Troubleshooting
What went wrong with your candle?
Pick the symptom that matches what you're seeing. We'll walk you through the likely causes, how to diagnose, and what to change next batch.
Narrow it down
Burn behaviour
Safety~30 min
Wick mushrooms and carbons up
Carbon ball on the wick tip, sometimes glowing red.
Safety~30 min
Visible soot or black smoke
Black trail off the flame, deposits on the vessel.
Safety~15 min
Flame jumps, flickers, or pops
Unstable flame, often paired with crackling.
Performance~20 min
Candle tunnels down the centre
Wax left on the wall, narrow burn pool.
Performance~20 min
Wick drowns in the melt pool
Flame dies, wick goes under.
Performance~15 min
Candle burns down one side faster
Asymmetric melt pool, scorching on one side.
Performance~15 min
Flame flickers constantly
Restless flame even in still air.
Scent throw
Appearance
Cosmetic~20 min
Sinkholes form around the wick after pour
Caverns under the surface as the wax contracts.
Cosmetic~15 min
White frost crystals on soy candles
Cosmetic crystallisation, harmless but ugly.
Cosmetic~20 min
Wet spots between wax and glass
Poor adhesion, the wax pulled away from the wall.
Cosmetic~15 min
Rough or grainy tops after cure
Surface looks pitted, not glassy.
Structural
Safety~30 min
Candle sweats fragrance oil
Beads of oil on the candle surface.
Performance~15 min
Wick is off-centre after cure
Wick drifted before the wax set.
Cosmetic~20 min
Candle surface cracks after cure
Hairline or wide cracks across the top.
Cosmetic~20 min
Wax separates from glass on cool
Visible ring where the wax shrank away.