First, look: what happens when you turn the wheel?
Try it somewhere calm, out of the wind, and watch the wheel and the nozzle. The table gives the likely cause for each symptom. Below it you will find what to do in each case.
| What you see | Likely cause | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The wheel turns but there is no spark | The flint is used up | Fit a new flint |
| A weak spark, even with a new flint | The wheel is worn | Replace the flint system |
| A good spark but no flame | Out of gas | Refill |
| Just refilled and it will not light, or it sputters | Too cold after filling, or air in the tank | Wait, bleed and refill |
| A small flame in cold weather | The gas is too cold | Warm the lighter in your hand |
| Hissing or a gas smell when not in use | It leaks | Stop using it |
| A Clipper Jet clicks but will not light | Out of gas, or the electronic ignition | Refill; if that fails, it is finished |
No spark: the flint is used up
This is the most common problem. The wheel turns normally but no longer strikes a flint, so nothing happens. The classic Clipper is built for this: the wheel and flint sit in a removable tube that pulls out of the top of the lighter, and the flint can be replaced.
You need Clipper flints, a card of nine that Clipper says fits the Large and the Micro. The full step by step is in replacing a Clipper flint.
A weak spark, even with a new flint
If you have already fitted a new flint and the spark stays weak, the wheel is the problem. The ridges that strike the flint wear smooth after long use. You then replace the whole tube with the wheel on it: the Clipper Flints System, for the Classic Large and Pocket. Pull the old system out, push the new one in, done.
If the wheel is stuck or very stiff, pull the tube out of the lighter and push it all the way back in. The pack of the flint system shows the right position. If it stays stiff, replace the system.
A spark but no flame: out of gas
A good spark without a flame means the ignition works and the problem is the gas. Most of the time the tank is simply empty. You refill a Clipper by pressing a gas can onto the valve underneath. How to do it and which gas to use is in how to refill a Clipper lighter. Under accessories you will find Eurojet lighter gas and Silver Match gas, among others.
Just refilled and it will not light
That is normal, not a fault. Two things play a part:
- The lighter is cold. According to Clipper's safety data sheet, a lighter cools down when gas flows in or out. Cold gas gives little pressure. Wait a few minutes until the lighter is back at room temperature.
- There is air in the tank. The flame then sputters or flickers on and off. The fix is bleeding: let the remaining gas and air escape, then refill. How that works on a Clipper is in our guide to refilling and bleeding a Clipper.
A small flame in the cold
According to Clipper, the gas in its lighters is more than 95 percent isobutane. Isobutane boils at about -12 °C: around that point almost nothing evaporates, so hardly any gas leaves the nozzle. Even above it, a cold lighter gives noticeably less pressure than a warm one.
If your Clipper spent a freezing night in the car or on a windowsill, warm it in your hand or an inside pocket for a moment. Do not put it on a radiator: Clipper advises never to store it above 50 °C or leave it in the sun for long.
A small, large or odd flame
On a classic Clipper you cannot adjust the flame. Clipper uses a pre-set valve and, by its own standard, keeps the flame at 30 mm at most for the whole life of the lighter. The international standard ISO 9994 allows up to 50 mm for a fixed valve. So a small flame does not mean a wrong setting, but little gas or cold gas.
Does the flame flare up when you tilt the lighter or hold it upside down? The reason is explained in why a lighter flame gets bigger when tilted. If the flame is much higher than usual even when held upright, or keeps burning after you let go of the button, stop using the lighter.
Hissing or a gas smell: stop
If you hear a soft hiss or smell gas while the lighter is not in use, it leaks. No spare part fixes that. According to Clipper's safety data sheet, the gas is heavier than air and collects near the floor in a room without ventilation. Open a window and keep flames and sparks away.
A lighter with gas left in it does not belong in normal household waste. In Belgium it goes to the recycling park as small hazardous waste, while an empty lighter can go in residual waste. Elsewhere, follow your local rules; for Brussels and France, see how to throw away a lighter.
A Clipper Jet that will not light
A Clipper Jet works differently from a classic Clipper. Clipper sells it as the Electronic Jet Flame: it lights electronically, with no wheel and no flint. Flints and flint systems do not help here.
If it clicks and you see a small spark but no flame, refill it. If nothing happens at all when you click, even with a full tank, the ignition is the problem. Clipper's replacement range covers gas, flints and the flint system for the classic models, but no part for this electronic ignition.
Does it blow out?
That is not a fault. A classic Clipper has a soft flame that goes out quickly in the wind. Outdoors, models with a jet flame are more practical: the Clipper Jet, or a storm lighter from the LighterShop.
When is a Clipper really finished?
Hardly ever because of the flint or the gas, since you can replace both. A classic Clipper is only finished when it leaks or the body is cracked. Everything else is solved with a flint, a new system or a can of gas. If you want a new one anyway, they are under Clipper lighters.
