Jessie Taylor
Wooden wicks are harder to maintain than traditional cotton wicks, and one of the most common issues is that they won't stay lit. This is often due to a build-up of wax, which can be caused by the wick being too long or having charred bits at the top. To fix this, the wick should be trimmed and cleaned. However, if the wick is cut too short, the candle may 'drown' in wax, so it's important to find the right length. Another issue is ''candle tunnelling', which is when a hole forms down the centre of the candle, leaving unused wax at the edges. This can be prevented by burning the candle long enough for the entire top surface of wax to melt, and if tunnelling does occur, it can be fixed by melting the outer wax with a hairdryer or heat gun to create a smooth surface.
How to fix a wood wick candle that won't stay lit
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Reason | The wick is too long, has charred bits, or is too short |
| Prevention | Trim the wick to 1/8" and clean off any charred material |
| Fix | Scrape out wax near the edge of the jar, or wrap the candle with aluminum foil to help melt the hard wax at the edges |
| Lighting technique | Tilt the candle on an angle and let the flame draw across the length of the wick |
| Wax-memory | Allow the candle to burn long enough to melt the wax to the edge of the jar to reset the wax memory |
| Tunneling | A hole forms down the center of the candle, leaving unused wax at the edges |
| Fix for tunneling | Melt the outer wax surrounding the tunnel and make the surface even again |
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What You'll Learn
- Prevent wax tunneling by ensuring the first burn melts the wax to the edge of the jar
- Trim the wick to around 1/8 inch to ensure the wax can reach the flame
- Light the candle by tilting it on an angle, allowing the flame to draw across the wick
- If the candle is drowning in wax, use a paper towel to soak up the excess wax
- If the wick is too short, the candle may fail to catch – try trimming it longer
Prevent wax tunneling by ensuring the first burn melts the wax to the edge of the jar
Candle tunneling is a common issue that occurs when a candle burns down the middle, leaving unmelted wax around the edges. This happens when a candle is not burned long enough during its first use, or when the wick is too small for the candle. To prevent wax tunneling, ensure that during the first burn, the candle is left to burn long enough for the wax to melt to the edge of the jar. The time this takes will depend on the size of the candle, but it usually takes at least an hour or two. Larger candles, especially those with multiple wicks, have a broader surface area, which promotes even melting.
If you only let the wax in the center melt before blowing the candle out, the second time you burn it, only that small center portion of wax will continue to melt. This is because, compared to the surrounding wax, it is ""softer" and therefore requires less thermal energy to melt again. The surrounding wax that didn't melt the first time is "harder" in comparison, so it won't melt, and you will be left with a ring of unmelted wax around the edges.
To prevent this issue, you can also use a candle topper, also known as an "illuma-lid," which is a specially designed lid that sits on top of jar candles while they burn. It has holes that allow for proper ventilation, stabilize the flame, and distribute the heat uniformly across the surface of the candle, preventing the formation of tunnels.
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Trim the wick to around 1/8 inch to ensure the wax can reach the flame
Trimming the wick of a wooden-wick candle to around 1/8 inch is important for several reasons. Firstly, it ensures that the wax can be drawn upwards effectively through the wick and reach the flame. If the wick is too long, the wax may not be able to travel up the wick to fuel the flame, causing the candle to go out.
Secondly, trimming the wick helps to prevent charred or burnt debris from accumulating, which can also interfere with the flame and cause the candle to burn inconsistently or go out. Therefore, it is important to clean off any charred or flakey bits from the wick after trimming.
When trimming the wick, it is important to not cut it too short, as this may cause the candle to ""drown" in the wax, making it difficult to light or causing it to burn with a very low flame. The ideal length for a wooden-wick candle is around 1/8 inch, but you can also try a little longer and then shorten it as needed.
To trim the wick, you can use a wick trimmer, scissors, wire cutters, or nail clippers. After trimming, turn the wick upside down to remove any chopped bits of burnt wick before lighting the candle again.
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Light the candle by tilting it on an angle, allowing the flame to draw across the wick
When lighting a wood wick candle, the best technique is to tilt the candle on an angle and let the flame draw across the length of the wick. This is quite different from how you would light a candle with a traditional cotton wick, where you would tilt the lighter or match instead.
Wooden wicks burn differently from cotton wicks, and there are a few common issues that cause them to not stay lit. One of the most important things to remember is that it's not the wood fuelling the candle's flame, it's the wax. The flame draws the wax upwards through the wick, so if the wick is not trimmed short and clean, the wax can't reach the flame. Therefore, it is important to keep your wooden wick trimmed short and free of charred bits. The ideal length for a wood wick is around ⅛”, or slightly longer, depending on the candle.
Lighting a wood wick candle may take several tries, so don't be discouraged if you don't get it right away. The heat from the flame needs to draw the wax through the wick before it will really start burning nicely. Once you get it going once, it should light up more easily the next time.
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If the candle is drowning in wax, use a paper towel to soak up the excess wax
If your candle is drowning in wax, it's likely that the wick is too long or has thin, fragile, charred bits at the top, and the wax cannot reach the flame. This can cause your candle to go out continuously. If your candle is drowning in wax, one solution is to use a paper towel to soak up the excess wax.
Firstly, if your candle is lit, extinguish the flame. Then, take a paper towel and gently press it onto the surface of the wax, absorbing the excess wax. You can also use a napkin for this step. Repeat this process until your candle's wick has room to breathe. Once the excess wax has been absorbed, wait a minute or so, and then relight your candle.
If your candle continues to drown in wax, you may need to trim the wick. Use a wick trimmer, scissors, or nail cutter to trim the wick down to around ⅛” or slightly longer. Remove any burnt wick from previous use, as well as any charred or flakey bits. Then, relight your candle and observe if the issue has been resolved.
If your candle continues to drown in wax, there are a few other solutions you can try. One method is to scrape out the wax near the edge of the jar with a spoon. Alternatively, you can create a small dome of aluminum foil around the rim of the container to help melt the hard wax at the edges. You can also try placing your candle in the oven upside down on a baking sheet or tray at 250°F (121°C). Once the wax has melted, carefully remove the tray from the oven and pour out the excess wax.
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If the wick is too short, the candle may fail to catch – try trimming it longer
If your candle wick is too short, it may be because the wick has curled over and gotten buried in the wax. This could be due to drastic temperature changes, which can cause the candle wax to expand and the wick to shorten. Alternatively, it could be due to the way the candle was burned.
To fix this, you can try the following:
Step 1: Melt the wax
Hold a heat gun, blow dryer, or lighter over the candle wick to start melting the surrounding wax. If the wax is still liquid, grab a pair of tweezers and gently straighten the wick, holding it for 30 seconds or so. If the wick is buried, use a pair of tweezers or a Q-tip to nudge the wick back to an upright position, making sure it sticks out above the surface of the wax.
Step 2: Dig out the wick
If the wick was trimmed too short, keep melting the wax until you have an even layer of liquid wax on the surface before moving on to this step. Once the wax is soft but not completely melted, use a tool such as tweezers or a butter knife to dig out the wick.
Step 3: Lengthen the wick
If the wick is too short, try trimming it to a longer length. The optimum wick length is about 1/4 of an inch, but if you are using a wooden wick, it may need to be shorter, at about 1/8 of an inch. You can use a wick trimmer, scissors, or nail cutter to trim the wick.
Step 4: Remove debris
After trimming the wick, turn the candle upside down to remove any chopped bits of burnt wick before lighting it again. This will prevent debris from falling into the wax, which can cause the candle to burn hotter and faster than intended.
Step 5: Prevent tunnelling
To prevent tunnelling, ensure that the entire uppermost wax layer melts before putting out the candle. Tunnelling occurs when only a small area of wax around the wick melts, creating a small hole instead of allowing the entire surface of the wax to melt evenly. This can cause the wick to become buried and the candle to burn faster.
By following these steps, you can help ensure that your candle wick is the correct length and that it burns evenly.
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Frequently asked questions
There are several reasons why your wood wick candle won't stay lit. Firstly, if the wick is too long, the wax won't be able to reach the flame. Secondly, if the wick is too short, it may drown in the wax. Thirdly, if there is too much debris floating in the wax, it may be hard for the flame to stay put.
Candle tunnelling is when a hole forms down the centre of the candle, leaving unused wax at the edges. This is caused by an uneven burn, which can be due to a poorly made candle or the first burn not lasting long enough. To fix this, you can melt the outer wax surrounding the tunnel with a hairdryer or heat gun and make the surface even again.
The best way to light a wood wick candle is to tilt the candle on an angle and let the flame draw across the length of the wick. It may take several tries to get it lit.
