How Do Candles Burn?
The other day I was hard at work in my office when a pressing question came to mind. How do candles burn? OK, so it seems I have a little too much time on my hands. Nevertheless, it is an interesting question. My wife and I make Soy Wax Candles, so we are burning candles all the time. What makes them burn, and why doesn’t the wick just burn up? It is interesting to think of the science behind candles – but then again, I am a geek. Stick with me for a minute. When you light a candle, the wick starts to burn and melts the wax around the wick. The melted wax is then absorbed into the wick and upward where the heat of the flame vaporizes the wax. It is the wax vapor that burns. The wick doesn’t burn up, because the liquid wax cools the wick. (howthingswork.com) Knowing how this works now, think about paraffin wax. Paraffin comes from refining crude oil. When wax made from paraffin vaporizes and burns, the nasty toxins in the paraffin are added to the air that you breath in your home.
We are burning candles all the time, and I have always wondered, what makes them burn and why doesn’t the wick just burn up? It is interesting to think of the science behind candles! When you light a candle, the wick starts to burn and melts the wax around the wick. The melted wax is then absorbed into the wick and upward where the heat of the flame vaporizes the wax. It is the wax vapor that burns. The wick doesn’t burn up, because the liquid wax cools the wick. (howthingswork.com) Knowing how this works now, think about paraffin wax. Paraffin comes from refining crude oil. When wax made from paraffin vaporizes and burns, the nasty toxins in the paraffin are added to the air that you breath in your home. This is not the case with soy wax candles. It works about the same way – the wick is lit, melts the wax which is absorbed into the wick, then vaporizes and burns. The difference is that there are no toxins in the air as you burn the candle. Soy wax is much cleaner and cooler burning.
The other day I was hard at work in my office when a pressing question came to mind. How do candles burn? OK, so it seems I have a little too much time on my hands. Nevertheless, it is an interesting question. My wife and I make Soy Wax Candles, so we are burning candles all the time. What makes them burn and why doesn’t the wick just burn up? It is interesting to think of the science behind candles – but then again, I am a geek. Stick with me for a minute. When you light a candle, the wick starts to burn and melts the wax around the wick. The melted wax is then absorbed into the wick and upward where the heat of the flame vaporizes the wax. It is the wax vapor that burns. The wick doesn’t burn up, because the liquid wax cools the wick. (howthingswork.com) Knowing how this works now, think about paraffin wax. Paraffin comes from refining crude oil. When wax made from paraffin vaporizes and burns, the nasty toxins in the paraffin are added to the air that you breath in your home. This i
