How do you keep these from blowing onto a roof, trees, etc. and starting uncontrollable fires?
278841
I was not happy with these at all and if you are successful in lighting them the fuel cell is too heavy for them to go high enough quick enough so that it does not go into trees, had to buy cardboard fuel cells (made in America) which were lighter, still had the same problem. Waste of money, time and energy unless of course you are in an open field or at a beach.
278842
It's important to check wind direction (preferably no wind) and use in a location without tall buildings and trees.
278843
Select your area to launch carefully. There is not much fuel for each of these (tiny 2" X 2" wax) and if only burns for a bout 2 minutes. If you live in an area that is very dry, I would not recommend using these until you find a good launch site - like near a lake or large parking lot.
278844
Make sure it is a calm day or night and make sure lantern is full of hot air. If lantern has enough hot air it will go straight up when you let go of it.
278845
The fire will burn out when the wick is all done (melted). Once the lantern goes out and the sir begins to cool the come down. By then the fire is out and nothing to worry about. Plus the are biodegradable
278846
Once you let them go, there is no control over their trajectory. They will ascend quickly once fully ignited. As long as they go up far enough to clear the tree and roof tops then they will not descend until they are going out. You should choose your launch site carefully. Preferably over water.
278847
You don't suposed to use them when is windy they are ment to be used un open spaces where there's no trees or cables not closed to houses and they look amazing
278848
First off, they should be used away from these obstacles, once airborne it is unlikely they will start a fire, the wax burns up and the paper comes down.
278849
You really should be doing this in a wide open area...but to simply answer this question, AVOID THE WIND. If however you're doing it around trees and a house and there's wind, make sure you know which way the wind is blowing and how fast. You need to hold onto the lantern so that it really has some heat inside of it and it almost feels like its tugging out of your hands in order for it to get up and away nice and fast. If there is no wind, it will simply raise and be taken with the current of the wind once it gets over the trees, houses, building, etc.
278850
You don't have to worry with these. They are old and they don't light. We returned them.
1470057
just put some wire nuts on them and tape up out of the way, there is no power to them if unhooked so not to worry.
1450451
They are made with a candle like wax that would build up in chimneys and catch on fire, that would be my assumption.
1359763
they may- we bought them for our wedding and were told we couldn't use them for this reason sadly... we set one off at a local park before we knew this and didn't hear anything so we assume no fires occured!
748872
These lamps get very hot, I have installed a relay that only powers them when the blower is on. (also saves energy) A sail switch can also be used to do this.
1002033
Starting campfires is precisely the reason I purchased these in the first place... They work like a charm, in fact, much better than kindling because very small pieces of wood incinerate quickly where this has a nice slow burn which will help get your fire started. Here's a piece of advice, if you're not already doing so dig a small hole at the bottom of your fire pit to shield wind from these cubes. It's just about the only drawback of these things that I can say. Their heat is not intense and are prone to being blown out in the right wind conditions. If you just having small campfires these things are fantastic. Hope this helps.
1490609
Always blow out. You don't want lint and gunk building on vital components.
2212852
Mine was near the house so it blocked the wind. You could put a metal box with a hole for fumes around the top to see if that helped it stay lit.
1802894
Also note that Tom Glander wrote he lit them with a torch. They were very hard to get to light with just a standard lighter. It was somewhat windy the day we tried to use them but I really felt they were unsafe to let go because the fuel cell was large and burned for a long time. We did not let ours go because we were that concerned about starting a fire somewhere as the flames were too close to the paper of the lantern. I have used some before that had a flatter fuel cell that was already attached and was much safer.
2011948
We just tucked ours under tight and then put a plastic tree guard around it. Some fell off but not many. Hope that helps
645189
I'll be honest. This light will catch them on fire. Its too hot for filters or cloth of any type.Only ones suspended by isolated stands.
1430904
Use the wattage until sound gets distorted or unpleasant. Cranking them up too high will definitely blow them.
1188906
Hi they catch fire when you hold them in your hands. Then when the air get warm they fly
1459793
Yes, but they have not been put to extensive use to date. We have never had a fire hazard.
1305797
I had that same issue. I have to buy a spray to make it fire retardant. They sell it at Home Depot.
346266
If you seal off the ends completely you have a nice plastic bag to suffocate in. The best way to deal with the issue is to take three or four walnut size rocks, wrap a small amount of the material from both sides of the opening around the rocks at one end of the tent, starting at the top, and tie string/paracord/cordage around each individual rock. This cuts down on cross breeze dramatically while insuring you don't cut off your air. You also need to be careful with tube tents if you get a lot of snow. The weight could seal the ends on you.
853498
Yes but observe the minimum distances to combustibles. These things get hot.