subject: How To Troubleshoot A Lighter [print this page] No matter what the cost, we all hate to waste money. Whether it is haggling over the price of a new car or squeezing out the last of a toothpaste tube, consumers are always trying to find new ways to save. As many cigar smokers can attest, the cost of a sufficient stock of cigar lighters can be quite an expense. In order to maximize your lighter budget, it has become essential for each cigar smoker to have some experience in troubleshooting a lighter.
One of the first things to do when troubleshooting a lighter is to check and make sure that you have not overfilled your lighter with the correct type of fuel. Often times one of the main reasons a lighter might not work is due to the fact that during the refill some air got trapped inside of the lighter. This air can prevent it from igniting and can cause the lighter to malfunction. All you need to do is remove the air from the inside of the lighter through a process known as bleeding. Take a match and use the non-striking end to press down the butane gas and release the air inside.
Butane lighters are generally the only lighters that ever have problems with fuel flow. Most of the time, it's simply because there is something obstructing one of the jets. Visually examine the jet and see if there is any foreign object stuck in it. If there is, you can tap the lighter very gently on a hard surface and see if the obstruction falls out. If it doesn't, you can use a small piece of metal or a toothpick to fish it out of the jet. Be careful, however. If you dig around too firmly, you may end up damaging part of the jet.
If the lighter is getting fuel, there's no obstruction in the jets and you can't see anything else wrong with it, you may have a more significant problem. It may be from the fuel that you're using. If you've been using a low-quality fuel, you can bleed out the fuel that's in your tank and refill it with high quality fuel.
If none of these steps work, you probably have something seriously wrong with your lighter. This is the point where you want to bring it to the shop to be looked at by an expert or were you just want to send it back to the company for a warranty repair. Generally speaking, high-quality lighters are exceptionally reliable.
