Model Railroading > servicing smoke units in HO

I have a small fleet of BLI steamers. They all work well, and I think BLI does a good job when it comes to steam. At any rate, many of them have smoke units. The smoke adds a nice element of realism, especially if I'm having visitors. the problem is, they seem to work great at first, but some make less and less smoke over time. I add more liquid, but it only seems to be a temp fix for a few minutes. I'm wondering if there is a way to go into the engine and clean the smoke units without damaging them. It makes sense that they may get coated in the oil over time. Any thoughts on this subject? Is there a standard method for servicing smoke units?

My BLI steamers with smoke do the same thing. What fluid are you using?

I would recommend using JT Mega Steam, if you don't already.
I've been using it in my O-Gauge engines for years and with my first BLI engine the ATSF 2-10-2. I don't have DCC yet, so I don't know how it smokes using it.
I know that it isn't what you are asking, but we don't have any issues using Mega Steam so far. They also have a massive list of scents!

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I am using the fluid that came with my BLI engines. I'm not sure what it is. Some of the engines smoke quite well, and others just don't. They were all great out of the box. I will make sure to look into mega steam. Its nice to have options. The they have a coal smoke scent? Can it be used with HO?



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 11/25/14 12:16 by steam290.

STill, all this being said, I have pictures of my engines even from 3 weeks ago, and the volume of smoke is significantly greater. What is the deal? Are they getting clogged? Is the burner burning out? What is the issue?

steam290 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I am using the fluid that came with my BLI
> engines. I'm not sure what it is. Some of the
> engines smoke quite well, and others just don't.
> They were all great out of the box. I will make
> sure to look into mega steam. Its nice to have
> options. The they have a coal smoke scent? Can
> it be used with HO?


Yes and yes. And they have a cleaner fluid (that is unscented smoke fluid). It cleans the smoke unit fairly well too. In HO you aren't going to get a realistic plume of smoke in HO, but my MTH O gauge steamers almost put out *too* much smoke.