I have burned mine for 6 hours now. Never has reached a full melt pool. I keep getting whiffs of a fireplace smell. I am guessing the wick here. The scent was much stronger the first burn. Now I can only smell it if I am right on top of it and this is the BIG one. Sitting next to it I should be blown away! Edited to add: The crackle sound is almost non-existent now too!