How to Fix Candle Tunneling? Even if you haven’t heard of the term “candle tunneling,” there’s a high chance you’ve experienced it before at some point. Candle tunneling is a common but preventable problem that occurs if you’re not careful when burning a candle.
In this article, we’ll help you understand what candle tunneling means, how to fix it, and how to prevent it in the future.
Table of Contents
What Does “Candle Tunneling” Mean?
Tunneling happens when only a small portion of the wax around the wick melts while the candle is burning.
Instead of having the entire surface of the wax melt evenly, it will appear as though the flame is burrowing into the candle and creating what resembles a small, vertical tunnel — hence the name.
Inside the tunnel, the wax directly underneath the flame quickly melts into a liquid while the surrounding wax remains hard. As a result, the tunneling deepens over time.
Once the wick descends deeper into the surrounding wax, the flame won’t be able to get enough oxygen to sustain itself, causing the candle to blow out.
But the problem doesn’t stop there. Tunneling is problematic because it can drastically reduce the total burn time of your candle.
Typically, candle burning times are determined by the total volume of wax in the container — in general, taller candles have longer burn times. But when candle tunneling happens, only a fraction of the wax is actually used up before the wick reaches the bottom.
As a consequence, all of the remaining wax — and the luxurious fragrances contained within — that makes up the thick, outer ring surrounding the tunnel is sadly wasted.
Why Does Tunneling Happen?
People sometimes mistake tunneling for candle quality.
It’s true that tunneling is more likely to occur in cheap candles compared to higher-quality luxury candles. However, the truth is that tunneling can happen to ANY candle — even the most expensive ones.
There are two main causes of candle tunneling:
- Poor candle-burning habits
- Improperly sized wicks
In this context, poor candle burning habits refer specifically to the “first burn,” or the first time you burn the candle.
We always emphasize how imperative it is to burn the candle long enough to let the entire surface of the candle melt before blowing or snuffing it out. This usually takes at least an hour or two, depending on the size of the candle.
If you don’t do this, you’re almost guaranteed to get tunneling
Why? That’s because wax contains a certain amount of “memory.”
Wax isn’t always as “hard” as it seems. Even in its solid, unmelted state, the wax will continue to harden over time. The candle wax that was melted and cooled again yesterday will always be softer than candle wax that has been sitting around for a week.
So if the first time, you only let the wax in the center melt before blowing the candle out, the second time you burn it, only the small center portion of wax will continue to liquefy. That’s because it’s “softer” than the wax around it and therefore requires less thermal energy to melt again. The surrounding wax that didn’t melt the first time is “harder” in comparison, so it won’t melt, and voila — you have tunneling.
The other cause of candle tunneling is when the wick is too small for the size of the candle.
If the wick is too small, it might not be able to generate enough heat to melt the wax all the way to the edge of the candle. As a result, even if you give your candle plenty of time on the first burn, you may still end up with tunneling.
This is a problem with the design of the candle, which is why tunneling is more common in mass-produced candles that use cheaper wicks. The more expensive, luxury candles are usually designed with more care, making sure that the wicks are of higher quality and properly sized to the diameter of the candle.
But again, tunneling can still happen in even high-end candles if you don’t burn them properly. Make sure you allow enough time on the first burn to melt the entire surface evenly.
How To Fix Candle Tunneling?
What should you do if your candle has already started tunneling?
Don’t panic; you can still salvage it! By understanding what causes tunneling, you can naturally reverse the situation and save your candle.
Conceptually speaking, in order to fix candle tunneling, all you need to do is melt the outer wax surrounding the tunnel and make the surface even again.
We recommend 2 ways to do this:
The Hair Dryer Installation
- Trim the wick and remove any debris inside the tunnel.
- Using a heat gun (if you have one) or hair dryer on the highest setting, heat the wax on the top surface of the candle.
- You should poke at the unmelted wax on the sides with a toothpick to help it melt faster.
- Continue heating until the entire top surface of wax has completely melted and smoothed over.
- Relight your candle and allow it to burn for at least 30 minutes or until you can no longer see any tunneling.
- Set your candle aside and let the wax harden over the next few days. Depending on the type of wax used in your candle, it can take between 2 days (paraffin) to 2 weeks (soy, coconut) for your wax to reach full hardness.
The Aluminum Foil Method
- Trim the wick and remove any debris inside the tunnel.
- Cover the top of the candle with aluminum foil.
- Cut a small opening (around 1-inch) in the center of the aluminum foil.
- Remove the aluminum foil, light the wick, then place the foil cover back on.
- Allow the candle to burn for a few hours until the top surface of the wax has completely melted and smoothed over.
- Set your candle aside and let the wax harden over the next few days to reach full hardness (see above).
How To Prevent Tunneling When Burning Your Candles?
The most effective way to fix candle tunneling is to prevent it from happening in the first place. And it’s very simple, too.
To prevent tunneling, all you need to do is burn your candle long enough each time so that the entire top surface of the wax is melted. This is especially important the first time you burn your candle!
How long that takes depends mostly on the size of the candle. A general rule of thumb to remember is that you should burn your candle for one hour per every inch of its diameter. So if your candle has a diameter of 3 inches, you should plan to let it burn for 3 hours before putting it out.
And that’s it! We hope this guide to fixing and preventing candle tunneling will help you enjoy candles that last longer and burn more beautifully.
FAQs
How do you recover a tunneling candle?
If the tunneling is mild, you can blast the top of the candle with a hairdryer. The hot air will melt and smooth the wax, making it leveler. The next time you burn the candle, follow the instructions for the first burn and melt the entire first layer of wax so it doesn’t happen again.
How do you fix an uneven candle burn?
Luckily, if you catch it early enough, there’s a quick fix. Blast the top of the candle with a hair dryer on high heat. Simply hold the airflow over the top of the candle until the top layer of wax has melted and smoothed.
Can you boil a candle to fix tunneling?
To do this, place your candle glass into a saucepan of hot water over the stove on the lowest heat. Once warm enough, the wax will melt into liquid wax.