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How to Bleed and Refill a Jet Lighter

Refilling a butane lighter can be tricky if you don’t bleed, or purge, the gas tank beforehand. Cigar smokers prefer jet lighters when they’re smoking outside because you can light a cigar in the wind. Many jet lighters have a see-through window, so you can see how much gas you have left. If you don’t regularly bleed the air out of the tank, it will fill with an air bubble that will prevent fresh butane from entering. 

When you refill a butane lighter, the nozzle from the can of butane can be tricky to put into the fuel valve. Every time you refill, a small amount of air sneaks into the gas tank. After four or five refills, the tank is mostly full of air. A small amount of gas may get into the tank when you try to refill it, but the torch will not ignite. Bleeding the air from the lighter empties the tank so it can receive a full tank of Butane again.

In order to remove the air from the tank on a butane jet, press in on the fuel valve using a small tool (most people tend to use a small screwdriver). A steady stream of air will hiss out. You may have to pump the valve a few times to fully release all the air. When the hissing sound stops, the air is gone. Now you can refill your jet by holding the lighter upside down, inserting the nozzle on a can of butane into the fuel valve, and gently pumping the can until the tank is full.

After you’re done bleeding the air from the lighter and you’ve refilled the tank, warm the lighter in your hand or your pocket for five to ten minutes. Due to butane gas being very cold, it temporarily freezes a torch lighter during the refilling process, rendering it inoperable until the lighter is warm again.

There is no way to completely prevent air from getting into the tank, but there is a way to minimise it. Some brands of butane come with a set of plastic adapters that fit over the nozzles so that you can match the size of the nozzle with the fuel valve on your lighter to limit air getting in the tank. The adapter will provide a more precise refill, so you won’t have to bleed your jet lighter as frequently. Finally but high quality butane to get the best performance. Using gas like Xikar or ST Dupont tend to work perfectly as they refine the gas which reduces the impurities and can potentially make your lighter last longer.

Written by Oliver Partington

Trustpilot