Air Flow & Hot Throw - Is there a better wax?

[Brit88]

Hi, everyone!

I've been making candles for a long time for myself and friends, but I decided to take it more seriously this year as I've had some of my soap clients asking about them. When testing in April, I had great success with 464 with a CD18 wick at 9% fragrance load. It filled my entire house out of a narrow 9.3oz jar. It was exciting! I made more following the same procedure that I used to make the first one. During their cure time, our air conditioner decided to stop working. We had to have the entire unit replaced. When it came time to test burn the new candles, I couldn't smell any of them unless I was within 3 feet. I decided to make the first fragrance again, and I had the same result. I couldn't smell it like I did before.

 

We ended up getting the "best" unit they had to offer. We live south of Tampa, and not having a properly running A/C in this weather is not an option. We are also going sell soon, and we thought it would be better for resale. This new unit has one of those electrified filters, and it sounds like an airplane when it turns on. The air it pushes is extreme. It's a far cry from the unit we had before, and I can have the house three degrees warmer than I did before due to how hard the air flows. I worry that this difference is why I'm having a hard time with my hot throw. Are there waxes that function better under these circumstances? I've tried to switch to 454. I heard the hot throw was better in that, but I've had no luck. I really appreciate any and all help. I'm at a loss as to why this is happening.

[TallTayl]

sounds like the new unit is scrubbing the air. Often those clean the air of all pollutants very efficiently. are you able to smell a yankee type candle at all with the new unit? 
 

a quick product to learn that scents the air well as a companion to soap is spray scent. The effect is immediate and will linger on fabrics with a nice clean pure fragrance.

 

Reed diffusers or modern looking potpourri are other popular options.

[Brit88]

5 hours ago, TallTayl said:

sounds like the new unit is scrubbing the air. Often those clean the air of all pollutants very efficiently. are you able to smell a yankee type candle at all with the new unit? 
 

a quick product to learn that scents the air well as a companion to soap is spray scent. The effect is immediate and will linger on fabrics with a nice clean pure fragrance.

 

Reed diffusers or modern looking potpourri are other popular options.

Thanks for the quick response. I have a Yankee candle coming this afternoon. I'm going to light it as soon as it gets here.

I will look into spray scents. I hadn't even thought of that. Thank you!

[bfroberts]

CD18 is a really big wick for a jar of that size. You might have better luck with something several sizes smaller.  Too much wick can inhibit throw.

[TallTayl]

29 minutes ago, Brit88 said:

Thanks for the quick response. I have a Yankee candle coming this afternoon. I'm going to light it as soon as it gets here.

I will look into spray scents. I hadn't even thought of that. Thank you!

Another brand that seems to do well is mccalls. Their wax looks like mottled paraffin. 

[Brit88]

18 hours ago, bfroberts said:

CD18 is a really big wick for a jar of that size. You might have better luck with something several sizes smaller.  Too much wick can inhibit throw.

It was what CandleScience suggested for the diameter, and it worked really well the first time around. I can try a smaller wick.

[Brit88]

16 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Another brand that seems to do well is mccalls. Their wax looks like mottled paraffin. 

So, I grabbed a Moonlit Cove candle from Yankee, and it has barely any cold throw. To top it off, there is no hot throw at all. It's worse than my candles. After about four hours, I blew it out. I started some melts, and those were okay, but they should have been performing better than they were, too. 

[TallTayl]

1 hour ago, Brit88 said:

So, I grabbed a Moonlit Cove candle from Yankee, and it has barely any cold throw. To top it off, there is no hot throw at all. It's worse than my candles. After about four hours, I blew it out. I started some melts, and those were okay, but they should have been performing better than they were, too. 

This points toward the new efficient air handling system, IMO. Try a different location, like a small bathroom with the door closed to minimize the removal of air into the filtration system. 

[bfroberts]

2 hours ago, Brit88 said:

It was what CandleScience suggested for the diameter, and it worked really well the first time around. I can try a smaller wick.

Unless they’ve revised their recommendations, I found their suggestions for 464 to be way too hot for the newer 464. But the way waxes change so often now, I can’t hardly keep up. 🤷‍♀️

[birdcharm]

4 hours ago, Brit88 said:

It was what CandleScience suggested for the diameter, and it worked really well the first time around. I can try a smaller wick.

 

Currently they are showing a CD12 for 464 with a container diameter of 2.7-2.94" --- a CD18 for 2.95-3.29" ... in other words, for a large jar.  You have to be careful reading these charts, they are only a guideline to send you in some sort of direction, might be right sometimes, but it all depends on your container, your scent, etc.  Which brings us to your fragrance oil ... what is it?

[Brit88]

4 hours ago, TallTayl said:

This points toward the new efficient air handling system, IMO. Try a different location, like a small bathroom with the door closed to minimize the removal of air into the filtration system. 

I put it in my daughter's room and closed the door. When I approached the door, I could smell it before I even opened it.

 

45 minutes ago, birdcharm said:

 

Currently they are showing a CD12 for 464 with a container diameter of 2.7-2.94" --- a CD18 for 2.95-3.29" ... in other words, for a large jar.  You have to be careful reading these charts, they are only a guideline to send you in some sort of direction, might be right sometimes, but it all depends on your container, your scent, etc.  Which brings us to your fragrance oil ... what is it?

 

I'm using their small apothecary jars, which I think they said to use the CD18. It burns really well with a CD18. The way that it burns makes me think that a CD16 could be too small, but it definitely couldn't hurt to give it a go. This is the link to the jar:
https://www.candlescience.com/containers/small-apothecary-jar/

I have been using The Flaming Candle's Cappuccino Espresso for all of the candles to try to eliminate any variables. 

[TallTayl]

3 hours ago, Brit88 said:

I put it in my daughter's room and closed the door. When I approached the door, I could smell it before I even opened it.

 

 

I'm using their small apothecary jars, which I think they said to use the CD18. It burns really well with a CD18. The way that it burns makes me think that a CD16 could be too small, but it definitely couldn't hurt to give it a go. This is the link to the jar:
https://www.candlescience.com/containers/small-apothecary-jar/

I have been using The Flaming Candle's Cappuccino Espresso for all of the candles to try to eliminate any variables. 

Well, that’s good that you can smell it with a door closed.  One problem solved 😊

 

WRT the wick size, take a temp of the jar periodically to ensure it never exceeds the ASTM recommended limits for safety.  The real test will be the second half of the jar. a neck, like with apothecary jars, tends to allow quite a lot of heat to build.

[Brit88]

11 hours ago, TallTayl said:

Well, that’s good that you can smell it with a door closed.  One problem solved 😊

 

WRT the wick size, take a temp of the jar periodically to ensure it never exceeds the ASTM recommended limits for safety.  The real test will be the second half of the jar. a neck, like with apothecary jars, tends to allow quite a lot of heat to build.

So, it does seem like the new unit is the problem. I closed the vents in her room, and it was one of those moments where I wanted to smack myself for not thinking of trying that sooner. These jars do tend to run hot once they are at the halfway point. When I use 454, CS recommends two LX12 wicks, but the jar just runs too hot at almost any point in the candle's life. With how thin these jars are, I'm considering switching vessels just for safety purposes. I wasn't going to try any different jars until I could figure out my hot throw issue, though. Thank you for all the help.

[birdcharm]

It seems that the CD18 recommendation for that particular container is not exactly a good one.  I see in the comments on the link page to the jar that someone made a review comment saying they tested it with a CD12 and CD14 ... that sounds better!  It seems that a CD18 in that little jar is going to have a very deep melt pool and become too hot.  So, a wick that is smaller would most likely be a better match.