# Bic lighters,, How long will they last in storage?



## budgetprepp-n

I was thinking of ordering a case of bic lighters. 
Will they last in storage? Can the fuel escape? 
And how should they be stored?


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## Moonshinedave

I've never tried this, but it makes sense, is to store them under a small amount of pressure, as to keep the fuel from leaking out. There are good videos on youtube on using jars with a small hole in the cap and electrical tape loose on one end over the hole. They are using it for vacuum, however by putting the tape on the other side of the lid, I am sure it would also work for pressure. I would advise not applying too much pressure though to the jars only a pound or two, would be my advice. AGAIN, I DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH PRESSURE A MASON JAR WILL HOLD, IF YOU TRY THIS BE CAREFUL AND WEAR EYE,HAND FACE PROTECTION PROTECTION.


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## Notsoyoung

I have found old bic lighters in the back of a drawer or a box that was 2 to 3 years old and they still worked, but it is hard to say how much of the gas evaporated. I seem to remember hearing some where of vacuum packing them and sticking them in a freezer will preserve them for a longer period of time. I believe the theory being that as the internal gas gets colder it contracts and the pressure is reduced.


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## pheniox17

I really can't give you a real timeline on them lasting, 10+ years I can say through experience just kept in a cool dry place (well all the above is almost impossible here) but that's through experience...


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## Slippy

We have some Bic lighters that are approaching 8 years old and still work. I've got some stored in ziploc bags, and some in the original plastic and cardboard that they come in, and a couple in myar bags. They may have lost a little fuel to evaporation but they all still work. (I didn't try the ones in mylar). Moonshinedave has a good suggestion I think.


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## MI.oldguy

I just tried our 3 yr old bics,they work fine.our el cheepo clear ones look half gone but do work,cant tell with the bics how full.don't smell butane in the bucket they were in if that's any consolation.the flints in all of them seem fine as the buckets are airtight.
our sparkies,thats what I call our bbq lighters were fine and looked fully charged.of course,always keep other methods of fire too,matches,sparkers, etc.


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## Prepp(g)er

Notsoyoung said:


> I have found old bic lighters in the back of a drawer or a box that was 2 to 3 years old and they still worked, but it is hard to say how much of the gas evaporated. I seem to remember hearing some where of vacuum packing them and sticking them in a freezer will preserve them for a longer period of time. I believe the theory being that as the internal gas gets colder it contracts and the pressure is reduced.


@notsoyoung: i enjoyed your previous posts so far, so please don't take this the wrong way. i much respect you and your knowledge...
isn't what you want for storage, that the gas inside doesn't come out? what good will a vacuum do? if there's a leak in the lighter, or the seal isn't totally tight, the only thing a vac will do is suck out more gas. therefore emptying the lighters faster. my understanding of physics at least makes me believe that this would happen.

@ budgetp: i have been smoking for more than 10 years and still find old bics everywhere. so far only 2 of about 30 were low on gas, but not completely empty. and i don't even know if they weren't almost empty before. i think they are no methods of storing them that are better than the usual dark and cool. everything else is just useless imo.

just make sure, that you get those without electric ignition. because the ignition system on the old- fashioned ones will last forever


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## Infidel

budgetprepp-n said:


> I was thinking of ordering a case of bic lighters.
> Will they last in storage? Can the fuel escape?
> And how should they be stored?


I have a plethora of bic lighters laying around here and all hold fuel. I always end up buying one when the zippo runs out of fuel and I'm not at home so they get used once and then get thrown in a drawer. Personally I think a zippo, some flints and a couple cans of fuel might be a better choice than the bic lighters if solely for the windproof aspect of the zippo. The zippo fuel is also useful for other things so in my opinion a better value than the bic although the bic lighters are certainly cheap enough.

-Infidel


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## bad

Consider a couple of propane torches. Ours has a self starter. Lights every time. They are more bulky. Great for lighting fires and small cooking chores besides their original use as a general purpose torch,


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## Ripon

Paying Montana Rancher....isn't this one of his gigs? I thought he'd know. Being a life long non smoker and purveyor of no lighters aren't there the kind which use kerosene which can be refilled?


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## Nathan Jefferson

Bic lighters last for years, and while you might lose some of the gas I'm pretty certain you will have a lot of juice left if you don't use them and let them sit for years. 

But - fair warning - I've had walmart specials the ones that are (were?) 5 or 6 for a couple of bux, 1/2 to 1/3 the cost of bics, that have run out of gas in a year. YMMV.


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## alterego

I believe if they are not defective and stored properly ten years would be reasonable to expect. I store my lighters in an opaque tote in our basement. The temperature fluctuates on the extreme side fro. Sixty to Eighty down there. I always keep one in my tool chest as well the temp fluctuation there is likely over 100 degrees I have had noticeable performance loss over a couple years lighting up the burn barrel. I tried to do a little reading on this subject last night and found several post on other forums from 2007 2008 2009 with no recent updates. Funny how survival and prepping have become so common place in the Obama administration's he must be so proud.


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## Will2

wrap them in plastic then encase them in wax or animal fat ( http://www.chow.com/food-news/137924/how-long-can-you-store-rendered-fat/ )


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## StarPD45

alterego said:


> I believe if they are not defective and stored properly ten years would be reasonable to expect. I store my lighters in an opaque tote in our basement. The temperature fluctuates on the extreme side fro. Sixty to Eighty down there. I always keep one in my tool chest as well the temp fluctuation there is likely over 100 degrees I have had noticeable performance loss over a couple years lighting up the burn barrel. I tried to do a little reading on this subject last night and found several post on other forums from 2007 2008 2009 with no recent updates. Funny how survival and prepping have become so common place in the Obama administration's he must be so proud.


That last sentence reminds me of one I saw recently. 
You know Obama loves poor people, Look how many he's made.


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## Vagabond

So it seems the consensus view is a good ten years minimum for the better disposable lighters. Also it seems agreed by everyone that multiple methods is best. Don't forget the old ronson and zippos. They can use many types of fuel. And one takes less room than a bucket of disposables, as long as you are able to refill them. Then again if you have a ten year supply of disposables in a sealed container you will probably have outlasted most emergency situations. For the unlikely event of a given catastrophe that lasts longer, we can still rub two sticks together or get a spark from flint. Any matches, on the other hand I'd personally hold on to for insect repellent. It really works against mosquitoes at the very least, as long as they're not used to fumes from auto traffic


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## Titan6

I have a few packs of them stored away from like 3 years ago I took one out the other day to test em..still worked with no problem..they are kept in control climate tho no over heating or cold....


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## Seneca

Okay,
I checked some disposable butane lighters from the late 90's, they still light, hope that helps. Some may remember the Camel bucks thing, I ordered a ten pack of the disposables with Camel bucks and never used them. They have set around in an outdoor storage shed for 15 plus years and they work. Not Bics, as I understand it they are now collectables. Who knew? lol


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## jacksonon

My advice is not to store them for a long time. This is not conducive to your safety. For safety and carbon emission reduction considerations, USB plasma lighters are a better choice. They will not cause fuel leakage, and have a longer life than bic, which can be used for at least 2 years.


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## Denton

jacksonon said:


> My advice is not to store them for a long time. This is not conducive to your safety. For safety and carbon emission reduction considerations, USB plasma lighters are a better choice. They will not cause fuel leakage, and have a longer life than bic, which can be used for at least 2 years.


Yeah, because that pesky butane gas is such a carbon-emissions violator.
For the sake of the planet, don't flick your Bic! Start your fire some other way.


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## Back Pack Hack

Don't let AOC see this thread.... she'll want to start banning lighters like she banned cow farts.


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## Bigfoot63

Have found bics that were going on ten years, still lit but had a shorter life expectancy.possibly low on fuel when they were lost to the drawer. I prefer the zippo and back up strike anywhere kitchen matches. Just an observation,but my wife can kill a bic lighter in two weeks.


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## Mad Trapper

Denton said:


> Yeah, because that pesky butane gas is such a carbon-emissions violator.
> For the sake of the planet, don't flick your Bic! Start your fire some other way.


Greta Thunberg approved. CO2 emissions depends on skill. Un-limted shelf life. Recyclable materials.

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## SOCOM42

Bigfoot63 said:


> Have found bics that were going on ten years, still lit but had a shorter life expectancy.possibly low on fuel when they were lost to the drawer. I prefer the zippo and back up strike anywhere kitchen matches. Just an observation,but my wife can kill a bic lighter in two weeks.


I have dozens of them stored, I do not use them, strictly a SHTF product.

They still work and the fuel is still full after 20 years or so.

Would buy a few at the checkout counter at Wall World, then put them up in storage.


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## Mad Trapper

I keep a bunch around, where I might need them: shop, by wood stove, propane/acetylene torch (sparker is MUCH better), tractor/truck/car, tool boxes, a stash in home , and when backpacking: 1 in pants pocket, 1 in backpack pocket, 1 in cooking gear, 1 with candle lantern. Redundant is good, if you misplace/loose one.

I always carry one in pants pocket, just like my folder knife. 2 in BOB.

I can make bow drills but takes a while and in bad weather getting materials/starting fire can be cranky/cold, sometimes for me still can't do it (rain/snow/wind). 

Strike anywhere matches should be in BOB and anyplace where it gets REAL COLD. Butane don't work at < oF temps. You can shellac/varnish them (spar) to make waterproof. VERY thin wax coat works too, but use VERY hot wax and leave just a THIN coating on the match.

Flint/steel works good too especially if you have magnesium shavings. That is a learned skill if using a piece of stone and your knife.


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## paraquack

If the fuel in a Bic is butane and I believe it is, butane is compressed to liquify it
The boiling point (temp) at which butane turns to a gas is right around 30 degrees F. 
By raising its pressure to about 225 PSI, it will remain liquid at 100 F.
By reducing the ambient temp of storage, the pressure will decrease.
So, store your Bic lighters in the freezer.


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## Go2ndAmend

I don’t know how long they last, but I do know they will not work at altitude above around 9000 feet when the temps drop below freezing.


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## Prepadoodle

I've had these things last, and I've had ones that leak. It's way too hit or miss for me to rely on.

Stuff a handful of them into a canning jar, add the lid and band, but don't tighten it. Put the jar into your freezer for an hour or so. The air inside will contract and suck in a little more air. Now take it out, tighten the band, and store it in a cool place. The air inside will expand as it warms, and you will have a slight pressure inside. Even if your lighters do leak, they will stop once the pressure inside the lighter is equal to the pressure in the jar. Since you started with some pressure, they might not be able to leak at all.

Lighters stored like this should last as long as you can contain the pressure, which is probably a very very long time.


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## shooter

So I was cleaning some boxes that belong to my mom who passed away about 8 years ago and found some bic lighters. They all worked, and I am sure many of those where older then the 8 years as my mom had stopped smoking 6+ years before she passed away. So I think just in everyday storage they can last a long time.


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## SOCOM42

Four years ago I brought about a couple dozen + of refillable, thin long necked grill lighters for a buck each.

They were at a discount store called Ocean State, there was a huge box of them, next time there, they were all gone.

At wally world I bought some Ronson multi-fill butane canisters for a few buck each to refill the igniters.

Each Coleman gasoline, gas lantern or oil lamp around here has one of them attached to it.

All the lighters are still full of fuel and have never used the refill cylinders except for some dining room candles. 

I did try the Ronson canister on one lighter that seemed a little low, it worked and none ever leaked out.


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## Alteredstate

I have several from 2008. Stored in a ziplock bag in the dark standing upright. All have worked perfectly.


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## SEOhioPrepper

I had several that I had stored for a couple of years. The gas didn't leak out but the all the flints turned to powder. The lighters became useless.
SEOhioprepper


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