What fuel should I use in my Aladdin lamp?
We recommend 1-K grade Kerosene. It should be labeled “water-clear” or “Pearl-clear”.  Stay away from red-dye (taxed) kerosene.  The pigments in the dye will clog the wick and cause burning problems.  We do not recommend any lamp oil or paraffin oil. Lamp oil is full of impurities that will cause burning problems in your lamp.  You will not notice the problems until about 30 minutes into using your lamp (about the time it takes for the wick to soak up enough impurities to cause problems).  After your wick has soaked in lamp oil or paraffin, it is no longer usable.  Paraffin oil, all though cleaner that regular lamp oil, causes the same burning problems.  Paraffin also has a higher flash point than kerosene, therefore burns hotter in the Aladdin.  Paraffin burns hot enough to actually burn the lacquer off the gallery, outer wick tube, and flame spreader.  It is also easier to have “Run-Aways”, the lamps that burn fine for the first 10-15 minutes, then all of a sudden burn really hot, blackened the mantle, soot up the chimney, and has flames coming out the top of the chimney. (Not to mention the smoke and odor.) 
NEVER USE ANY EXPLOSIVE FUEL IN YOUR ALADDIN LAMP. This would be a deadly combination!

How much kerosene does the Aladdin burn per hour?
Typically, the Aladdin burns 3 ounces of kerosene per hour. This is based on a 60 watt light out put, under normal conditions.  If the lamp is turned down, the fuel consumption will also be lower.  Sometimes high elevations (above 4,000 feet) will increase fuel usage.  Most lamps hold approximately 12 hours worth of kerosene.

Tips for filling your lamp up with 1-K kerosene:
Filling level: Fill to about ½” below filler cap.  If the lamp has too much oil, it causes a flood in the burner (Seeping kerosene out of the burner)

Tip for filling the lamp up in the Winter:
The fuel must be at room temperature before you fill your lamp up.  To do otherwise, causes condensation to accumulate inside the bottom of the lamp bowl, the wick will then draw up this condensed water into the wick and cause it to sputter and burn unevenly.
Tip for filling the lamp up in the Summer: Always keep the lamp at least half full during the summer months to avoid the wick drying out.  Check daily after use. (This is especially important with hanging Aladdins.) Remember, fuel swells in the summer heat.  If the lamp is filled up too much, the burner will become flooded with kerosene, and cause it to spill out.

My lamp drips kerosene from the burner, and the kerosene level is low. Some burners continue to wick up kerosene, even after they have been extinguished for some time.  The kerosene puddles inside of the burner will seep out of the burner onto the lamp.  The simple solution is to drill a very small hole in the center of the burner base.  This allows the excess kerosene to drip back into the font.

My lamp “flickers”, what do I do?
Sometimes, the problem is caused by not enough or too much airflow within the burner.  This is most common in the earlier Model 23 burners.  Inserting a small, brass plumber’s ring, cut down to size, and placing it on the top of the outer wick tube usually corrects the problem. The Stringham ring, a solid brass ring, is made to fit the outer wick tube exactly also corrects the problem.

Only the upper portion of the mantle is lit, and it has many spikes.
The cause for this is usually the flame spreader (the small thimble shaped piece that sits in the center of the outer wick tube.) is set too low or is jammed into the burner.  Carefully remove the flame spreader, clean air holes if necessary, and replace it level with or just above the gallery.

Large spikes on the wick, causing black carbon spots on the mantle.
The cause for this is your wick.  Even small threads of the wick can cause spikes.  Carefully clean the wick with your wick cleaner (the small plastic disk).  If there are still small threads sticking up, use finger nail clippers to remove threads. Never use scissors to trim the wick, this causes many problems! It is very easy to trim unevenly or too much wick.

Only the bottom of the mantle is lit.
Usually, the flame spreader (the small thimble piece in the center of the outer wick tube) is set too high. Carefully remove the flame spreader (cleaning if necessary), and set it back in, making sure it at the same level or just a bit above the gallery.  It may take a few times to find the perfect level for your flame spreader. 

The wick has many yellow spikes and the wick is hard to light.
The most common cause of this problem is carbon build up on the wick.  Try cleaning the wick with the wick cleaner.  Also, your lamp may need to be refilled with kerosene, so the wick is soaking in kerosene.

I keep breaking Lox-On_TM Chimneys when I burn my lamp.
Lox-On_TM Chimneys tend to break because they were set into the gallery too tightly.  There are three small tabs on the inside of the gallery that can be easily adjusted to accommodate the chimney.  Why does it break?  When glass heats up, it expands.  If there is a tight spot or pressure point on the chimney, and the glass is expanding, it has nowhere to go.  The crack is always going to be at the tightest spot in the gallery.  We recommend the chimney be loose and have a slight wobble to it.  There is an alternative to the Lox-On_TM Chimneys.  The heel-less chimney has a smooth bottom (instead of tabs) and fits into a heel-less gallery or a Lox-On gallery with heel-less adapter. The heel-less uses a friction fit.  The new borosilicate glass heel-less chimneys are ten times stronger than the glass used for the Lox-On_TM chimneys (and are the same price). Click here to view gallery adapters.

At what elevations is the Light Booster_TM recommended?
The Aladdin Mantle Lamp Company recommends a single Light Booster_TM at 4,000 feet. The Light Booster_TM is a solid brass cylinder that sets on top of any Aladdin chimney (Lox-On_TM or Heel-less).  It comes in solid brass or nickel-plated brass.  The Light Booster_TM is stackable, up to three high. Why does the Aladdin need a taller chimney at higher elevations? The Aladdin burner uses 94% oxygen to 6% fuel vapor.  The chimney is used to create a draft thru the burner. (Pulls in air from the sides of the burner, and pushes it up thru the chimney).  At higher elevations, the oxygen levels in the air decrease, and the Aladdin is not getting the need oxygen.  Using a Light Booster_TM creates the extra draft needed to get the correct amount of oxygen.  You do not need to be a high elevation to use the Light Booster_TM. Adding the Light Booster_TM at sea level will increase the light output by 20% plus increase the heat output. Click here to view Light Boosters_TM.