A clean wick is important for proper burning. It is good to check the condition of the wick approximately every 12-15 burning hours – or, each time you refill your lamp with fuel. It may or may not need to be cleaned at this time, depending on use as well as the type of fuel being burned.
For best performance, a wick should have about 1/8″ of black char. The top should be completely smooth, with no stray threads or rough spots. If the top of the wick is not completely smooth, the flame will spike and the flame may be yellow instead of blue, which will cause the mantle to not glow properly.
Cleaning the Wick
Always use the included brass wick cleaner to clean the top of the wick (some previous models came with plastic cleaners). The wick cleaner will remove excess carbon build-up and will smooth out any loose threads.
- Turn down the wick until it is even with the top of the outer wick tube
- Remove the flame spreader and insert the Aladdin wick cleaner
- Turn the wick up until the top of the wick engages the wick cleaner
- Slowly rotate the cleaner clockwise, with just a little bit of downward pressure
- Do not use a back and forth motion, because this will cause unevenness and will result in flame spikes which will cause the mantle to not light correctly
- Do not use too much pressure that would cut into the wick
Tips: Do not use a razor, knife, or scissors to cut the char, only use an Aladdin wick cleaner. If you remove too much of the char, it may be necessary to re-char your wick. You may choose to use scissors to cut stray pieces of the wick, but do not use them on the wick itself. Fingernail clippers actually work really well for stray threads.