You know the story. You have bought wax candles, found some time for yourself and decided to light one of the candles to bring comfort to your home. You put the candle in your favorite candlestick, away from flammable objects and then with just one lighting, your home becomes more cozy and welcoming. You feel the scent of honey and relax. You read your favorite book or you just relax and enjoy the company of the burning candle. Then, just two seconds of inattention and the candle begins to drip and leak in all directions and it is a mess all over. What went wrong?

There are several things that can cause dripping – airflow, too long or too short wick, direct sunlight or other heat sources nearby. The candle can be adjusted with a little effort.

Airflow

Sources of airflow are not always obvious, but they are the cause of dripping in most cases. Heating radiators, fans, air circulation systems, open doors and windows, and even moving people can cause airflow. You can recognize the moving air by the dance of the flame. The candles must burn calmly so as not to melt the wax uncontrollably, which in turn overflows from the wax basin and drips.

If you burn candles in a space with constant airflow, you can try to create a place where there is less airflow. You can also choose candles with a wide basin and even better, candles in containers, such as tealight and votive candles, which cannot drip.

The length of the wick

Flickering and dripping can also be caused by a too long wick. The ideal size of the wick is about 1 cm. Most of the candles we offer have a longer wick and require to be trimmed before lighting. With thicker candles, the wick may need to be shortened during burning if you notice an accumulation of carbon black on tip of the wick, which also interferes with normal burning. To do this, blow out the candle, cut off the tip of the candle and light it again.

Be careful not to cut the wick too short. Too short wick can also cause the flame to drip and burn incorrectly. The short wick means a small flame and the wax pool is a source of fuel for the flame. If the flame is not large enough to consume the melted basin, then more and more wax melts, which accumulates and the candle drips.

Direct sunlight or other heat source

If the candles are heated by direct sunlight, a heater, a second candle in close proximity or for any other reason, this may result in excessive dripping. The reason is that the temperature of the wax rises and the melting becomes more intense and the wick cannot burn the available molten fuel. Candles should burn away from heat sources, at a sufficient distance from other burning candles.

How to fix dripping candles

Thin candles do not need correction, it is enough to provide the candle with a suitable place to burn and it will continue to burn normally. If your candle is thicker in size and drips due to air movement or heating from a heat source, you can probably adjust it if you notice the dripping in time. Blow out the candle and use spilled wax material to repair the small cracks through which the wax has leaked. The goal is to restore the candle basin where the wax melts, eliminating all the places from which the wax has leaked so far. If the wick remains too long, shorten it to 1 cm. Once you have eliminated the flow source, you can light it again by observing the places where the candle leaked in case the wax breaks through again.

If your candle dripped due to a too short wick, you can pour out some of the melted wax to increase the length of the wick.