Candle Care
Why Does My Candle Wick Keep Going Out?
Most of the time it's a simple fix. Here's how to diagnose the problem — and what we do to make sure it never happens in the first place.
A candle that won't stay lit is one of the most frustrating things in home fragrance. You light it, walk away, come back — and it's out again. Before you assume the candle is defective, know this: most of the time, there's a fixable reason. And in some cases, it's a sign that the candle was never made right to begin with.
Let's go through every common cause, how to fix it, and why our candles are built to avoid these problems from the start.
The most common causes
A wick that keeps self-extinguishing usually comes down to one of five things. Some are user error, some are environmental, and one is a manufacturing problem you shouldn't have to deal with.
The most common culprit. If the wick is buried too close to the wax surface, there isn't enough exposed cotton to sustain the flame. It drowns itself out.
The fix: Leave a little more than ¼ inch of wick before every burn. You can always go shorter if the flame runs too high, but start with a bit of extra length.
If your candle burned down the center without melting the full surface, it created a wax wall around the wick. That wall blocks airflow and eventually snuffs the flame.
The fix: On every burn, let the candle go long enough that the entire top surface liquefies edge to edge. That full melt pool is what prevents the tunnel from forming in the first place.
Air vents, ceiling fans, open windows, even foot traffic — a consistent draft destabilizes the flame and can extinguish it entirely.
The fix: Move your candle away from any airflow sources before lighting.
After a long burn, carbon builds up on the wick tip, forming a mushroom-shaped ball. This restricts the flame and causes it to sputter and die.
The fix: Let the candle cool completely, then pinch or trim off the carbon buildup before relighting.
This is a maker problem, not a you problem. If the wick is undersized for the diameter of the jar, it can't generate enough heat to sustain itself. No amount of trimming fixes it.
The fix: There isn't one on your end — you shouldn't have to fix it. This is why we test every fragrance and vessel combination extensively before it ever reaches a customer.
How to fix a wick that's too short right now
If your wick is buried in wax and you can barely see it, don't just keep trying to light it — you'll scorch the surface and get nowhere.
- ✓ Let the candle cool completely if it's been burning.
- ✓ Use a paper towel to carefully absorb some of the pooled wax around the wick — just enough to expose it.
- ✓ Let it solidify, then leave a little more than ¼ inch of wick — you can always trim shorter if the flame runs too high.
- ✓ Light it and allow a full melt pool before extinguishing — figure roughly 45 minutes per inch of jar diameter for our candles.
Don't pour liquid wax down the drain to lower the wax level. Even soy wax can build up in pipes over time. Pour it into a cup or can, let it solidify, and pitch it.
How to fix tunneling before it traps the wick
If tunneling has already started, you have a narrow window to correct it before the wick gets walled in completely.
- ✓ Wrap the top of the jar loosely in aluminum foil, leaving a small hole in the center to vent heat.
- ✓ Burn it for 2–3 hours. The trapped heat will help melt down the wax walls.
- ✓ Remove the foil carefully — the jar will be hot. Check that the melt pool has reached the edges.
- ✓ Going forward: never extinguish a candle until the melt pool reaches the full diameter of the jar.
The first burn sets the memory of the wax. If you extinguish too early on the first light, tunneling is almost guaranteed for every burn after that. Give it time on that first burn — it's worth it.
What we do differently at Mountain City Candles
Some of these problems — drafts, short wicks, burning habits — are on you. But one of them is entirely on the maker: wick sizing. An undersized wick can't be fixed by the customer. You just have a bad candle.
We test every fragrance and vessel combination before it goes to a customer. Wick testing isn't glamorous work — it means burning dozens of test candles, adjusting, repouring, burning again — but it's the only way to know that every candle we ship will perform correctly. When you light a Mountain City Candles candle, you're not the first person to burn that combination. We already did, multiple times, until it was right.
We use a flat braided cotton wick woven with thin paper threads — no metal core, no zinc. The paper threading gives the wick a naturally rigid structure so it stands upright without needing a core to hold it. It burns clean, mushrooms less than most wicks, and performs exceptionally well in soy wax across containers, votives, and pillars. It's a better wick, full stop.
Beyond the wick, our cotton-wicked candles are designed to throw scent from the first burn. A properly sized wick creates a full melt pool at the right depth — not too fast, not too slow — which is exactly the condition needed for strong, consistent fragrance throw throughout the life of the candle.
Quick reference: trim & burn rules
Follow these every time and most wick problems will never happen to you.
- ✓ Leave a little more than ¼ inch of wick before every burn. Trim shorter if the flame runs too high — but start with a bit of extra length.
- ✓ Allow a full melt pool on the first burn. For our candles, roughly 45 minutes per inch of jar diameter.
- ✓ Never burn longer than 4 hours at a stretch. Heat buildup affects both the wick and the jar.
- ✓ Keep candles away from drafts. Vents, fans, open windows — all of them.
- ✓ Let the candle cool completely before relighting if you trimmed it mid-use.
Candles that actually stay lit
Every Mountain City Candles candle is wick-tested, hand-poured, and made to perform from the first burn to the last.
Welcome to my blog! Here, I’ll break down everything you need to know about candles. Expect straight talk and no-nonsense insights, all in one place. You'll discover in-depth information on various types of candles, why people love them, how to make them correctly, and the products we offer. Feel free to comment and share your thoughts. From one candle lover to another, I’d love to hear your feedback on what you read here.
The candle industry has a lot of secrets. I'm not interested in keeping them.
I'm Tammi, and I've been making candles long enough to know what most brands don't want you to know. This blog exists because you deserve straight answers — about ingredients, about care, about what's actually worth your money. No fluff, no filler.
Small-town girl, obsessive researcher, your new favorite candle nerd. Handmade in small batches in Frostburg, Maryland.
