Leaky Zippo

[smokertruck]

bad news - my city has slowly eliminated good wood matches in the grocery stores or convenience stores other than very cheapy crap thin & short wood.

i have a basic zippo - i fill it, use it & in a few says of no use it is empty - leaking or evaporation ! - there are a few posts in the past on how to prevent this - cant find them - anyone able to find them or post how they now are able to prevent this leaking ?

 

[mcitinner1]

Use the Custom Search Engine sticky under Latest Discussions. It has a link to a google search function for the forum.

 

[shutterbugg]

Smearing vaseline on the insert doesn't stop fuel evaporating from the wick. If you don't carry the lighter on you, keep it in an air-tight container, as small a one as you can find. I have a tiny little tupperware one I use. I've left it in there when I've been gone a week and it still had fuel when I got back.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

If you don't carry the lighter on you, keep it in an air-tight container, as small a one as you can find. I have a tiny little tupperware one I use

I've never even thought to do this. Good idea.
I've started carrying my zippo at all times for cigs and occasional lighting of the pipe. I've just gotten used to having to refill it in the morning before I venture out. Pop out the insert, give it a 5-count and I'm good for the day.
I used to Vaseline it to attempt to prevent evaporation, but it's more mess than it's worth. Just give it a quick squirt in the morning.

 

[ravkesef]

Occam's Razor to the rescue once again! Why go to all these complicated solutions when a simpler one lies close at hand. If your Zippo is leaking or malfunctioning in any way, send it to the company with a brief note describing the problem. They fix all Zippos for free--even if you drove a Mack truck over it. When it comes back it will be good as new. By the way, if it doesn't have a pipe insert, they'll put one in for free. Once you buy a Zippo, your only expense is for consumables: e.g. fuel, flints, wicks.

 

[pipesmokingtom]

I think evaporation is just something you have to deal with in a Zippo and it's not indicative of a problem, per say.
It's not a sealed system like a Bic or what have you. It's just a wick in a fuel soaked cotton ball, basically.
If it were sent back to Zippo, what steps would they take to make it less prone to evaporation, I wonder? I have seen that long-time Zippo users perceive the brass cases to be less prone to evaporation than the steel.

 

[ravkesef]

Tom is right: Evaporation is a normal concomitant of the lighter itself. Leakage is a problem and the OP doesn't say which it is, so addressed myself to the leakage issue, or even evaporation occurring at a rate that is faster than should be expected. It's up to him to decide which it is in his case.

 

[smokertruck]

it seems to be evaporation as there is no mess as in leakage so that does eliminate but ... i am in canada so sending it back to good old usa is more of an ordeal than it is worth -

i get one lite for a bowl then next time a few days later its all gone -
cant find anything described above to search for the posts. somewhere on pipes mag there is a solution but made the mistake of not bookmarking it.

 

[mcitinner1]

It's curmudgeon time...dude this ain't grade school...no offence intended.

 

[shutterbugg]

it seems to be evaporation as there is no mess as in leakage so that does eliminate but ... i am in canada so sending it back to good old usa is more of an ordeal than it is worth -

i get one lite for a bowl then next time a few days later its all gone -

Like I said, if you're just leaving it lie around, put it in a small airtight container. Tupperware is great, I use one of those at home, but even a plastic tub left from margarine will work. I keep a Zippo in my office in one of those because that's what I had on hand. I load up a pipe in the am and step outside for a few puffs several times throughout the day. I only need to refuel once a week or less.

 

[sfduke]

Or take some electrical tape and seal the Zippo lid to body gap. This is what many hikers do with their backup lighters.

 

[pappap]

I own 8 Zippos some were my Grand fathers ,some my Dads They are 70 years old down to 20 years old all of the m go drive after about a week in the hot weather faster all are brass case when the chrome wears off I just keep refilling the one I'm using same as replacing the flints , I love Zippos they always light and they are good in the wind

 

[pipedreamin]

Zippo condom, a small section of narrow bike tire innertube, that and a wee bit o grease at insert base, fuel has lasted up to a month on mine.

 

[fnord]

I smoked a pack a day for over forty years and, once I discovered the light skim of Vaseline trick, the full sized Zippo lighter lasted six to seven days. Of course, the lighter went everywhere with me - usually air conditioned buildings - and never languished in a hot car parked in an open lot.
A penny a day for a lighter that lasted a week? Hell, that was a no-brainer.
My paternal grandfather, a WWI Navy vet and a man of very few words, used to refill his Zippos with the dribblings from the gasoline pump after he refueled his lumber truck. He'd strike the wheel, watch his entire hand be engulfed in flames, beat the fire out on his Sears and Roebuck work khakis, mutter, "Goddammit" and then drive on.
Anyway, Vaseline works well.
Fnord

 

[cossackjack]

@fnord:

The story about your paternal grandfather sounds like a Darwin Award candidate. Lucky for you that he survived to have descendants!
@pipedreamin:

Brilliant idea!

 

[sailortodd]

A few days between refills is pretty common from many accounts I've heard/read. There are a couple of accounts of folks having to refuel every other day, and in those cases I'd start to wonder if it's a fit issue. If you use it so infrequently, it may be best to add only a little fuel before you go to smoke, and count on refueling it every time. May be more of a pain than you're willing to go through, so trying some of the tips on sealing the gap between shell and insert is the next best option.
I hate when I go out to smoke and the damn lighter is dry, though. I have to trudge back inside and refill. That can kill the mood of a smoke break.

 

[jerwynn]

Heck, my Zippo's been leaky for years! Oh.., you mean the lighter?!! sorry... :D

 

[phil67]

I've had the same Zippo for years and I only have to fill it about once a week... if that. As ravkesef said, simply send it to Zippo and they'll fix the issue for free. As a matter of fact I just sent mine off to them as the cam spring broke and the hinge was getting very loose. Just go HERE and you'll find a PDF form to fill out and enclose with the lighter.

 

[hextor]

I have met one of my dads neighbors and he smokes a pipe, he is about 75 and he told me that a thick rubber band on the closing part of the zippo will help keep the fuel in.