You can be 100 percent sure that you can use your camping fuel called butane in all the lighters you have. The only type of lighter you need to be careful of is jet lighters which require a more refined butane to fill with (if you don’t want it to clog).
If your camping butane is way too cheap in quality then better not use it as a lighter fluid if you want your lighter to live long.
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Is camping butane any different than your normal lighter butane?
In my research, I don’t found any difference between the butane you use in everyday life and a butane you would prefer to use during camping or hiking trips. Generally, when buying a camping stove they will function in either butane or isobutane or both. But there is no such advice that you should only use this butane with a camping stove and that butane for your lighter.
When you can use your normal home butane in your gas canister or can say your lighter butane in your camp stove then there should be no problem using the camping butane in your lighter. Just before using them note the type of lighter you have as some lighter need to use with very refined butane so that the clogging won’t happen.
Types of butane lighters
Spark wheel lighters
One of the cheapest ways to have a butane lighter is to buy plastic spark wheel lighters. How do spark wheel lighters work? As the name suggests it has a plastic wheel and a flint on the bottom of the wheel. When you rotate the wheel with enough speed that it produces a spark by rubbing itself on the flint. It has a plastic lever below the spark wheel which opens up so that the fuel can be released and a flame can be produced.
The major benefit of having this type of butane lighter is you can adjust the flame, comes in small and big sizes, and when the situation demands you can use it to create fire without the matchstick using the spark wheel.
There are various types of spark wheel lighters in the market including zippo-style lighters which are designed to work in windy conditions (not all spark wheel lighters are windproof).
Piezo lighters
This type of lighters comes very cheap and is more commonly seen in most homes. How does a piezo ignition lighter work? Instead of having the spark wheel, it has a button. When you press the button which consists of the small spring-loaded hammer that hits a quartz element called piezoelectric, it simply means that a high voltage electrical discharge will happen when the piezo suddenly deformed. The final product of this process is the flame coming from the mouth of the lighter.
Like spark wheel lighter it is also cheap in price and flame is quite adjustable, which pushes it away from the first type of lighter in that you can easily light it up even when you’ve got sweat in your hands.
The only and the major cons of having this type of lighter that I think is they are disposable and are not refillable unless you’re bold enough to do it. Also, in most cases, these type of lighters often fails in the ignition and will not work well in the windy and rainy situation.
Butane gas or liquid butane?
When we fill lighter with butane gas, it demonstrates like it is liquid. But it is not – here’s why? When we fill butane gas in the lighter, the body of the lighter applies high pressure to the gas inside the body. When you’ll increase the pressure of the butane, the molecules of the butane gas tend to come closer which gives it the appearance of liquid rather than gas which you’ll see when you fill butane in any container with standard atmospheric pressure and temperature.
How dangerous is butane gas?
It is hard to avoid smelling butane when we fill our lighter and stoves with butane gas. Smelling during filling happens in a very minimal way and this won’t have any ill effects but when it happens in a large abusive way, it can cause problems like fluctuations in blood pressure, frostbite, temporary memory loss, drowsiness, narcosis, cardiac arrhythmia, asphyxia, euphoria, and death in some cases.
If during the filling process any amount of butane touches the eyes, flush the eyes immediately for 15 minutes with plenty of water while occasionally moving your eyeballs to all the directions. Get medical assistance if any irritation occurs.
How to store butane gas?
- Never store and use gas bottles in a position other than upright.
- Always choose a properly ventilated place to store the butane or any flammable gas.
- Never store the gas cans or bottles near to the source of ignition and heat
- Do not store a large number of gas cans in your home. If you have lots of gas cans, prefer to store them outside the home whether they are full or half empty.
Butane alternatives to using for lighters
There are three alternative fuels you can use in a butane lighter. However, using them is not recommended by the company because they can clog the lighter, and the second most general reason is that they make their lighter to work with the fuels they sell. That’s why they can’t advise us to use it. But as you know we are campers who believe in using everything we can to enjoy even the last drop of camping.
- 91% Isopropyl alcohol
- petrol
- Naphtha
- Charcoal
These are all the alternative fuels you can use in any good lighter like zippo. Just in case you find your lighter not working well after using any of the above fuel in an emergency, leave your zippo or any lighter open for a complete night so that the alternative fuel is completely evaporated. If still, the problem persists you need to change the wick or in a sense, you need to completely rebuild your zippo lighter.
FAQs
Can you overfill a butane lighter?
Do not overfill your lighter with butane if you don’t want it to leak.
Depending on the size of the lighter and how empty it is, it may take up to 2-3 bursts to fill it. Some lighters in the market come to the gauge that shows the fuel level. Check that gauge to fill it but not overfill it.
Can you put olive oil in a zippo lighter?
Don’t bother yourself trying to light up your lighter using olive oil because all your efforts are going to waste.
After putting olive oil in the lighter not only I failed in lighting up my zippo but ruined it completely. Now it may be time to replace the stuffing and wick to make my lights working again.
Can I use cotton balls in my zippo?
You can use your regular cotton balls in zippo.
You may need to take 4 to 5 regular cotton balls or less depending upon the current model of your lighter. Fill the balls and do everything again which includes the previous wick configuration exactly like it is filled in the factory. You may need to go through some trial and error before it actually works.
After you’ve completed the process, don’t overfill and I would say don’t even fill if you don’t want the leakage of fuel in your pant that can even cause some irritation.
Can I use vodka as a lighter fluid?
Yes, you can use vodka or ethanol as a lighter fluid but it is not as effective compared to other fluids that are more combustible in nature.
Can you use perfume as a lighter fluid?
You can use perfume in a lighter but as we know cologne burns too fast which is, of course, no the efficient way but in an emergency, you can definitely use perfume as a lighter fluid unless your lighter gets crushed or broken.
Can you use butane in a zippo?
Yes, you can use butane in a zippo because the company also makes lighters that are compatible with butane.
If you’re asking this question whether butane fuel can be used in any zippo fuel-based lighter then it’s a yes and no because as said in this article no company can claim that you can not use butane in the lighter and it is the same with zippo.
Because butane is highly and easily flammable so it can be used in any flammable device (lighter is just a device).
But, you should use only zippo fuel if you want your lighter to last long because their lightest are designed to work well with their fuel.
Why my lighter is not working?
If your lighter is not working then the burner may be clogged and need some cleaning using a blast of compressed air.
You need to empty the fuel and refill it when the lighter is not working after cleaning the burner. Now, the problem may be in the tank where maybe a bubble is formed. Empty it and refill it to solve the bubble problem.
Can you use Coleman butane fuel in a torch?
You can use Coleman butane fuel in a torch if it is a butane torch as they say their fuel is recommended for HSE with portable appliances.
Can you use propane in butane lighter?
In some situations, you can use propane in a butane lighter because every gas canister has much thicker walls than that is needed for the room temperature.
After all, it has to handle high temperatures and that’s why you can also use propane gas in certain situations where you’re out of butane gas.
How long does a 8 oz butane can last?
An 8 oz butane canister can last for 4 hours at a simmer and 2 hours at a high temperature.
Michael is heavily inclined towards traveling to natural places and documenting cultures/people from different parts of the world. He also loves hiking and camping and is spirited toward all outdoor activities. He will share his passion for outdoor life and brands or products we use outside our homes. He has good research skills, and that’s why you can see why his articles are packed with info that is factual and not readily available. He also has the vision to travel the whole world and share it with all readers of Outdoor Favor.
