Caring for a Burning Candle

Care While Burning

1. Try not to disturb candles that are performing satisfactorily.
2. Place candles out of the way of drafts. Airflow from sources such as ceiling fans, heating or air conditioning ducts, or perhaps an open sacristy door, may need to be redirected.
3. Inspect the top, or burning cup, of candles weekly to detect conditions that may cause improper burning. This is particularly important with Paschal candles where the burning cup is above eye level and problems might otherwise go undetected.
4. Broken portions of wick or foreign objects such as pieces of lighting tapers, matches, or wooden lighting sticks, that have become imbedded in wax MUST BE REMOVED to prevent them from acting as a second wick. This could create a double flame resulting in candle failure. It may be necessary to recondition the candle head as described below.
5. When a candle wick has become too long and curls over, it accelerates the burning of the candle, and may cause the candle to malfunction. Trim the length of the wick back to ¾-inch. It may be necessary to recondition the candle head as described below.
6. If a candle wick is too short, it will be difficult to relight. Once lit, the flame may not be large enough to allow the candle to perform adequately. It may be necessary to recondition the candle head as described below.
7. Large-diameter candles must remain lit long enough for the entire top, or burning cup of the candle, to become liquefied. In circumstances where a candle does not remain lit for the required length of time, it has a tendency to burn down the center of the candle body, causing the candle to malfunction. When this happens it may be necessary to recondition the candle head as described below. Please refer to Minimum Burning Times for more information.

Reconditioning

Using a dull knife, remove all debris and/or darkened wax from the head of the candle. Next, expose ¾-inch of good wick, being careful not to damage the wick. Finish off by making the shoulders of the candle are symmetrical and level. This is most important to insure proper reseating of a follower. Continue with Step 3 under Preparing.

Again, our gratitude goes to the Cathedral Candle Company for their willingness to share their knowledge of caring for candles.