As we have already briefly touched upon above, there are a variety of different lighters out there on the market that use butane as its primary fuel source.
However, regardless of whether you happen to have a torch lighter or even a butane cigarette lighter – the great news is that refilling a butane lighter is extremely easy to do!
Below, we are going to be showing you a simple method that will have your butane lighter filled up safely and quickly in no time at all.
Just keep reading to discover the method:
Step One: Purge The Lighter
First things first, before you even think about refilling your butane lighter with more fuel – you are first going to need to make sure that it has been purged of any air and fuel that might be leftover inside the chamber.
To do this safely, you are going to need to make sure that you are in a well ventilated area (preferably, we recommend doing this outside in the fresh air) before then going ahead and purging the lighter of any remaining fuel or air.
If you cannot do this outside as we recommend, then you can alternatively do this indoors near a window with a fan blowing if you have one.
Step Two: Doublecheck The Lighter Isn’t Hot
Along with making sure that you are purging your lighter prior to refilling it with fuel, you’re also going to need to make sure that you are checking the temperature of the butane lighter prior to filling it.
Why?
Well, as we’re sure you’re already well aware, butane is highly combustible, which means that you will need to make sure that the lighter is cool before you begin pumping fuel into it.
For this reason, if you are planning to refill your lighter after recently using it, you are going to need to make sure that you are waiting at least 30 minutes, or until you can feel that the lighter is cool to the touch.
Top Tip: If you’re pressed for time and you need to refill your butane lighter fast, then why don’t you consider placing your butane lighter inside a refrigerator for around 5 to 10 minutes?
Doing this will help to speed up the time it needs to cool down, and is especially useful for those who are already using their lighter and need to top it up with fuel quickly.
Step Three: Set The Flame Height To Minimum
After you have allowed the lighter to cool down after previously being used, you are then going to need to go ahead and locate the flame adjuster.
The flame adjuster knob can be positioned in various places depending on which lighter you are using, although the majority of flame adjuster knobs are typically positioned on either the top or the side of the lighter’s body.
Once you have found it, you can then go ahead and turn the dial all the way down to the minimum setting, as this will then ensure that there will be no flame when you are filling the lighter with fresh fuel.
As a side note, it is also important to note that there are some lighters on the market that require a unique key in order to adjust the flame setting.
If you have a butane lighter that requires a key to make the flame adjustments, keep in mind that you will need to use this in order to correctly ensure the flame level is on the lowest level.
Step Four: Insert Fresh Butane
After you have done all of the above steps, you will then be ready to go ahead and begin filling up your butane lighter.
To do this safely and correctly, hold the lighter upside down, as this will help to prevent any air from entering into the lighter.
It’s important to make sure that you are doing this, as if any air gets inside the fuel chamber, it could potentially cause the lighter to malfunction, and the efficiency of the fuel to be lowered.
Step Five: Shake The Gas Can
Before you discard the can after refilling your butane lighter with gas, you should also take a moment to thoroughly shake the gas can.
Not only will this help to make sure that you are getting your money’s worth, but it will also mean that you will be able to get the higher quality butane that often tends to settle itself at the very bottom of the gas can.
For the best results and to ensure that you are able to successfully get the heavier butane out of the can and into your butane lighter, we recommend that you shake your gas can anywhere from 5 to 6 times to get all of the butane gas out.
Wrapping Up
Even though there are many different types of lighters out there on the market that each use butane as a fuel source, refilling a butane lighter is an extremely easy thing to do, and we hope that our guide has shown you how you are going to be able to successfully refill yours.
To quickly sum up everything that we have talked you through in the guide above, when it comes to refilling (or even simply filling) a butane lighter, you are going to need to make sure that you are purging out any air already in the lighter, before proceeding to them pump it up with fuel before going ahead and using the butane lighter as normal.
Before you go, why don’t you consider bookmarking this page?
That way, if you ever need to come back and remind yourself of how you can correctly refill a butane lighter safely, you will know exactly where to find us.
Hello, my name is Tim Roth and I have lived in Texas all of my life. I have seen it all - tornadoes, flash floods, and other natural disasters that have come our way.
I have kept a survival kit for all my family members in my basement since I was in my 20s. Every time a new member comes along, I make them a new kit. No one in my family will be caught out in a disaster - I make sure of it.
I teach a survival class at the local hall as well. It’s free for anyone who wants to learn about keeping themselves and their family safe, should the worst happen. We cover how to help children and the elderly, make your own evacuation and survival kits, and much more.
