Useful and simple butane lighter repairs you can do yourself!

I've decided to write down some of the techniques that I have used over the years at Randys Tobacco Shop to help customers fix their butane lighters that have become broken or just simply don't work anymore.

These suggestions work about 95% of the time. If they don't work for you, buy a new lighter.
Like with any mechanical device, from time to time you need to give your lighter a tune-up for optimum performance.

Now, here are some little known techniques.

Type of butane fuel you are using:

Just like with the gasoline for your car, some butane fuels are cleaner than others. Choose a butane fuel that has been recommended for jet torch or flameless lighters. The brands I recommend are Colibri Butane, Prometheus Butane or Dunhill butane. They seem to be the cleanest and work better than others. Additionally, I recommend that you never use most of the other brands most often found at a drugstore. Your local tobacconist or premium lighter retailer should have premium butanes in stock.

What's the difference in butanes? Well, the difference is the amount of oil present in the butane. The higher the oil content in the butane, the quicker your lighter will gum up.

Just a little bit of common sense prevails here. If you put oil in your butane lighter, the oil will eventually clog up the butane release valve. Your lighter will not light properly if the butane valve is stopped up with oil or any other foreign matter. (The butane release valve, as I call it, is the place where the butane comes out to be ignited and cause a flame).

Refueling your butane lighter:

Always bleed your butane tank before refueling. Bleeding your butane tank releases all the air that has been trapped in the tank and any unused butane that hasn't been used.

Again, some common sense really works here. Butane is a gas and cannot be transferred into your lighter from the butane canister without some form of propellant. The cheapest propellant is compressed air. Eventually, if you don't bleed the air out of the lighter's fuel tank, then that air will displace the amount of butane fuel the lighter can hold. Consequently, your lighter won't light or will "sputter" and the less it will light. Remember, air doesn't necessarily ignite by itself. The proper mix of butane and air works perfectly every time.

Here is how to bleed your butane tank on your lighter. Turn your lighter upside down, and using a small screwdriver or some other small metal device (never use a ball point pen because the ink will blow out all over the place), depress the refill valve on your lighter. Let all the air and butane escape.

Use some common sense here. Always bleed your butane lighter tank away from any flames and people and please do not smoke when you are doing this. You could catch something on fire.

If your butane lighter has a flame adjustment valve, turn the valve to its lowest level. Sometimes lighters have a "memory" and if you do not turn the lighter adjustment valve down when refueling, the lighter might "remember" that this is the lowest setting. Your adjustment valve may not work properly and the flame may be too low for you.

Quartz lighters not sparking:

At times your quartz butane lighter may not spark and ignite the butane when you depress the ignition button. (You know the clicker) If you hear a click, then the quartz is working. If you do not hear a click when you depress the ignition button, then buy a new lighter this one is dead.

Look and see if the lighter is sparking. Please be careful and keep the lighter away from your face when you try this. It may ignite and burn you.

If the lighter is sparking, then check to see if it is sparking towards the butane release valve. If it is not sparking towards the butane release valve, this is why the lighter doesn't work. The spark is not igniting the butane. Again, using a small screwdriver readjust the electrode. (The electrode, as I call it, is the little wire where the spark comes out). Be careful and adjust the electrode wire towards the middle where the butane release valve is. Little adjustments are all that is needed. After each adjustment, try lighting the lighter. If you break the electrode, buy a new lighter, this one is broken.

Wanna know exactly how these lighters work? Click here.

Flint lighters not sparking:

Always check to see if you have a flint in the lighter. If you don't, then put a new flint in and your lighter will probably work. If you do have a flint and your lighter is still not sparking, then try turning the flint around to the side that has not been used.

Also, look at the flint wheel (this is the little steel wheel with tiny raised spots that rub against the flint to cause a spark). Is it "gummed" up? If so, take a brush, like a toothbrush (one that you won't use again of course) and brush the flint wheel to get all the flint residue cleaned off.

Another possible reason for a flint lighter to stop working is that the flint may not be connecting with the flint wheel. If this is the case, simply take the flint out and stretch the flint spring a little bit. Caution: do not over stretch the spring.

Always use a soft flint compared to a hard flint.  If you do not know the difference, feel free to send me an e-mail, and I will be glad to explain the difference.

If all else fails, then hey, you can always buy a new lighter.

Wanna know how flint lighters work? Click here.

Cleaning your lighter:

From time to time your lighter needs to be cleaned. Take a cotton swab or a pipe cleaner and wipe it around the area where the flame comes out. Be careful to do this when the lighter doesn't have a flame, after all, you could catch the cotton swab or pipe cleaner on fire.

After cleaning this area, gently blow out any dirt, dust, or tobacco particles. Again, please be careful and don't do this when the lighter has a flame.

Buying a new lighter:

When you are shopping for a lighter, I always suggest that you buy a flint type lighter because they tend to work more often than not and they simply last forever.

For a more detailed explanation about how the various types of lighters work, click here. 

If you have any more questions about lighters or any problems with a lighter, feel free to e-mail me, and I will be glad to answer any questions.