What is a Tunnelling Candle?
When it comes to candle tunnelling, there's nothing more frustrating than watching your precious wax go to waste. Candle tunnelling is the phenomenon of a lit candle melting through the centre of the candle without melting all the surrounding wax, leaving a ledge. This can be caused by several factors, such as using a low-quality wick or burning your candle for too short of a time. But there are ways to prevent candle tunnelling and make sure your candles last until the very end.
How to Fix Candle Tunnelling
If you have a tunnelling candle, there's no need to despair. Here are a few tips on how to fix it. First of all, make sure that the wick is trimmed to about ¼ inch. This will help the candle burn more evenly. Wick trimmers are available here
Make sure your candle burns all the way to the edge of the glass the first time you burn it. This can take upto 4 hours but will cave alot of wasted wax through tunnelling.
If your candle is still tunnelling, try this trick: hold a lighter horizontally under the base of the candle until you see the wax start to melt. Then, carefully tilt the candle so that the melted wax pools in the depressed area around the wick. Continue tilting and holding the lighter until the entire surface of the wax is melted and level. Let the wax cool and solidify before relighting your candle.
How to fix candle tunnelling without foil
If you love candles but hate when they tunnel, there's no need to resort to using foil. There are a few easy ways to fix this problem.
One way is to simply place the candle in the freezer for about an hour before you plan to light it. This will cause the wax to contract and hopefully prevent tunneling.
Another way is to melt the top layer of wax before lighting the candle. You can do this by holding a lighter close to the wick for a few seconds or by using a hair dryer on low heat. Just be careful not to melt too much wax or you'll end up with a puddle.
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