Opinions needed about candlemaking & atmosphere

[Brenda (OH)]

This post may be considered off topic or maybe not put in the right forum area, the board monitor can move it if needed.

Here is my question . . .Has anyone ever experienced a black residue throughout your house from making or burning candles?

This is my dilemma . . . We built a new house last summer and moved in mid September. Everything in my house is white from appliances, blinds, window casings, ceilings, walls, registers, cold air duct covers - everything! I began to notice in the winter months and more so into spring that I have a black residue inside my cupboards on tupperware, inside my fridge also on the fridge and freezer seal, on my walls above registers, basically everywhere and in places I wouldn't suspect. I thought that it was a defective furnance or AC unit so I have got my contractor involved. He had the guy that did all my duct work and installed the heating and cooling units come out and check them and they all were fine. They suggested I contact our propane gas company to have them check the pressures of the gas. When the gas man got here he did reduce the amount of pressure of the propance going into the house but was bewildered on what the black was coming from since he says propane burns clean. The next morning he called and said he wanted to stop over to discuss "my problem". He told me that he found I out made candles and that was what was causing the black everywhere! I argued differently with him explaining and showing him that I use a soy blend that does not black soot when burned properly. He said that the burning candles would not cause it but rather my candle making would. I was furious but politely thanked him for his opinion. I still have some other phone calls to make to keep digging into this problem but I thought I would ask other candle makers their opinion and experiences.

I make my candles in the basement. Was using Joy Wax and have just in the past 3 weeks switched to J300. I use zinc wicks. Mainly make container candles & tarts but have been testing pillars. I typically only burn 1 candle in my living room but sometime will light a candle in my office or bedroom. I do test extremes and "power burn" all day. Very rarely do I get heavy soot on my jars.

I am sorry this post is so long but I am at my wits end. I love candle making and my business. I am just curious if it does or doesn't affect the atmosphere that could cause this black stuff.

[annareeb]

Never heard of this...all my walls etc.. are white and off/white... I have been furious chandling for 2 years.. no soot here.

[Scented]

Off white and white walls here and no black soot or residue in site.

[Breanna]

I too have white in my house and I burn Paraffin and I do not have any soot built up on my walls or anything like that. I too do Power burns and such,,,After I read this thread I looked around but found nothing,,,,If you find out what is causing it please let us know,,,this is strange,,

[southernscents]

I have noticed some here and there on my white doors and on my pc:rolleyes2. It comes off. I have natural gas and I would believe that would cause it. I have had other people tell me that gas will cause walls, curtains and other things to discolor. It always comes off. I use gas for heat in the winter and for my water all year around. I do not cook with it.

HTH.....Amy

[hawaiiansun]

I haven't noticed it here

[Glowlite]

I've been making candles for 9 years and have never had this happen. I have white curtains in my candle making room and the only thing on those is dust.:rolleyes2 I don't have a furnace I have centeral heating and cooling but my mother does and she has black stuff on her registers that she said comes from the furnace. But that is the only place she or I have ever seen it.

I don't believe its the candle making.

[Freezin]

We had a propane on demand water heater in the house we lived in before and I swear that it caused things to change color. I have heard people complain that sometimes candles in containers can cause black on their white walls, but that is just where the candle is. My GF only burns tarts because of this. However, I dont' think burning candles could affect the inside of the frig or the inside of the cupboards. I could be wrong tho....just thinking outload.

[lbtddr]

i havent noticed and on my walls.but one lady that test for me says that she has noticed the same thing every thing in her house is white.she does not make candles only burns them.she was talking about it a couple of weeks ago her house is only two years old and she burns gas. i use zink core wicks i am getting ready to test the low smoke zink core wicks but not sure if this is what is causing it.sorry i am not more help but i am thinking it could not be in the making of the candles,but mabe the burning of them.since she has never made a candle.

[lbtddr]

she also says it is in the inside of the cupboards.it didnt make any since to me but would like to no.she has started useing a candle wormer.

[annareeb]

are you sure it is some kind of soot? and not black mold?

[Brenda (OH)]

are you sure it is some kind of soot? and not black mold?

I'm not sure . . I am assuming it is a soot since it is all over my register covers and on the wall above them. I don't know anything about black mold. What would cause that?

[annareeb]

if its concentrated on and around the registers... then its coming from your air system somehow.. have you changed air filters recently? I live in base housing so we use the el cheapo blue filters, they are crappy,I HAVE to change those every 2 months or I get black residue around the registers...

black mold is nasty stuff... usually grows when there is escess moisture somewhere in your home... it causes a lot of respitory and other health problems if its not dealt with.

I'm not sure . . I am assuming it is a soot since it is all over my register covers and on the wall above them. I don't know anything about black mold. What would cause that?

[sharyl55]

Same thing happened to a friend of mine several years ago. She never made any candles but was a faithful Yankee customer. She called the furnace folks and complained. They told her it was burning candles that caused the problem not their furnace. She had a new furnace put in and had to repaint her entire house. Still burns candles but with the new furnace hasn't had any more problems. Don't know if that helps.

[tlc26]

I don't think it is black mold. You would have mold every where else in your housebefore you would have it near the air ducts.

Black mold is a type of mold. It refers to the color of the mold. There are tons of types of black mold and very few are actually dangerous. Staccybotrous (sp?) is the bad one that can affect children and elderly.

In order for mold to grow you must have a few variables. Mold will not grow if one variable is missing. Mold grows in warm, dark, damp places. It must have a food source. Bacteria on anything can serve as the food source and there must be water or moisture of some kind. Near an airduct the air would be very dry unless you live in a very humid area. MOld begins to grow within 24 to 48 hours of water being introduced. Mold will also 'bite' into the surface of whatever it is growing on. Have you ever seen a bath tub with a window in the wall by it? ususally the wood frame of the window gets wet and mold will begin to grow. If you were to try to wipe it off the surface mold spores would come off but the wood would still be discolored from the mold that has bitten into the wood, the only way to remove it is to scrape out that wood or replace it all together. If you can just wipe the black stuff off after it has been there for a long time. Is is probably not mold. Never wipe mold away. Kill it first then wipe it clean. Every time you wipe mold beofre it has been killed you release millions of mold spores into the air and then breathe them into your lungs. In one breath in a clean home or outside (no where near mold) you inhale something like 60,000 mold spores (I think that is the right number..it has beena while since my last class). Sorry that was long but I am a mold remediation specialist.

I get black sooty looking marks on the ceiling above my vents if I have not changed the filter on my furnace. It says right onthe label once a month or every 30 days the furnace is running. I also smoke. I am sure that is why the air in my house is yucky. This happened even before I smoked in the house, but know that I do it is worse, faster and darker.

edited to say: try an air purifier that should help.

also if your air intake is blocked i.e. boxes stacked up in front of it, move the stuff make sure your intake is free and clear.

[topofmurrayhill]

Dear Brenda,

I'm suspect he is right about the candles (though not about the candlemaking). If everything in your house is white then certainly the soot from burning candles would be more noticeable. It's not an unusual problem. Perhaps there is something about the ventilation in your home that aggravates the problem whereas other candle burning homeowners don't experience it. There's a common misconception that soy candles are soot free or cleaner burning, but I don't know of any evidence to support this.

[gerrie]

My daughter was a huge fan of partylite candles before I started to make them. She was in an apartment and everything that was plastic had this black film on it. Yes, even the tupperware in her cupboards. She contacted the apartment manager cause she was sure it had something to do with the heat. She was told it was from the candles that she burns, and trust me, she burned them allllllllll the time. Since I have started to make them I do see some black in my home from time to time, but it always seems to be around the holiday season when I'm testing in every room and I'm burning them from morning till night. I do have natural gas furnace but I would not be surprised if it is from burning candles. When testing and doing marathon burns you usually end up with some soot once in awhile. I don't do soy, so I don't know about that, but I've always been told even soy candles can produce soot. Sorry I can't be more help.

[stephnms]

We have light colored walls also and I've never noticed this happening.

[Donita]

I have been making candles in this house for almost 9 years. No soot in the candle studio (just plain old dirt) but in the main part of the house, the living room and dinning room, yes there is soot. The bedrooms are fine. I only burn candles there on occasion (LOL)....but I do test burn in the other rooms. I have burned other candle companies candles too. I have noticed soot in jar candles. My best friend burns candles all day everyday....not kidding and she has soot too. Mainly in the candle burning rooms. It just builds up a little at a time and you don't notice it until it is really bad. We just repainted and got rid of it.....now it needs to be done again. Not so bad this time, probably because I am a better candle maker now and my candles don't smoke so much hee hee hee.....maybe. Donita

ps....my rooms were white, now they are painted gold.

[Dee]

We have natural gas for heating and it actually is cleanr than other heating. When I was a kid we used oil heat and that was dirtier. I remember Mom having to wash walls fairly frquently. Just cant' imagine candle making causing such problems.

[Bonba]

New to this board. Been making candles for several years now. I had white walls etc. in our previous home, before I started making candles. Our home was all electric, No gas, No Candles at that time. This was mostly confined to the kitchen and laundry room right next to one another. Cannot prove it but I think it was coming from our refrigerator. We had a new compressor put on, and about that time it started, never had it before that. I know what you are talking about, it drove me nuts. We have since moved and I have no film here.

It's like for years, I could not figure out why some houses have a dark streak right along the carpet line, where the carpet mets the wall. Mostly with white woodwork. I had asked several carpet suppliers, was told it was not cleaned properly. That what's I would have thought too, but I was the one who cleaned them. Last year I got an answer I was satified with. Static!!!! Makes sense to me because it was mostly in halls and stairway. Static goes to the outside walls so I was told. More noticeable in small areas. Now that I think about it, I wonder if it could have something to do with the film on the wall etc?

[Henryk]

Soot is attracted statically, read about the soot test you can do here: http://chimneykeepers.com/candle_soot.htm.

[Brenda (OH)]

Soot is attracted statically, read about the soot test you can do here: http://chimneykeepers.com/candle_soot.htm.

Thank you Henryk . . .very, very informational! Guess I will be testing to see if my candles are the culprit. Will let you know . . .

[Carrie]

You said the furnace guy checked everything out, right.

Your post reminded me of a post I'd read on the old CT. I searched for it. Here it is.

http://www.candletech.com/cgi-local/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=offtopic;action=display;num=1112150126;start=0#0

Do you have Carbon Monoxide Detectors in your new home?

[Brenda (OH)]

You said the furnace guy checked everything out, right.

Your post reminded me of a post I'd read on the old CT. I searched for it. Here it is.

http://www.candletech.com/cgi-local/yabb/YaBB.cgi?board=offtopic;action=display;num=1112150126;start=0#0

Do you have Carbon Monoxide Detectors in your new home?

I just bought Carbon Monoxide Detectors, they were not installed with the house. They have been plugged in for 2 days now, but we have only run the AC. Maybe I should turn the furnance on just to double check.