRV area won't be enough to cause problems.
