The Complete Handbook of Tiki Torches & Oil Lamps
A professional's field guide to selecting, installing, maintaining, and profiting from outdoor flame lighting
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
The only professional reference covering selection, installation, maintenance, and business models for tiki torches and oil lamps.
🔒30-day money-back guarantee — not right for you? Full refund, no questions asked.
About this book
Tiki torches and oil lamps are simple devices, but their performance, safety, and lifespan depend on details that most buyers never consider. This handbook explains how the burners actually atomize fuel, why flame height varies with ambient temperature, and how to calculate fuel consumption for a weekend event or a season of nightly service at a restaurant patio. It covers materials from bamboo and steel to powder-coated aluminum and copper, and explains which grades handle salt air, high wind, or heavy commercial use.
You will find concrete procedures for installation, including spacing, anchoring, fuel containment, and fire code compliance, followed by a full chapter on troubleshooting common problems such as smoking flames, sputtering burners, and rusted wick tubes. The business chapters outline realistic profit models for rental companies, landscape contractors, and retailers, including how to evaluate suppliers and what to look for in a private-label program.
The book closes with a look at where the category is headed, including bio-based fuels, integrated lighting, and shifting municipal regulations. A glossary and a straight-answer FAQ make it useful on the job site, not just as a reference to skim once.
Reader Reviews
Kenneth Jones
★★★★★I've been installing landscape lighting for about eight years and I picked this up mostly out of curiosity. The chapter on flame height and fuel viscosity alone changed how I set up torches at coastal properties. It's a bit dry in places, and I wish the troubleshooting section had a few more photos, but the information is solid and I've already used it on three jobs. Worth having on the shelf.
Timothy King
★★★★★This is the book I wish existed when I started my rental company. The fuel consumption formulas and the section on wind stability have saved me real money. The business chapter on private labeling was worth the price by itself. I've already ordered three copies for my site managers. If you work with these things professionally, just get it.
George Martinez
★★★★★As a restaurant manager with a large patio, I've gone through way too many torches over the years. The chapters on installation and troubleshooting are exactly what I needed. I found the section on why stainless steel burners outperform brass in salt air to be an eye-opener. I've already replaced half of our units based on the specifications in Chapter 3. Great reference.
Susan Roberts
★★★★★I design outdoor spaces for a living and usually rely on manufacturer catalogs. This handbook fills in all the gaps those catalogs ignore, like actual clearances code inspectors care about and how to anchor for high wind. The maintenance schedule in Chapter 5 is now part of my client handoff package. The tone is straightforward and practical, which I appreciate. Highly recommended.
Paul Rivera
★★★★★Good book, solid information, and I've learned a lot about fuel types and wick maintenance. My only gripe is that the section on suppliers is a little thin on international options for someone like me. The troubleshooting chapter is the real highlight. A few more diagrams would help, but the text is clear enough to follow. A solid four stars.
Kenneth White
★★★★★I bought this for the business opportunity chapters and was not disappointed. The breakdown of rental economics and the honest look at servicing margins was worth it alone. The rest of the book is just as thorough. I especially appreciated the section on future trends, since I'm considering moving into bio-fuel torches. This is the only serious book on this subject I've found.