My NOTES® Candle is tunneling. Is that normal?

Vanilla & Pepperwood Refill & NOTES Glass Vessel on wood tray

Picture this: Your NOTES® candle just arrived and you are so excited to burn your room-filling fragrance. After setting it up and lighting the wick, you notice the candle starts to tunnel. Is that normal?

In a traditional candle, tunneling occurs 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 tunnel (hence the name). It has been engrained in most candle burner's heads that tunneling = bad. This is largely because it reduces the burn time of the candle. If less wax is burning, less of your candle can be enjoyed.

The good news: NOTES® candles are not your traditional candle. They are unique in almost every way, including the way they burn. NOTES® candles are designed to tunnel the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the candle. This is largely due to the airflow created between the beads. This is normal and doesn’t affect the quality of fragrance or the longevity of the candle like it might in a traditional container candle. We don’t recommend pushing the wax into the warmed wax pool, so as to prevent snuffing out the flame. The beads will slowly waterfall into the center as the candle continues to burn, leveling the wax without you having to do a thing. This process is not only interesting to watch, but creates a beautiful silhouette and soft glow when observed from the outside of the vessel. By the time your silicone insert is ready to be removed, you should have an even disk of wax with minimal bead residue on the walls of the candle. 

More of a visual learner? Watch our time-lapse below!

 


4 comments


  • NOTES® Candle

    Hi Tammy! Since fragrance is so subjective, we can’t give an approximation of what sized room this might fill. However, this fragrance is quite strong, and find many of our NOTES® fans are able to fill their living room or other large rooms with one candle.


  • Tammy

    Hi!! What size room will 1 candle fill with fragrance?


  • NOTES® Candle

    Hi Angie! Total burn time is 36 hours.


  • Angie

    What is the approximate total burn time?


Leave a comment

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.