What to Do if Your Candle Wick is Too Short (2024)

FAQs

How do you lengthen a candle wick? ›

Light the wick, then pour off the wax once it melts.

Try to let your new wick burn long enough for the wax to melt all the way across the surface of the candle. Then, pour the melted wax into the same container you used to melt your wax earlier. Keep doing that until the old wick is long enough to use again!

If the wick is too short even to light, melt a bit of the wax with a heat gun and pour it onto a paper plate. You can also scrape out room-temperature wax using a butter knife to expose the wick so you can light it.

Grab the lighter near the bottom by pinching it between your thumb and middle finger. Then, use your index finger to flick the lighter on. Since you don't have to ball up your fist to use this method, it may give you just a bit more reach when it comes to getting at those stubborn, low wicks.

Trimming wicks on a regular basis helps reduce the amount of residue candles produce while burning. Trimming candle wicks helps candles last longer as well. Longer wicks tend to burn at a faster rate, which means they're used up more quickly.

So, can the wax from nearly depleted candles be salvaged? The simple answer is yes. The best thing to do is melt down the remaining wax and pour it into a smaller votive—et voilà, you have yourself a new candle. Make sure you combine all the same type of wax (beeswax, paraffin, or soy).

Trim Before You Light

If you don't trim your wick, you run the risk of tunneling, "which happens when your wick is too long and the flame gets too hot, causing excess wax to burn," she adds.

If the wick is too small, it might not be able to generate enough heat to melt the wax all the way at the edge of the candle. As a result, even if you give your candle plenty of time on the first burn, you may still end up getting tunneling.

For 3-wick candles, you should burn all three wicks the first time, even if you only plan on using one at a time in the future. You want the wax to create an even surface the first time for later burns to follow.

#1- The most important thing you need to know for any candle made with 2, 3 or more wicks is that each wick needs to be lit, every single burn. Igniting one wick at a time will not prolong the life of the candle but rather can lead to wick drowning or uneven melt pools.

What happens if the wick is too close to the glass? ›

“People think they're foolproof because they're in glass,” he said. However, as the wax bums off, the wick can get close to the glass, heating it up. That can then cause the glass to fail and explode, allowing the flaming wick to set off a much larger blaze. “You're subjecting an open flame to glass.

Sometimes, candle tunneling is caused by a wick that isn't large enough for the size of the candle, but more often it's caused by the timing of the first burn. You want to avoid candle tunneling because it reduces the overall burn time for the candle (since all the wax isn't being used up).

Relight The Drowning Wick

Pull out a Q Tip and have it ready to go. Relight the troubled candle wick. (Only work with one at a time if you have more than one drowning wick.)

A simple pair of scissors can trim any wick, including candles that are in containers, like glass jars or votives. But after a couple of uses, the wick can be hard to reach. One trick is to access the wick with toenail clippers. You can also use a pair of wick trimmers made specifically for hard-to-reach wicks.

"The first burn is the most important—the candle wax must pool to the edge on the initial burn. We always like to remind people that wax has memory, meaning that if your candle doesn't burn to the edges, it will begin to tunnel and won't burn evenly the next time.

To trim the wick you can use scissors, a wick trimmer, or some people even use nail clippers. After trimming the wick down, make sure the surface of your candle is clean and free of wick trimmings and debris before lighting your candle.

Melting wax in the microwave is fairly simple. Place the correct amount of soy wax in a microwave safe bowl. Heat on regular or high for 5 minutes. If your microwave does not have a spin feature, stop your wax half way stir it, turn it, and place it back in the microwave for the remainder of the time.

If your candle wick is drowning, that means the size of the wick might be too small for the candle container or the quality of the wick is low. This causes the wick to burn too quickly and “drown” in its own wax pool.

The Microwave

Some people choose this method as they can melt the wax faster than if they were using a double boiler. Pour your wax into a microwavable container. (Ceramic and glass dishes are usually fine, but you should still check for "microwave-safe" or "heatproof" labels on their packaging.)

Make sure your wick is always trimmed to between 1/8” – 3/16” before lighting. If the wick is too long, the wax will not pull up the wick and the wick will extinguish.

How often should you trim a candle wick? ›

Keep the wick trimmed to 1/4 inch at all times. It is suggested to trim the wick every 4 hours of burn time. When wick trimming, you should always extinguish the flame, let the candle come to room temperature, and trim the wick before relighting. I simply trim my wick before lighting each time.

Yes, the size of your wick definitely matters. Different wick sizes allow different levels of heat. Thicker wicks allow more fuel to be drawn into the flame and will create more heat. These wicks are better for wider candles or candles made with harder waxes like beeswax or other pillar waxes.

Your Candle Wick is Drowning

The wax is melting down into the wick faster than the wick can burn it and the flame gets extinguished. Solution: Dab away or drain excess melted wax from the area around the wick to give it enough space to burn.

You can fix a tunneled candle by wrapping a piece of aluminum foil around the edges and simply letting it burn. Make sure the foil hangs over the built-up wax areas, but leave an opening in the center so the wick can still burn properly. After a couple of hours, the wax should melt and even out the surface.

If you leave a candle that tunnels by itself, sometimes it will correct and melt the remaining wax, but most of the time it won't, leaving you with a permanent ring of solid wax around the perimeter of the container. You need to act quick to avoid wasting any wax! The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to fix.

To re-pour, melt remaining wax until it is once again liquid. Place the thermometer into the wax and heat to 175°F – 185° or 10°-15° hotter than the first pour. Pour melted wax to the very top of the molds and allow the candles to completely cool.

Add too much fragrance: Using more fragrance oil does not always guarantee a stronger scent throw. Each wax has a recommended fragrance oil load and going beyond that limit can cause the fragrance oil to separate from the wax which could be a potential fire hazard (not to mention the ugly "gooey" spots it can create).

When you are ready to extinguish your candle, gently push your wick down into the melted wax and lift back up to straighten & center. This will extinguish your flame without the smoke and smell you get from blowing out the candle. Coating your wick with wax will also help the wick on its next burn!

The reason the wick does not burn is because the vaporizing wax cools the exposed wick and protects it. You may have seen the camping trick of boiling water in a paper cup. The cup does not burn because the water inside cools it. The liquid wax does the same thing for the wick.

You can treat homemade candle wicks with oil or salt but even plain cotton string works perfectly as candle wick.

Do you cut the wick on first burn? ›

Before you light a candle, always trim the wick to ¼ inch and remove any debris left in the wax pool such as wick trimmings or matches. Any debris will add more fuel to the candle than it's designed to handle. Too much fuel can cause the flame to unexpectedly flare up or even start a small fire near the candle flame.

'The first burn is the most important,' say the experts at Yankee Candle. 'Always trim the wick to 3mm (1/8 inches) before lighting and keep it trimmed while burning, this will help to prevent smoking. ' To do this, simply trim the wick every few hours of burn time.

Multi-wick candles burn more efficiently than single-wick candles. Aside from the practical benefits, having multiple wicks also yields a brighter flame and stronger scent. This can be beneficial if you're using the candle for light as well as fragrance. Larger candles contain more wax and thus more fragrance.

As with most things, knowing when to stop burning your candle is important. This keeps you, and your furniture, safe. When there is approximately 1/2” of wax left in the bottom of your candle it's time to stop burning. It's okay for there to be some wax left over, candles are created with this little buffer of wax.

Before you even begin to sell candles, create 84 of them and give almost all of them away. There's a lot underneath this simple rule.

Since the hotter area of the candle is generally the center and the wax pool becomes a little cooler as it spreads out to the edge, the hot splattering water/wax, and fire combination reaches out towards the glass container causing the candle to break or “explode.”

Turns out aluminium foil is the key to fixing a tunnelled candle quickly. Simply wrap foil around the edge of the candle, leaving a hole in the middle so that the wick can burn through properly. After a couple of hours, your wax would have melted to an evened-out level.

Incorrect wick size: A very common cause of tunnelling is the usage of a wick too small for the volume of wax or the width of your vessel. A wick which is too small may, despite its best efforts, not have enough power to burn the wax from edge to edge.

Light the wick, then pour off the wax once it melts.

Try to let your new wick burn long enough for the wax to melt all the way across the surface of the candle. Then, pour the melted wax into the same container you used to melt your wax earlier. Keep doing that until the old wick is long enough to use again!

Nikaeta Sadekar, a respiratory toxicologist with the nonprofit Research Institute for Fragrance Materials, agreed. Exposure to chemicals emitted by scented candles “is so low that they pose no significant risk to human health,” she said.

Can you double up a candle wick? ›

A double wicked candle will burn more completely utilizing all of the wax, but keep in mind that the wicks need to be evenly spaced and not too close to the edge of the container. The most important thing is creating a safe and efficient burning candle. Keep in mind that two wicks produce more than one flame.

To prevent tunneling, all you need to do is burn your candle long enough each time so that the entire top surface of wax is melted. This is especially important the first time you burn your candle! How long that takes depends mostly on the size of the candle.

Don't burn a candle all the way down.

For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 1/2 inch remains in the container or 2 inches if using a pillar candle.

How do dripless taper candles work? Dripless candles are made from harder wax that has a higher melting point. In other words, they are made from wax that does not melt at the same temperature that regular wax does. The result is that the candle only melts right near the flame, not all over the body of the taper.

Festive and fragrant you can easily make wonderful holiday candles from wine bottles. A great way to recycle beautiful glass and use it for gifts.

For 3-wick candles, you should burn all three wicks the first time, even if you only plan on using one at a time in the future. You want the wax to create an even surface the first time for later burns to follow.

#1- The most important thing you need to know for any candle made with 2, 3 or more wicks is that each wick needs to be lit, every single burn. Igniting one wick at a time will not prolong the life of the candle but rather can lead to wick drowning or uneven melt pools.

Typically, you will add 1 wick for every inch after a 3-inch wide container.

The correct wick size should not have much flickering, the melt pool should reach to the edge of the container and should be 1/4" - 1/2" deep. The wick should burn cleanly without much carbon buildup, mushrooming, or soot being given off.

Make sure your wick is always trimmed to between 1/8” – 3/16” before lighting. If the wick is too long, the wax will not pull up the wick and the wick will extinguish.

Will candle tunneling fix itself? ›

If you leave a candle that tunnels by itself, sometimes it will correct and melt the remaining wax, but most of the time it won't, leaving you with a permanent ring of solid wax around the perimeter of the container. You need to act quick to avoid wasting any wax! The longer you wait, the harder it becomes to fix.

Sinkholes in candles occur when the wax cools much too quickly. And one of two things caused it – either you poured the candle wax into a cool candle container. Or you poured the candle wax too hot and didn't allow for cooling. When this happens a sinkhole forms around or near the candle wick.

How To Fix Candle Tunneling Without Foil? There are so many alternatives to fixing tunneling with foil. You can use the hair dryer, trim the wax surface, and heat the wax in the microwave to retrieve your candle.