Will A Candle Go Out By Itself?

Candles are used in homes and ceremonies as a source of light and ambiance. But have you ever wondered, will a candle go out by itself? It’s a common question many candle users ask. In this article, we will dive into the factors that determine the burn time of a candle, and whether candles have the ability to extinguish on their own without outside forces causing it.

Specifically, we will look at how wax type, wick size, air currents, and other elements impact how long a candle’s flame lasts before going out. We’ll also discuss self-extinguishing candles that are designed to stop burning after a certain period of time. By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of what makes candles burn, what causes them to go out, and if they can truly extinguish themselves.

What Makes Candles Burn

When a candle burns, a combustion reaction takes place. The candle wax absorbs into the wick, then the heat from the flame vaporizes the liquid wax and pulls it up through the wick via capillary action. Once the wax vapors reach the flame, they ignite in a combustion reaction with oxygen. As the hydrocarbon molecules in the wax combine with oxygen, they produce heat, light, carbon dioxide, and water vapor (Source: https://candles.org/candle-science/).

More specifically, the candle wax undergoes complete combustion with oxygen from the air. The hydrocarbon molecules in the wax have energy stored in their chemical bonds. When these molecules combine with oxygen and ignite, the stored chemical energy gets released as heat and light energy. The combustion results in new molecules (carbon dioxide and water vapor), which get released into the air. This explains the basic combustion process that allows a candle to keep burning once it’s lit (Source: https://home.howstuffworks.com/question267.htm).

Factors That Extinguish Candles

There are several key factors that can cause a burning candle to be extinguished before all of the wax is used up. One of the most important is a lack of oxygen. As this source explains, “Flame Out”, candles need oxygen from the air to sustain combustion. When oxygen is limited or cut off, such as by putting a jar over a candle, the flame will quickly go out.

The candle flame can also be manually disrupted or blown out, preventing further burning. The gaseous vapors above the wick need to reach a certain temperature to combust. Physical disruption of the flame through blowing, waving, or jostling can drop the temperature below the ignition point. This temporarily breaks the combustion reaction until the wick can heat up again and restart the flame. Manual disruption essentially acts like a reset button for the candle.

Environmental air currents can also interfere with the flame temperature and disrupt continuous burning. Drafts and breezes that alter the air flow around a candle make it difficult for the flame to stay lit. Enclosed spaces with stable, still air will help a candle remain lit for longer without being extinguished accidentally.

Burn Time

The amount of time a candle will burn depends on several factors including the size and shape of the candle, the type of wax used, and the length of the wick. In general, smaller candles like votives and tealights will burn for shorter periods of time while larger pillar candles and jar candles will burn longer.

According to Slatkin & Co., typical burn times are:

• Votive candles: 15 to 20 hours
• Container candles (3 inch diameter): 25 to 30 hours
• Pillar candles (3 inch diameter): 40 to 50 hours

The Bottle Store notes that smaller votive candles generally burn about 7 to 9 hours per ounce of wax. Larger candles with taller wicks tend to burn wax much faster than smaller candles.

Soy wax, beeswax, and vegetable-based waxes also tend to burn slower than paraffin wax. Having a longer wick can increase burn time, but having too long of a wick will cause the candle to tunnel or burn unevenly.

Wick Length

The length of a candle’s wick has a significant impact on its burn time. Longer wicks tend to make candles burn longer for a few key reasons. As explained on Highland Candle Company, a longer wick creates a larger flame since more wax can travel up the wick to fuel it. The larger flame in turn melts more wax, exposing an increasing surface area of liquid wax to keep burning. With more wax melting at once, the candle burns faster and the wick remains immersed to continue burning. Shorter wicks limit the size of the flame and rate of melting, preserving more solid wax and slowing the burn.

According to a Reddit discussion on r/settlethisforme, trimming a new candle’s wick doesn’t just reduce the initial flame size, but helps prevent rapid melting that would otherwise occur (source). So keeping wicks trimmed to an ideal length not only makes candles last longer per use, but can prevent premature melting and tunneling over time.

Melting Point

The melting point of wax refers to the temperature at which solid wax transitions to a liquid state. This is an important factor in determining how long a candle’s wax pool will remain lit. Waxes like beeswax have a high melting point around 145°F, while soy wax melts at a lower temperature around 115-135°F (Source). The higher the melting point, the longer the wax will remain solid and continue fueling the candle’s flame before being used up.

Beeswax in particular is prized for candlemaking because its high melting point allows candles to burn longer. The harder wax resists melting and holds its shape compared to softer waxes. As the candle burns down, the melted wax gets absorbed into the wick which provides fuel for the flame. So a high melting point wax like beeswax will extend burn time. This makes beeswax ideal for pillar candles, tapers, votives and other freestanding candle styles where you want an even burn with a consistently sized wax pool.

Air Currents

One of the most common ways for a candle to go out on its own is from air currents in a room. Air currents and drafts, whether from ventilation systems, open windows, ceiling fans, or even people walking by, can cause candle flames to flicker and be extinguished (Candle Safety). This happens because the air movement disturbs and disrupts the oxygen supply to the flame. Even a gentle breeze can be enough to blow out a candle.

Candles placed near vents, open windows, fans, or high traffic areas are especially prone to being blown out by moving air. For this reason, it’s recommended to avoid positioning candles directly in the path of ventilation systems, air currents from open doors or windows, or ceiling fans (6 Safety Tips for Extinguishing Candle Fire Risks). Keeping candles sheltered from drafts or fans will help prevent the flame from being accidentally extinguished by ambient airflow.

Enclosed Spaces

When a candle is burning in an enclosed space like a small room, it consumes the available oxygen in the air over time. As the candle continues to burn, the oxygen levels will eventually become too low to sustain the flame, and the candle will go out on its own.

This happens because the flame on the candle wick requires oxygen to keep burning. As the flame burns, it is converting the wax fuel into carbon dioxide and water vapor, while using up oxygen in the process 1. In an enclosed room, there is only a finite amount of oxygen available that is not being replenished from outside. Once that oxygen is used up by the burning candle, the flame will be extinguished due to insufficient oxygen.

The amount of time it takes for a candle to use up the available oxygen depends on the size of the flame, the amount of ventilation, and the volume of the enclosed space. But in general, burning a candle in a small enclosed room will consume the oxygen more quickly than in a larger ventilated space 2.

Self-Extinguishing Candles

Some candles have special wicks that are designed to stop the candle from burning at a certain point. These are called “self-extinguishing” candles.

Self-extinguishing candles contain special wicks that are made of cotton that has been treated with a flame retardant substance. As the candle burns down, the flame retardant is absorbed into the wick. Once enough retardant has been absorbed, the flame is no longer able to sustain itself and the candle self-extinguishes [1].

The self-extinguishing wick is engineered so that the candle can be relit and allowed to burn again, but only to a certain point before it extinguishes itself again. This allows the candle to be burned in increments, while minimizing the risk of fire from the candle burning uncontrolled or being left unattended [2].

Self-extinguishing candles are useful for environments where open flames need to be limited or controlled. They are often used for birthday candles, holiday candles, and ceremonial candles to prevent accidental fires.

Conclusion

To recap, there are several factors that determine whether a candle will extinguish on its own or not. The main considerations are the candle’s burn time, wick length, wax melting point, air currents in the surrounding environment, and whether it’s in an enclosed space. Standard candles are not designed to be self-extinguishing, so they will usually burn until all the wax is used up. However, there are specially designed self-extinguishing candles that will go out on their own before all the wax is gone. These incorporate additives in the wax to make it expand as it pools, smothering the flame. So in conclusion, yes, candles will inevitably burn out and extinguish themselves once their fuel is depleted or conditions prevent the wick from staying lit. But the timeframe depends on the specific candle and its environment.