Keeping wax in liquid form

[JudiGa]

Can I leave my wax at a low temp, say 125* in my pot for a prolonged period of time, and if so how long is a safe time. I have a 35 lb pot and it really is a pain to have to reheat it all just to pour a tester or 2. TIA

[candlelady]

Yes, a friend of mine that owned a very large candle company in my area kept her wax in a 150 gallon holding tank set at a constant 150 degrees, always. She had one of those portable pouring machines, that she would fill with the wax from the holding tank, then continue heating the wax in the portable machine, then pour. She has since sold the business, but still has one of those pouring machines for sale, just wish I could afford it $15K! But it's sooo nice!

I myself keep my wax melter on at 150 degrees most of the time, since business is picking up again. When business is slow, I turn it off. Doesn't seem to do any harm to the wax, but does have a tendency to run up my electric bill!

HTH!

Carrie

[Stella1952]

Here my 2¢... while doing this with paraffin might work out fine on an on-going basis, I don't think it's a great idea with vegetable waxes. I have held soy-based and palm waxes for a few days at a low temp (135° - 140°F soy-based, 150°F for palm) with no obvious problems, but I think for longer periods of time, one would see some degradation of the product - darkening, off-smell, problems with polymorphic crystals, etc. Unless I am planning to run a crew for two shifts, I do not think it would be an energy savings.

[Carriegsxr6]

For small testers, you should probably just to a double broiler method