Candles-General Info

Fire Safety & Candles
http://candles.org/fire-safety-candles/

Word Document List of Safety Rules here: http://candles.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Candle-Fire-Safety-Rules.pdf

There’s a special beauty and tranquility to candles, but a lighted candle is also an open flame, and a potential fire hazard if not carefully monitored. In fact, accidental candle fires account for approximately four percent of all U.S. residential fires.

A study by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission suggests that 85 percent of candle fires could be avoided if consumers followed three basic safety rules:

Never leave a burning candle unattended.    Never burn a candle on or near anything that might catch fire.    Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.

The National Candle Association urges consumers to always follow the basic rules of fire safety when burning candles.

How to Burn a Candle Safely

Before lighting

• Before burning,always trim the wick to ¼ inch. You can use a wick trimmer, nail clippers, or scissors. Long or crooked wicks can cause uneven burning, dripping or flaring.   
  
• When lighting a candle, use long matches or a long-reach lighter. Keep your hair and loose clothing away from the flame.   
  
• Always use a candleholder specifically designed for candle use. It should be heat resistant, sturdy, and large enough to contain any drips or melted wax.   
  
• Burn candles in a well-ventilated room.  
  
• Place the candleholder on a stable, heat-resistant surface. This will also help prevent possible heat damage to counters and table surfaces and prevent glass containers from cracking or breaking.   
  
• Keep the wax pool clear of wick trimmings, matches and debris at all times.    
  
• Avoid drafts, vents or air currents. This will help prevent rapid or uneven burning, sooting, and excessive dripping.    
  
• Follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on burn time and proper use. In general, it is recommended that candles do not burn for longer than four hours and cool for at least two hours before relighting.
  

While burning   

• Never touch or move a burning candle. Never move a votive or container candle when the wax is liquefied.   
  
• Don’t burn a candle all the way down. For a margin of safety, discontinue burning a candle when 2 inches of wax remains (1/2 inch if in a container).    
  
• Place burning candles at least three inches apart from one another. This is to make sure they don’t melt one another, or create their own drafts that will cause the candles to burn improperly. 
  
• Extinguish a candle if the flame becomes too high or flickers repeatedly. Let the candle cool, trim the wick, and check for unwanted drafts before re-lighting.    
  
• Always keep the candle within your sight. If you are going to leave the room, be sure to first blow out all candles.    
  
• Always burn candles in a well-ventilated room. Don’t burn too many candles in a small room or in a “tight” home where air exchange is limited.   
  
• Never use a candle as a night light.    
  
• Be very careful if using candles during a power outage. Flashlights and other battery-powered lights are safer sources of light during a power failure. Never use a candle during a power outage to look for things in a closet, or when fueling equipment – such as a lantern or kerosene heater.  
  
• Never burn a candle on or near anything that can catch fire. Keep burning candles away from furniture, drapes, bedding, carpets, books, paper, flammable decorations, etc.    
  
• Keep candles out of the reach of children and pets. Do not place lighted candles where they can be knocked over by children, pets or anyone else.
  

When extinguishing

• Use a candle snuffer to extinguish a candle. It’s the safest way to prevent hot wax from splattering.    
  
• Never use water to extinguish a candle. Water can cause the hot wax to splatter and might break a glass container.   
  
• Make sure the candle is completely out and the wick ember is no longer glowing before leaving the room.    
  
• Don’t touch or move the candle until it has completely cooled.    
  
• Never use a knife or sharp object to remove wax drippings from a glass holder. It might scratch, weaken, or cause the glass to break upon subsequent use.
  

What Makes a Safe & Quality Candle?

NCA invites you to view the webinar, What Makes a Safe & Quality Candle? This webinar is designed to to educate and inform the retail community on candle basics, safety standards, and testing of candle products. This is a must for compliance personnel and candle buyers.

In this webinar, you will learn:  

• An Overview of Candle Basics: Wax and wick types, the difference between dyes and pigments, why fragrance does more than just smell nice, and how changing just one of these elements affects the entire candle.    
  
• The ASTM Safety Standards in Plain English: What it means when a flame is too high, what “secondary ignition” and “end of useful life” mean, and the requirements for glass and plastic containers, candle accessories, warning labels and more.    
  
• What to Ask For and Expect from Your Test Lab: What determines if a candle passes or fails the ASTM standards, the common causes of test failures, and what to do if you think you need additional testing.    
  
• Plus: Tips for Success and Q&A
  

Candle Fire Statistics

An estimated 8,700 residential fires are caused each year by the careless or inappropriate use of candles, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA.)

The National Candle Association urges consumers to always keep a burning candle within sight, keep candles away from anything combustible, and to keep candles out of the reach of children and pets.

Roughly one-third of home candle fires start in bedrooms, says the NFPA. Avoid using candles in bedrooms or any place where people are likely to fall asleep.

Three of every five candle fires started when something that could burn, such as furniture, mattresses or bedding, curtains, or decorations, was too close to the candle.

In 16% of the fires, the candles were unattended or abandoned, according to the NFPA.
*Source: Home Candle Fires, Fire Analysis and Research Division, National Fire Protection Association, December 2015. Based on 2009-2013 annual averages

I hadn't thought to check yard sales for candles, thanks for the tip!

All the candles I've bought are either tea lights or those dollar store pillars. The dollar store candles look just like the 80 hour candles I see for much more online, and while I haven't burned one all the way down yet, I've had one running for hours and it didn't burn too far...for the price they're hard to beat...

dmwalsh568 wrote:I hadn't thought to check yard sales for candles, thanks for the tip!

All the candles I've bought are either tea lights or those dollar store pillars. The dollar store candles look just like the 80 hour candles I see for much more online, and while I haven't burned one all the way down yet, I've had one running for hours and it didn't burn too far...for the price they're hard to beat...

dmwalsh568, those pillar candles 7 1/2" tall by 2" wide will burn for 76.5 hours

The 18 oz. jar candles will burn for 110 hours, last year I burned them both of them in the winter and timed how long the would last.

I, like Cinnamon, buy most of my candles at yard sales or flea markets, I have hundreds of them.

11 Ordinary Things You Can Turn Into Candles
https://urbansurvivalsite.com/ordinary-things-you-can-turn-into-candles/

  (BIG SNIP) ... if you find yourself in a power outage and you don’t have any of those options, don’t worry. As you’ll see, almost every home has something that can be turned into a candle. ---CONTINUED---

Survival Candles and Why Every Good Prepper Needs Them
https://alphasurvivalist.net/survival-candles/

  (BIG SNIP) ... Having emergency lighting options such as long-burning candles is important in case of power interruptions goes without saying, but are survival candles the best emergency lighting option?

The short answer has to be a resounding no, there are much better, safer, and brighter options. However, it would be foolish to totally dismiss them as they will be worth their weight in gold in the long term when everything else has been used up or has stopped working. ---CONTINUED---

The Farm
* Link Unavailable. This site is no longer active and available to view on line. But the info was good and we wanted to keep sharing it!  

Candles. Every family should have a large supply of candles. Three hundred sixty-five candles, or one per day is not too many. The larger the better. Fifty-hour candles are available in both solid and liquid form. White or light colored candles burn brighter than dark candles. Tallow candles burn brighter, longer, and are fairly smoke free when compared to wax candles. Their lighting ability can be increased by placing an aluminum foil reflector behind them or by placing them in front of a mirror. However, candles are extremely dangerous indoors because of the high fire danger--especially around children. For this reason be sure to store several candle lanterns or broad-based candle holders. Be sure to store a goodly supply of wooden matches

Save your candle ends for emergency use. Votive candles set in empty jars will burn for up to 15 hours. Non-candles (plastic dish and paper wicks) and a bottle of salad oil will provide hundreds of hours of candle light.

Trench candles can be used as fireplace fuel or as a candle for light. To make trench candles:

1. Place a narrow strip of cloth or twisted string (for a wick) on the edge of a stack of 6-10 newspapers. 2. Roll the papers very tightly, leaving about 3/4" of wick extending at each end. 3. Tie the roll firmly with string or wire at 2-4" intervals. 4. With a small saw, cut about 1" above each tie and pull the cut sections into cone shapes. Pull the center string in each piece toward the top of the cone to serve as a wick. 5. Melt paraffin in a large saucepan set inside a larger pan of hot water. Soak the pieces of candle in the paraffin for about 2 minutes. 6. Remove the candles and place on a newspaper to dry.

Good Source for Long-Burning Candles

Hat Tip to rightwingmom From: A comment on Survival Mom's blog

5 Dollar Preps You CAN Afford to Prepare
http://thesurvivalmom.com/2010/05/18/5-dollar-preps-%E2%80%93-you-can-afford-to-prepare/

 4 -5 Catholic candles ~ Remove the label. The candle burns approx. 10 hours per inch of wax. (Don't forget the fireplace matches OR lighter wand to reach the wick!)

 Using Catholic Candles-Warning!

Original post by Muzhik at American Preppers Network:

Re: Candles
* Link Unavailable. This site is no longer active and available to view on line. But the info was good and we wanted to keep sharing it!  

the tall glass candles with images of the saints on them, BE VERY CAREFUL!! There have been reports where the glass used in some of these candles (esp. the ones sold in the Dollar stores, etc.) does not tolerate being lit for long periods of time and will shatter. There's no way to know which ones are made with this glass, so the best you can do is to not use them for more than an hour or so at a time.

If you're looking for good quality candles, try a church supply store. I've purchased from FC Ziegler before and can recommend them. Since pure beeswax candles are so expensive, most churches have switched either to liquid paraffin oil lamps or 51% beeswax candles. Here's a link to altar candles: http://www.zieglers.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=121. You can also buy 3-Day and 6-Day Votive candles here: http://www.zieglers.com/scripts/prodList.asp?idCategory=149. Remember that they last a long time by not giving out a lot of light.