Why Won't My Candle Lit? Find Out Here!

Updated on September 27, 2022

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Why Won't My Candle Lit?

Candle burning has become a part of our daily lives. From birthday parties to weddings, candles play an important role at home and in public spaces. Candles come in various shapes, sizes, colors and scents. They also vary in price depending on their size and quality.

Candle burning is a fun way to enjoy the outdoors during winter. The problem arises when the candle burns out before its time or doesn't get lit at all. This can be frustrating for both the owner and the person trying to use it. This article is for you if you are looking for a solution to your problems. It will help you find the best candle lighting solutions available today.

Moreover, you should also read our article about why candles are so expensive.

Reasons behind why your candle won't stay lit

1. The candle wick in your candle is too long

The wicking material used for our jars is so good that it trims itself, so you don't usually have to cut them. However, if you want to burn your jar for longer than usual, the wick will become too long, making it hard to keep the pot light.

To keep the candle lit, don't think of it as something that burns the wicks; instead, think of it as something which draws the wax through them.

As the wicks' lengths increase, so make the difficulty for the wax to flow up the wicks increase.

To solve this problem, keep a distance of about one‑sixth of an inch, or three millimeters, between the wick and the candle's surface.

2. Your candles' wicks are too short.

If the wick on your candle is too short for you to light it, then you need to move the wick further away from the wax.

To solve the problem, heat the candle until the wax melts. Then remove any excess wax by blotching it with a paper towel. Repeat if necessary.

3. The wick of your candle is being smothered

Tunneling occurs when the wicks burn through most of the wax before reaching the jar's bottom. Consequently, the wax melts faster than the wicks can consume, causing the candles to extinguish.

To fix the issue, remove any excess melted wax from the area around the wick by wiping it off or draining it. This way, the wick will be able to burn properly.

If you keep having problems with your candle burning, upgrade your luxury candle to one of these high-end scented ones. They're made of high-grade fragrances and a sustainably sourced, eco-friendly blend of natural oils.

Remedies for candles that won't stay lit

Keep the candle in a cool environment so it can burn more evenly. This will help the candle size last longer.

When you light your candle for the first time, check that it has produced a puddle of molten wax that has spread to the very boundaries of the container before you turn it off.

If your candle does not maintain its light despite your efforts, remove some of the wax from the top of the candle surrounding the wick. Continue repeating this until the wick is strong enough to hold a flame height.

As the candle burns down, drain any excess melted paraffin off the wick, so it doesn't extinguish the larger flame.

What cause your wooden wick candle to lit?

Wood wick luxury candles have a warm crackling and flicker, but they can be challenging to burn at first.

A few typical difficulties cause wooden wicks not to stay lit.

Relax!

If you recall a few best practices, you should be good to go:)

Here are our top 3 wood wick candle tips:

1. How to execute the initial burn correctly

First-time jar candles may take several hours for them candle to reach their melting point.

Jar candle wax has a "memory" and may be difficult to re-arrange once lit.

If you don't allow the wax to cool completely before lighting it again, a tunnel may form around the wicks.

This prevents the wax from melting completely, which means it takes longer for the tunnel to form.

Eventually, the tunnel is so narrow that there won't be enough air flowing through it for oxygen to reach you. Your flame will go out.

When using jar healthy candles for the first few times, please wait until the wax has melted completely before placing the candle into its holder.

All jar candles must be cleaned regularly, including metal wick holders.

Don't use your candle right away. You might need to wait until it has hardened completely before using it. Sorry!

Don't worry too much about letting a full wax pool form each use. But it's best if you'd like a long-lasting candle. So give jars candles a long burn to refresh the wick and avoid tunneling.

This helps keep your candle looking, smelling and burning evenly.

2. Trim your wood wick and remove burned pieces.

To get the most out of your candle, trim the wick to 1/4", then remove any burnt pieces from the bottom of the jar.

If your wax candle doesn't stay lit, check to see if the wick is too long or has been burnt out.

A candle needs a good wick to burn well. If the wick is too long or dirty, it won't be able to get close enough to the flame to burn properly.

Ensure your wood wick is at least 18 inches long to burn evenly. If there are burnt pieces, remove them.

If you don't have nail clippers or wire cutters, use a napkin and your hands to snip off the wicks.

Before trimming your candle, let it cool, so you don't leave any ash or wicking materials inside the wax. Ashy wax is hard to clean up.

3. Tunneling candles

If you're having trouble with tunneling wicks or jar candles, you can usually fix them by doing the following:

If your candle will stay lit, keep burning it until all the wax has melted to the bottom of the container to "reset" its memory.

Even if there is no burn, it should still be able to generate a melt pool for some time. Patience is key.

If your candle won't burn properly because it's "drowned" in its melted wax, use a piece of paper towel or napkin to wipe away some excess wax.

Wait a minute, re-light, and repeat until the flame can breathe.

If these two methods don't help, people use scrapers to remove the hardened wax from the sides of jars, or they create domes of aluminum foil around the rims of jars to melt the hard wax inside them.

They're both last-dish efforts, so there's no guarantee either one will

Follow these three steps to ensure your wood wicks burn well.

Especially if made with soy wax!

Smell is one of the human senses which can flow through the whole body. I am the Founder of NeoCandle.com where we talk all about scented candles. Known as Candace the Candle Girl, I know pretty much all there is to know about scented candles. I make and sell them on Etsy and Ebay - so be sure to ask if you have any burning questions :) (pun intended ;) )

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