Burn time testing questions.

[classiccandle]

I was wondering how others test for burn times?

I ask because a while back (probably a year or more) a candle company asked their Facebook fans how long they burned their candles, on average. If memory serves me correctly most responded 1-2 hours with a few saying 3 and 4 hours.

Also there's a pretty popular candle company from Texas that advertises on their labels that the burn time for their 11 oz candle is 50-65 hours. I burned one at four hour intervals and it burned for about 30-35 hours (I've since thrown my notes away on it so I can't remember exactly how long it lasted but it wasn't anywhere near 50 hours). I wondered why they would state that it lasts 50-65 hours and so I started doing some digging. Come to find out they say it will last that long when burned in 1-2 hour intervals.

So my question is, when testing for optimal burn times should we test at 4 hour intervals or 1-2 hour intervals? I currently use 4 hours but I may switch to the 1-2 hours since most respondents to the poll on FB was 1-2 hours and the candle company in Texas advertises on the 1-2 hour standard.

Please share your thoughts.

Edited June 21, 2013 by classiccandle

[ksranch]

I do mine according to the size - an hour for each inch in diameter - so, for a 3" diameter 3 hours.

[FaithfulScenter]

Classic candles, I was wondering the same just earlier today. I was doing a test burn on a couple 1/2 pints, and I was wondering, why 3 hours? I have always heard, burn in 3 hour intervals, why not 4, or 2? I guess everyone is different, and ks ranch explained it well! As far as getting the length of time that the entire candle will burn, I still haven't been able to do that one. Sometimes I'll get 12- 3 hour burns, sometimes its 15. Who knows!

[Candybee]

I use a couple of different methods. I burn my candle an hour per inch of diameter of the jar. Then continue a similar burn on a different day, usually the next day. I continue each burn until I burn the candle to its end point or bottom of the jar when the wick system extinguishes the candle. I log each burn until I have my total burn hours.

I also test burn and log the way I typically burn candle. This gives the candle burn a variance of the burn times as sometimes its one hour, sometimes its 2, 3, 4 hours or even longer. Again I log the burn times burning until I reach the end of the candle and get a total number of burn hours.

I also do power burn tests and log the total burn hours.

Testing different and varying burn methods gives me a burn range for the candle more accurate I find than simply calculating the amount of wax and average hourly burn consumption. I found the actual burn time was always dead on while the calculations were always off. HTMS

[FaithfulScenter]

Ok, so are you supposed to only do 1 burn per day? I usually do 2, or sometimes 3, but like today when I relit, it didn't take no time to reach an almost FMP, so I'm thinking I need to wait more time between burns.

[ksranch]

I do two in one day sometimes... but it depends on when I did the first one. Important thing (to me) is to wait long enough to be sure the candle is completely cooled off..

[emilyspoppy]

I use a couple of different methods. I burn my candle an hour per inch of diameter of the jar. Then continue a similar burn on a different day, usually the next day. I continue each burn until I burn the candle to its end point or bottom of the jar when the wick system extinguishes the candle. I log each burn until I have my total burn hours.

I also test burn and log the way I typically burn candle. This gives the candle burn a variance of the burn times as sometimes its one hour, sometimes its 2, 3, 4 hours or even longer. Again I log the burn times burning until I reach the end of the candle and get a total number of burn hours.

I also do power burn tests and log the total burn hours.

Testing different and varying burn methods gives me a burn range for the candle more accurate I find than simply calculating the amount of wax and average hourly burn consumption. I found the actual burn time was always dead on while the calculations were always off. HTMS

Russ;

As usual, Candy, IMO is correct.

Dave

[sickboy]

I do the hour perinch thing in real world testing environment, I also burn more than one time aday when time permits. I burn until candle extinguishes it’s self then add upthe hours. I also read that the average burn time is five hours per ounce. So I asked myself how these companies arestating ninety to one hundred hours on a nine ounce candle. I also read about athing called a burn box, it’s where you can control the environment where youtest the candle. You can control the air intake and heat exhaust so that you maximizeburn times. Hence ninety to a hundred hours out of nine ounces.