Smoke oil generator??

[GreyAce]

I am after some advice from you guys as I am confused with what to do regarding the smoke oil generator.

I have turned it on,on occasions and it works fine but never nearly a hour yet and it says in the manual that it has enough for 1 hours operation?.

Do I let it smoke till it stops then add more oil? Few drops apparently? At the rear of the tank or if I never use it will it dry out and become useless? I have read many conflicting things on the net and I am just confused about it all.

Don't know what to do really regarding this,I'm not bothered about using it all the time but then again I don't want it to dry out?? And stop working??.

[Ecam]

I've never ran the smoke for that long. The older ones I am familiar with were prone to flooding if filled too full. But I've read that "two drops" thing and always thought that was on the shy side.
So my main question is does always go back to working after additional fluid is added?

I should also state I have only three working smoke generators in all of my fleet and don't use them very often. Not a smoker fan myself.

[Herr Dr. Professor]

I add only a maximum of five drops to a new HengLong smoke generator. I rarely run the exhaust smoke for more than a minute, just enough to get a kick out of it. The idea is to keep the wick moist but not overfill so that the fluid runs out and messes up the insides of the tank.

[GreyAce]

I add only a maximum of five drops to a new HengLong smoke generator. I rarely run the exhaust smoke for more than a minute, just enough to get a kick out of it. The idea is to keep the wick moist but not overfill so that the fluid runs out and messes up the insides of the tank.

Do you regularly add smoke oil? And do you know when it needs it,well how do you know it needs it? That I'd like more clarification on.

[Ecam]

I would assume that the answer is yes, as the fluid is consumed it would need to be replenished. I will also go out on a limb and say you are in the top one percent of users who run the smoke generator for an hour at a time. However if your two drop last an hour I'd guess the 4 or 5 drops would double that time. Are you running solar panels on your tank, nuclear powered...?

[Herr Dr. Professor]

Alas, there is no clarification, for short of opening the smoke generator there is no definitive way to tell. Obviously if one turns on the smoke generator and it produced no smoke after about 45 seconds or so, it must be turned off and oil added. Otherwise, I just add one or two drops when the tank has been stored for some time (say, a year). However, I run my tanks seldom, rarely outdoors, and only for five minutes or less. Experience will give you a good sense of what to do, and at the very worst replacing a stock HengLong (or Taigen or Torro) smoke generator is easy.

By the way, all this applies to the tiny smoke generators in model trains, too. Both hobbies are fun and offer lots of opportunities for learning (and, yes, mistakes), maintenance, and for those so inclined, custom work. You may even someday find yourself using your enjoying your machining skills as you work on tanks. Those skills can be a real asset to you. I know--I am a retired professor, so such skills are mostly new to me, so I bumble and grumble and keep pluggin' away, slowly learning more and more.

[GreyAce]

I would assume that the answer is yes, as the fluid is consumed it would need to be replenished. I will also go out on a limb and say you are in the top one percent of users who run the smoke generator for an hour at a time. However if your two drop last an hour I'd guess the 4 or 5 drops would double that time. Are you running solar panels on your tank, nuclear powered...?

I tried fitting a solar panel this afternoon but the thing was just too heavy and yeah I am currently in the shed trying to make a nuclear reactor,it's very tricky,tried to get nuclear fuel at my nearest B&Q but there out of stock,go figure.

Yeah I won't run the smoke thing for a hour lol.

[GreyAce]

Alas, there is no clarification, for short of opening the smoke generator there is no definitive way to tell. Obviously if one turns on the smoke generator and it produced no smoke after about 45 seconds or so, it must be turned off and oil added. Otherwise, I just add one or two drops when the tank has been stored for some time (say, a year). However, I run my tanks seldom, rarely outdoors, and only for five minutes or less. Experience will give you a good sense of what to do, and at the very worst replacing a stock HengLong (or Taigen or Torro) smoke generator is easy.

By the way, all this applies to the tiny smoke generators in model trains, too. Both hobbies are fun and offer lots of opportunities for learning (and, yes, mistakes), maintenance, and for those so inclined, custom work. You may even someday find yourself using your enjoying your machining skills as you work on tanks. Those skills can be a real asset to you. I know--I am a retired professor, so such skills are mostly new to me, so I bumble and grumble and keep pluggin' away, slowly learning more and more.

Thanks for this advice it's extremely helpful,45 seconds thing and also the storage thing to,thanks.

[Meter rat]

I have removed the smokers from mine. They consume power, and never look realistic, especially in modern tanks. The only time a modern engine may smoke is on start up, if it has been standing. I have smokers in my two tigers, and just keep the wicks moist, with a few drops. If it stops smoking all that happens is the wick burns, so at that point I turn it off. The fluid evaporates over time so, I suggest a few drops before you turn it on.
Occasionally strip the smoker and readjust the wick, and make sure the hearing element is touching the wick and the wick is reaching any fluid in the resavior.

[GreyAce]

I have removed the smokers from mine. They consume power, and never look realistic, especially in modern tanks. The only time a modern engine may smoke is on start up, if it has been standing. I have smokers in my two tigers, and just keep the wicks moist, with a few drops. If it stops smoking all that happens is the wick burns, so at that point I turn it off. The fluid evaporates over time so, I suggest a few drops before you turn it on.
Occasionally strip the smoker and readjust the wick, and make sure the hearing element is touching the wick and the wick is reaching any fluid in the resavior.

When you say it evaporates over time how long do you leave it before you add some more of the oil? Just a rough figure?.