How do you fix a WoodWick candle that won't stay lit?
If your candle won't stay lit because it is “drowning” in a wax pool, try using a paper towel or napkin to soak up some of the excess wax. Then wait for a minute or so, relight your candle, and repeat until your wick has room to breathe!
You've probably heard of, or seen, WoodWick candles - the super popular brand owned by Yankee Candle. Thanks to their natural wooden wicks that create sounds of a crackling fire when you burn them, each product is completely unique, and we're *obsessed*.
You need to trim your wooden wick to 1/8 of an inch before every burn. If you don't cut your wooden wick as recommended, the flame could get too big, causing your candle to burn much faster, losing precious burn time, and potentially risking the integrity of the vessel.
WoodWick candles have a reputation for burning cleaner than many other candles. They produce a natural smell and do not introduce additional smoke into your living space, that is, if they are used properly. When they are burned correctly, they can last for a very long time and burn without wasting wax.
If your candle wick won't stay lit or the flame is getting very low, it's mostly likely because the wick is too long or needs to be trimmed clean of charred material.
To ensure your candles burn clean and last longer, keep the wick trimmed to its original height of 3/16" or 1/4" before each lighting. Wood wicks produce an ashy top and if the ashy top becomes too long, the wick will not light or stay lit. Typically, it's best to remove the ashy top every 1-2 burns.
In addition to being environmentally friendly, these candles are also safe. They contain no paraffin, which makes them completely non-toxic. They also don't contain any lead, mercury, formaldehyde, phthalates, or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These candles burn cleanly and evenly.
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Do WoodWick Candles burn faster? Yes. The wooden wick combined with soy and paraffin wax blend make WoodWick Candles burn cleaner resulting in a faster burn.
Wider or thicker wicks will burn much faster than thin ones, and the material the wick is made with can also make an impact. Different types of candle wax burn at different temperatures. Generally speaking, the harder the wax, the longer the burn time.
What happens if wick is too thick for candle?
A wick that is much too thick for the diameter of a candle will cause a melt pool deeper than half an inch. This will significantly shorten the candle's life because it's burning up wax too fast.
And to create the best amount crackle you'll want to choose a fragrance load between 6 and 8 percent. While soy wax can hold a higher fragrance load, you won't get as much crackle beyond 8 percent. And too much fragrance can extinguish the flame of a wood wick.

The Aldi Timberwick candles will be available in three scents in a 10-ounce, hourglass jar — Toasted Pumpkin Marshmallow, Citrus Clove, and Fireside and Fig. These candles are a much cheaper dupe for WoodWick candles, which are made by the uber-popular Yankee Candle brand.
With a horizontal flame, wooden wicks produce more heat, infusing more fragrance into your candle and giving off a more aromatic scent. If you use cotton wick candles, a taller flame is likely to quickly burn all the fragrances from the wax.
- WoodWick mini candle jar - Approximately 20 hours.
- WoodWick Hearthwick - Approximately 50 hours.
- WoodWick medium candle jar - Approximately 60 hours.
- WoodWick large candle jar - Approximately 130 hours.
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.
The best way to ensure a wick never gets too short is to burn the candle long enough to form a uniform pool of melted wax (but no longer than four hours). This prevents “tunneling,” or excess wax buildup on the side of the jar, which could melt during future burns and potentially drown the wick.
If your wooden wick isn't crackling, it's probably not legit! Kind of like a campfire, they have cellulose trapped in the structure of the wick. While it's burning, cellulose transforms into a gas and tries to escape the wood pores.
Your first burn should last 60 plus minutes so the wax can melt evenly. An uneven wax pool can drown the wick & cause problems lighting it. To preserve longevity of the scent in the candle, do not burn longer than 4 hours at a time.
Are candles more toxic than cigarettes?
Andrew Sledd, a pediatrician with a specialty in Environmental Toxicology, told KFVS12 that one hour of scented candle burning can be the equivalent of smoking a single cigarette. Soot from candles can also pose a real threat to our respiratory systems, he said.
Soy wax, coconut wax and beeswax candles are all great options. Be sure to make sure labels say the candles are 100% soy or beeswax (companies like to create blends with paraffin wax because it's cheaper) and if possible, I like to buy sustainably sourced and cruelty-free candles!
Why Woodwick Candles Crackle. WoodWick candle wicks are made of wood as opposed to cotton string often used in other types of candles. As a result, the candle emits a crackling sound similar in nature to a fireplace with wood logs, which creates a pleasant and appealing effect.
Well, here's the candle Kim Kardashian burns to keep her mega-mansion smelling delightful. According to Kourtney Kardashian's Instagram Story while she was on a visit to Kim's a little while ago Kim's favourite home scent is Diptyque's Gardénia candle, which includes notes of jasmine and fresh floral scents.
Vanilla just so happens to be America's most popular flavor, so it makes sense as to why this scent is so high up on the list.
Your candles will burn up to 25% longer if you trim the wick as needed, so it will all be worth it!
If you burn your candle for more than 4 hours at a time, carbon will collect on the wick, and your wick will begin to "mushroom." This can cause the wick to become unstable, the flame to get too large, your candle to smoke, and soot to be released into the air and around your candle container.
You can use any type of oil if you are going to use the candles right away. But if you are going to sell them or give them as gifts, choose an oil that will not go rancid quickly. I use fractionated coconut oil because it's liquid and I've never had coconut oil go rancid. Let wicks soak for about 30 minutes.
THE Problem: Why Your Candle Wick Got Too Short
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.
We recommend using no more than 3 wicks in a jar that is 4 inches wide otherwise you risk crowding the jar and creating too much heat for your candles.
How far should you cut a wick?
It is recommended that you trim it to between ⅛ and ¼ of an inch and this should be done every 4 hours of burn time. After you blow out the flame, wait until the candle returns to room temperature before trimming the wick. You should then wait at least 2 hours before you light your candle again.
A wick that is too large for a container will have a very large flame, flickers a lot, and gives off a large amount of smoke and soot. The wick may also mushroom, when this occurs the burning wick will actually start to look like a mushroom, this mushrooming is caused by a build up of excess carbon.
Too small of a wick will create a small burn pool, which will lead to poor scent throw. Too large of a wick may burn too hot and actually burn off the fragrance, which also can lead to poor scent throw.
This article anwers your question of "Why are my candle wicks drowning?" A wick drowns, when it's too small for the candle. It keeps falling over, and soon the flame's extinguishing itself, in the liquid wax of the candle.
It's super simple, just place the two wicks together (face to face) and put them into one wick clip. Yep, it's that simple. Watch our video HOW TO COMBINE WICKS for a demonstration. Depending on the length of your wick set-up, you might want to use a paperclip to hold them together at the top.
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.
Trim the wick before you light up your candle. Tapered candle wicks should be kept slightly longer. This keeps the flame in control and will give you a brighter and cleaner burn. ¼” is the general recommendation for this.
Chosen as one of her Favorite Things of 2022, Oprah said, “Pine and sandalwood combine with balsam and apple blossom for a scent that will fill the house with cheer. The 8.5-ounce version gives you 50-plus hours of burn time, while the 50-ounce one gives a whopping 200-plus hours.”
And the answer is: yes, woodwick candles really do crackle! The wood wick creates a small crackling sound when it burns, which some people find relaxing. If you're looking for a candle that will fill your home with a relaxing ambience, then a woodwick candle is definitely worth considering.
Now, let's focus on the cons. Wooden wicks usually take a bit longer to light than standard cotton wicks because they're thicker and denser. They're also a bit more expensive because of the additional cost of materials.
What are the cons of wooden wick?
- Wood Wicks are more expensive.
- Wood Wicks take a bit longer to light.
- Wood Wicks are easily extinguished by sudden movement or wind near the candle.
- Wood Wicks require more maintenance and upkeep.
I love the crackling sound. The thickness makes it easy to apply the wicks to the tabs. I don't believe there is a difference in the scent throw, I'm just happy that you can't smell the wood. I'm happy with my purchase and believe that these wicks are a great addition to my candle line.
For optimal burn, keep your wood wick trimmed to about ⅛”, and clean off any burnt wood from previous use. Other than the tunneling problem, if your wood wick candle won't stay lit it's probably because the wick is too long, or it needs to be trimmed clean of charred material.
You need to trim your wooden wick to 1/8 of an inch before every burn. If you don't cut your wooden wick as recommended, the flame could get too big, causing your candle to burn much faster, losing precious burn time, and potentially risking the integrity of the vessel.
You just need to give the wick a bit more space from the wax so it can work it's magic. Solution: Melt the wax right around the wick with matches or a lighter. Dab the excess wax out with a paper towel or drain it. Repeat if necessary.
Trim the wick and remove any debris inside the tunnel. Cover the top of the candle with aluminum foil. Cut or fold a small opening (around 1-inch) in the center of the aluminum foil. Allow the candle to burn for a few hours until the top surface of wax has completely melted and smoothed over.
As the wax heats up, it melts more and more wax in a perfect circle around the wick called a melt pool. Eventually that process creates a full melt pool across the entire surface of the candle and as the candle continues to burn the wax is depleted and the wick burns down as well.
This cancels the depletion of the oxygen temporarily and the water level stays down. When the oxygen is depleted, the candle goes out and the air cools. The volume of the air decreases and the water rises.
When you blow the candle out, vaporized wax briefly remains in the air. If you apply a heat source quickly enough, you can ignite the wax and use that reaction to relight the wick of the candle. Although it looks like you're lighting the candle with smoke, it's really just the wax vapor that ignites.
Fact 1 - They don't need to be soaked…
Wooden wicks do not need to be soaked with oil or wax before being used with candles. They naturally burn wonderfully.
Do you trim the wick on a woodwick candle?
#1 Keep the wooden wick short.
keep your wick trimmed. Trim the wooden wick before your first burn to 1/4 inch. Before your next burn, we suggest using candle wick trimmers to trim the wood wick to 1/4 inch again before re-lighting.
Can you microwave a candle to fix tunneling? No. Candles usually have metal wick butts that can be dangerous when put inside a microwave oven. The heat is generated from the middle so that is the area that would burn faster.
As a candle burns and melts, it releases wax onto the sides of its container to create a pool of liquid wax. If this happens at a rate faster than the wax can evaporate and escape through the wick, you'll end up with an unburned pool of wax on the side of your candle—which can cause it to sink in the middle.
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.
Why Woodwick Candles Crackle. WoodWick candle wicks are made of wood as opposed to cotton string often used in other types of candles. As a result, the candle emits a crackling sound similar in nature to a fireplace with wood logs, which creates a pleasant and appealing effect.
Natural materials such as beeswax, soy wax, and coconut wax all have much longer burn times than petroleum-based candles made from materials like paraffin wax.