When it comes to choosing which wick to use in your candles, there's a lot of trial and error. It is based on the wax, fragrance oil, dye, and container in which it is kept. I avoid using color in my candles because of all these variables. The good news is that we'll be able to analyze the problem with your candle and figure out why the flame is so faint. Let's have a deeper look at both the problem and potential solution. Why is my candle flame so small?
A weak candle flame is due to a shortage of fuel or oxygen, which then doesn't allow the flame to fully ignite. Three potential causes for this are an incorrect wick size, too much fragrance oil, or excessive dye. If the wax has particles in it from manufacturing, that could also be causing your wick to become obstructed and not fully light.
The fire is supported by a triangle. Heat, fuel, and air are the elements that make up this triangle. The length of one or more of the triangle's sides is decreasing if this fire goes out. We can only infer that it is either fuel or oxygen since we know it isn't being heated.
This suggests that your candle's flame isn't supplied with enough wax or air circulation. This can be due to the container you picked, the wicked becoming stopped up with fragrance oil or color, or the wick being either too large or small.
A smaller wick is more likely to become blocked by the color and essential oil used. In addition to this, it indicates that the wick may not be long enough to produce a flame that is sufficient enough to keep up with the volume of wax contained in the container.
If the flame is always too little, it will always be dangerously close to being extinguished since the wax will be so close to it.
If your wick is too big, it will create a deep pool. This happens when the melt pool becomes too large and causes the wick to sink into the molten wax of the paraffin candle. Since less of the wick is exposed, this reduces flame size. You should cut your candle wick with a candle wick trimmer.
If you have an excessive number of wicks in various ways, it is possible to get a lesser flame. The first problem has already been addressed; they will generate a lot of heat, producing a huge pool of molten wax that may cause the wicks to droop and reduce the number of flames.
To continue our examination of the Chimney Fire Triangle, let's look at the second approach that using several wicks might reduce the size of your flame. Three wicks indicate three flames, each consuming as much oxygen as a single flame.
If you have a big container, it's feasible that they're having difficulty breathing enough air down at the bottom.
Even though fragrance oil can catch fire, using too much of it might cause the flames to be significantly reduced. When wax and fragrance oil are burned, they must ascend through the wick, and if there is an excessive amount of fragrance oil, the wick can become clogged.
When using too much fragrance oil, the wick may mushroom, which might cause the candle flame to burn erratically. The overall weight of most waxes includes 3% to 10% fragrance oil. It is critical to stay within the confines that have been set.
The color of the wick might be clogged by the dye, just like scented oil. I'd only use a little amount of color if I did decide to use it. However, because most of my candles are produced in tin cans unaffected by color, this isn't something I'm overly concerned with. If you make candles and store them in glass jars, this may be a problem for you.
You can fix the small flame of your candle in 6 different ways, according to your cause. I have discussed all the following;
It's the first step I take if you are trying to figure out a flame that's too small. This would always be the case if I were attempting to understand a tiny flame. It is feasible to remove the candle wax color and make a test candle that does not include any of it to examine how the candle burns. There is no rule for using candle wax color in fragrance candles.
If your candle burns evenly without the dye, you have discovered where the problem lies. You may need to use less fragrance oil as you add more color to your candle to avoid a clogged wick.
Reduce the amount of fragrance oil. If you reduce the quantity of fragrance oil, you may pick up various useful ideas.
By reducing the fragrance oil, you could unclog your wick while maintaining a satisfactory level of the hot throw. This is an excellent solution as it not only fixed your problem but also saved you money on fragrance oils.
Although a clogged wick can be fixed by making it wider and thus not losing any fragrance oil or pigment, this action might cause unforeseen problems.
If you increase the size of the wick, you put yourself in danger of your container becoming overheated. You also risk having the melt pool grow too deep for the wick and lack oxygen to the flame at the bottom of the container.
Because of this, it's only another step in the process of determining what the problem is, and it is not in any way a solution.
Certain waxes already have additives mixed into them. In most cases, these additions are used to assist in raising the wax's melting point and raise the fragrance oil load; however, if none of these methods prove successful, you may always try using a different kind of wax.
Whether you have access to a different mix of soy protein that is 100% pure, you should test it out while keeping the other components the same and see if the issue is still present. In addition, check to see that the mix you are using is appropriate for the kind of candle you are attempting to manufacture.
If the container is too deep or has a rim that tapers toward the top, the flame of your candle may be insufficient. Another possibility is that the container is too big. This happens because the container prevents the candle from receiving enough oxygen to burn appropriately.
Whether you keep everything else, including the container, the same, consider switching to one that is wider and has better ventilation to see if this makes a difference in how the candle burns. This will let you know whether or not the candle burns differently due to this change.
Yes, reducing the wick size by the candle wick trimmer on your candle might cause the flame to grow larger. If you have the wrong size of the wick, such as it is so large that it produces a considerable amount of heat and produces a deep melt pool before dropping down into the molten wax, burying itself, then you may need to decrease the size of the wick.
