Stop Wasting Your Candles
Watching your expensive candle burn straight down the middle while leaving inches of wax on the sides? You're dealing with tunneling, and you probably have questions. Here are the answers that'll save your candles—and your money.
Can You Fix a Candle That's Already Tunneling?
Yes, but act fast. Shallow tunnels (less than 1 inch deep) are easy to fix at home. Deeper tunnels require more work and may not be salvageable.
Two proven methods:
Aluminum Foil Method (easiest)
- Cover the candle top with foil
- Cut a small hole for the wick
- Light and let burn for 2-4 hours
- The trapped heat melts the wax ring
Hair Dryer Method (fastest)
- Use a hair dryer to carefully melt the surface wax
- Heat from above until everything liquifies
- Relight and burn properly for 1+ hours
Both methods "reset" the wax memory so it burns correctly going forward.
Why Does My Candle Keep Tunneling?
The most common reason? You're not burning it long enough, especially that crucial first time.
Wax develops a "memory" based on how it melts. If you only burned a small circle in the center initially, the wax will keep following that same narrow pattern. Once this memory is set, the candle continues tunneling every single time you light it.
Other reasons:
- Wick is too small for the container size (manufacturing defect)
- Burning in a drafty area that disrupts the flame
- Not trimming your wick before each use
- Extinguishing the candle before the full surface melts
How Long Should I Burn My Candle to Avoid Tunneling?
The formula: 1 hour of burn time per 1 inch of candle diameter.
This ensures the wax melts completely from edge to edge, creating the proper "memory."
Quick reference:
- Small candle (2" diameter): 2 hours minimum
- Medium candle (3" diameter): 3 hours minimum
- Large candle (4" diameter): 4 hours minimum
Critical rule: This is ESPECIALLY important the very first time you burn a new candle. That initial burn sets the pattern for the candle's entire life.
Don't have enough time for a proper burn session? Don't light it. Wait until you can commit to the full time needed.
Do Expensive Candles Still Tunnel?
Absolutely. Even $60 luxury candles will tunnel if you burn them incorrectly.
Higher-quality candles are less prone to tunneling because they typically use:
- Better wick sizing for the container
- Premium wax blends that melt more evenly
- More careful quality control
But no candle is immune to user error. A badly-burned expensive candle still tunnels. A properly-burned budget candle might perform beautifully.
Quality matters, but technique matters more.
Is Candle Tunneling Dangerous?
Not immediately dangerous, but it creates risks:
As the tunnel gets deeper, the flame sinks further down while wax builds up around it. This can lead to:
- Flame suffocation: The wick may not get enough oxygen and keeps going out
- Container overheating: Deep tunnels can cause jars to crack from concentrated heat
- Wick drowning: Melted wax pools at the bottom with nowhere to go
- Harder relighting: Getting matches or lighters down into a deep tunnel is difficult
Once a tunnel exceeds 2 inches deep, it's safer to stop burning and repurpose the remaining wax rather than risk container damage.
Why Didn't My Candle Tunnel Before?
You probably burned it correctly by accident.
Maybe you happened to light it when you had hours to kill. Perhaps you forgot about it and let it burn longer than usual. That lucky first burn set up the proper melt pool pattern.
New candle acting differently? You likely didn't give it enough time initially, and now it's following that narrow melt pattern.
This is why being intentional about that first burn is so important—don't leave it to chance.
Can the Wick Be Too Big?
Yes, but that causes different problems.
An oversized wick (or a wick that isn't being trimmed properly before each burn) creates:
- Too-tall flames
- Excessive smoke
- Rapid wax consumption
- Soot buildup on the container
An undersized wick causes tunneling because it can't generate enough heat to reach the edges.
Properly-sized wicks create flames about 1 inch tall that efficiently melt wax from edge to edge without burning too hot.
Should I Pour Out the Extra Wax?
No, don't pour out wax from a tunneled candle.
That leftover wax isn't "extra"—it's meant to be burned. Pouring it out won't fix tunneling and creates several problems:
- Hot wax can cause burns or damage your sink/pipes
- You're wasting product you paid for
- The candle will still tunnel on the next burn
- You might accidentally pour out too much
Instead, fix the tunnel using the foil or heat gun method, which actually solves the problem. If the candle is beyond repair, scoop out the wax and use it in a wax warmer instead.
How Do I Know If My Wick Is Too Small?
Signs of an undersized wick:
- Tunnel forms even when you burn for the proper amount of time
- Flame seems weak or small (under 1/2 inch tall)
- Candle constantly self-extinguishes
- Wax never reaches the edges despite hours of burning
If you burn your candle correctly from the start and it still tunnels, you likely have a wick-sizing problem. This is a defect—contact the manufacturer for a replacement.
What's the Fastest Way to Fix Tunneling?
The hair dryer method melts the surface in just 5-10 minutes, compared to 2-4 hours for the foil method.
However, the foil method is:
- Safer (no risk of blowing wax around)
- Easier (less supervision needed)
- More thorough (uses the candle's own heat)
For shallow tunnels under 1/2 inch, use foil. For deeper tunnels or when you're in a hurry, use a hair dryer.
Either way, after fixing the tunnel, you MUST burn the candle properly (full surface melt) or it'll just tunnel again.
The One Thing That Prevents 90% of Tunneling
Burn your candle for the right amount of time on the very first use.
That's it. This single step prevents nearly all tunneling issues. Everything else—wick trimming, draft-free placement, quality wax—matters far less than getting that initial burn right.
Set a timer. Block out the time. Make sure the entire surface liquifies edge-to-edge before you blow it out.
Do this, and you'll enjoy every ounce of wax in your candle instead of watching half of it go to waste.
