The Trend of lighting candles to make the event or home more appealing and to have a soothing effect is undeniable and never-ending.Candles are a treat to the eyes and their soothing effect and refreshing fragrance give an ambiance effect. It is an art which needs attention, it’s not like you buy a candle and you just need to light it up, that’s all. No, you have to maintain the candle to avoid damage to your health and wastage of candle wax and money.
As every product has some instructions to follow, you should also consider all the precautions and instructions while using candles. It is rightfully said that the way you burn your candle for the first time, it will keep burning the same way throughout. So try to follow the instructions from the start to avoid any difficulty later. Otherwise, you have to face problems and one of the most common problem people faces while burning their favorite candles is that their candles start blowing unevenly causing all of the pool of wax on one side.
Here is the detailed overview of its causes and tips to prevent uneven blow of candles
Why candles blow unevenly
To avoid the problem of uneven burning of candles, you need to know the root cause of your problem. There can be several reasons responsible for that, but the most common causes are drafts and wick as mentioned below
- Drafts
Windy or gusty air currents are called drafts and placing your candle in front of drafts like an air conditioner, fan or ventilator will make it struggle to burn. Thus one side of the candle is continuously under the influence of a steady stream of heated air. This is the cause of uneven blowing of candles leading to incomplete combustion. That is very dangerous as it releases toxins in the air dangerous for human health.
- Wick not centered
The position and length of your wick is very important in burning candles. If the wick of the candle is not centered, the candle will burn in the direction of wick, melting only that side of waxcausing uneven blowing of candle and accumulation of wax on one side. So while buying your candle, make sure the wick is centrally placed to assure even burning of the candle.
Similarly, thelength of wick also determines the even burning of candle. The recommended wick length is ¼ inches and it is advisable to trim the wick after every 4 hours of burning. Untrimmed wick uses excess liquid wax giving wick a mushroom like shape thus burn with dull flame. The long wick melts wax closest to the wick that is only the small upper portion. This causes uneven burning of the candle and incomplete combustion leading to hazardous health effects.
Debris on an untrimmed wick causes accumulation of unburned carbon particles or soot around the candle container. It will make the flame flare up erratically thus can be a fire hazard.
- Time
As said, the way you burn your candle the first time has a strong impact on how it will burn later. So if you are burning the candle for the first time, try to give it a time of at least 2 hours of burning to melt wax evenly. Otherwise, uneven burning causes wax wastage at that time and later as well
How to Fix Uneven Burning of Candles
Even burning of candles is very important as it gives an ambiance effect and its relaxing and soothing effects are helpful for the brain to get into a more productive mindset. If you want to feel calm while using candles, you must handle candles with some attention. If it is not burning properly or evenly, it is not at all appealing, can be hazardous for your health, you will not experience the strong and energizing fragrance of candle and it is a wastage of wax and money as well. Flickering or uneven flames also produce smoke stains or soot that is more visible on the glass candle jars and toxins produced by these chemicals are hazardous.
So, try to follow the instructions and precautions while using candles. Here are some tips to avoid and fix uneven burning of candles
- Avoid Drafts or placing candles in front of gusty air. Place it away from direct air currentslike air conditioners, open windows, ventilators, fans or highly trafficked areas in your home. The candle will struggle to burn,causing uneven burning and incomplete combustion. This will result in soot or black smoke stains on your candle jar. This is only one of the precautions to avoid any kind of unfortunate accident or fire hazard.
- Don’t buy the candle in which wick is not centrally placed as it will cause melting of wax only on that side resulting in uneven burning or tunneling of candles
- If the wick leans to one side you need to straighten the wick to assure even burning of candles. Gently push the leaned wick to center with a knife until it is centered.
- Trim the wick of your candle (1/4 inches or 0.64cm) regularly to get the brightest burn.It is recommended to trim the wick after every four hours of burning by using either scissors or a specific wick trimmer made for candles to avoid flickering and uneven flames. Trimming of the candle after every burning gives more stable flame and even burning. After trimming, make sure there is no trimmed wick debris residue left in the wax.
- While burning the candle for the first time, try to melt the entire top layer of wax by even burning. To assure even burning of candles, it is recommended to burn according to inches of diameter of candle, 1 hour for each inch. For example, if your candle is 2 inches across, you need 2 hours to melt the entire top layer of wax while burning it for the first time.
- Avoid buying single-wicked candles having a diameter 3 or more than 3 inches as it is impossible for such candles to generate enough heat to melt the entire top layer wax while burning it for the first time. So chances of uneven burning or tunneling of candles are more in those having a diameter more than 3 inches.
- To fix the uneven burning, you have to use the aluminum foil by covering the piece of aluminum foil around the candle and folding it up over the flame, with a hole on top to let oxygen pass for the candle to keep burning. Let the candle burn for at least 30 minutes to melt all the wax on the sides of the container thus creating a smooth level of wax.
- The Candle must be placed on a smooth surface before lighting up. An uneven surface will cause the wax to melt irregularly and unevenly. So avoid placing the candle on an uneven or angled surface. It is better to ensure that surface is fire resistant as well to avoid any fire hazard.
- Avoid using matches or short lighters for burning candles as mostly you have to the candle on one side to reach the wick. This causes flickering and uneven melting of wax leading to uneven burning of the candle.
- Always cover the candle with a lid, as it prevents accumulation of debris on wax and allows the candle to burn smoothly and evenly. Dust can also burn up the flame resulting in smoke crackling and uneven burning of candles.
- If you want your wax to melt completely and quickly instead of waiting for 3-4 hours depending on candle dimensions while burning the candle for the first time. You can use a multi-wick candleto avoid the hustle and to shorten the time frame of burning as its extra heat will melt the entire top layer of wax much faster. As these multi wicks are placed near the edges of the jar so wax of the candle burns more evenly. Thus more wicks improve the chances of even burning.
- Avoid using a candle that is almost finished, or just half an inch of wax (1.3cm) is left at the bottom of the candle jar. As it is very close to the jar and excess heat generated at the bottom of the jar can cause heat damage to the candle jar or the surface on which it is placed. With less wax left, the candle can become unstable as well as hazardous. You can reuse the jar by pouringout the remaining wax by freezing it and stabbing it out
- Avoid using candles for more than 4 consecutive hours as a longer duration of burning causes the deposition of carbon on the wick, forming mushroom-shaped wick. This is an unstable shape of wick producing uneven and dangerously large flames and incomplete combustion. The resulting flame starts producing black soot that is very dangerous for your health and can ruin your home as well. Thus anything beyond 4 hours of burning causes the wax and fragrant oils to ignite. Not every candle can withstand such a long duration of burning as well.
- Make sure the candle is completely cool down before reusing, trimming or moving the candle.
Thus carry on the beautiful tradition of using candles at events but consider the quality of the candle before buying them and use all the precautionary measure while using the candles to avoid problems like uneven burning or tunneling.
