Lighting Immediately After Refilling a Lighter

Refillable lighters are generally very safe devices but, after refueling, one may wish to observe some basic safety precautions. In general, one should wait a few minutes before lighting the device after they have refueled it. This is particularly true with fluid-filled lighters.

A butane lighter has the advantage of its refueling being an entirely closed-off process. When the refill canister is held properly to the valve, there is an airtight seal created. The reservoir, of course, is also airtight. Any butane that does escape will quickly disperse into the air and should provide no hazard. One only needs to make certain that they've given any stray butane from refueling or bleeding a chance to evacuate the area before they light the device. Otherwise, there are no real hazards.

Fluid-filled lighters are another case entirely. These lighters make use of an oily fuel which can sometimes leach out of the reservoir and coat the outside of the case and the workings of the lighter around the windscreen. For this reason, it is usually better to let the lighter sit for a couple minutes before igniting it. This ensures that the entire lighter does not burst into flame when the flint wheel is turned.

One can check their fluid-filled lighter by simply touching the outside of the case. Lighter fluid will have an obviously oily feel and will emit a characteristic scent which is hard to miss. If the lighter smells of lighter fluid or if it is obviously damp to the touch, do not light it until the fluid has completely evaporated from the surface. In most cases, lighter fluid will only leak out of the device if it has been overfilled. Otherwise, one should feel entirely safe spinning the flint wheel right after they've refueled the lighter.

Butane lighters are, by far, the most convenient refillables in this regard. One may wish to bleed these types of lighters for a few seconds before attempting to light them, however. Air sometimes becomes trapped in the fuel line or the reservoir and this will result in a failure to light. One can fix this by simply depressing the fuel release valve far enough to open it but not far enough to ignite the jet.