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Am I the only one who doesn't know candle wax is very flammable?

bob4432

bob4432

Lifer
throuhgout the year we burn candles in the fireplace for some "mood" lighting. this morning since it is finally cold enough to use the fireplace for heating, we through a couple pieces of wood in the fireplace and started it up. we set up the wood the normal way we do eveytime we light a fire.

honestly, i couldn't even see the wax on the bottom as it was clear and the bottom of the fireplace was clean. shortly after the fire started the whole bottom of the fire place caught on fire - the wax i should say - it is like gasoline 😕

pulled out the fire extinguisher because the fire was still isolated and very much contained in the fireplace, but much larger than what would make you feel comfortable. so i am standing there with a large fire extinguisher in one hand, and a phone in another. i was getting ready to call the fire dept and then it started to die down.....now it is very low and the wood is just smoldering like normal and all wax seems to have burned itself out, but we are still keeping an eye on it.

so is it common knowledge that candle wax is extremely flammable? i guess i never tried to light the candle on fire before, just the wick

just trying to calm down a bit...f*ck :shocked:
 
So you were going to put out a fire in the fireplace? 😕


When you light a candle, what do you think is burning for hours?
 
Next time, line the bottom of your fireplace with some foil, to catch the wax drippings. Or some wax paper would work, too. 😛

Just remember to remove it before you start a wood fire.
 
Yikes. I've never burned candles in a fireplace for mood, but I have used a small piece of candle to start a fire. Once the fire gets going, any remaining candle burns rapidly and brightly. I can see why you were worried. :beer:
 
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
So you were going to put out a fire in the fireplace? 😕


When you light a candle, what do you think is burning for hours?
Click to expand...

a candle doesn't burn like a gasoline spill, they have a very slow burn. i wouldn't think of how a candle burns as being volatile. maybe i should re-write it to say how volatile the wax can be.

and yes i was going to put out a fire in the fireplace because the wax caused the fire to nearly escape the fireplace
 
Originally posted by: bob4432
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
So you were going to put out a fire in the fireplace? 😕


When you light a candle, what do you think is burning for hours?
Click to expand...

a candle doesn't burn like a gasoline spill, they have a very slow burn. i wouldn't think of how a candle burns as being volatile. maybe i should re-write it to say how volatile the wax can be.

and yes i was going to put out a fire in the fireplace because the wax caused the fire to nearly escape the fireplace
Click to expand...

Even water is flammable if you get it hot enough.... Class "D" fires (burning metals such as magnesium etc) will actually seperate the atoms of water molecules, and burn the oxygen and hydrogen...
 
Originally posted by: Midlander
Yikes. I've never burned candles in a fireplace for mood, but I have used a small piece of candle to start a fire. Once the fire gets going, any remaining candle burns rapidly and brightly. I can see why you were worried. :beer:
Click to expand...

it is rarely cold enough here to actually really need a fire, so the fireplace is a nice, safe place to burn the candles.

sixone - good idea, will do that next time...
 
Originally posted by: Fullmetal Chocobo
Originally posted by: bob4432
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
So you were going to put out a fire in the fireplace? 😕


When you light a candle, what do you think is burning for hours?
Click to expand...

a candle doesn't burn like a gasoline spill, they have a very slow burn. i wouldn't think of how a candle burns as being volatile. maybe i should re-write it to say how volatile the wax can be.

and yes i was going to put out a fire in the fireplace because the wax caused the fire to nearly escape the fireplace
Click to expand...

Even water is flammable if you get it hot enough.... Class "D" fires (burning metals such as magnesium etc) will actually seperate the atoms of water molecules, and burn the oxygen and hydrogen...
Click to expand...

i am familiar with magnesium fires - those get hot as a mutha f*cka...good firestarters though
 
Originally posted by: bob4432
Originally posted by: Fullmetal Chocobo
Originally posted by: bob4432
Originally posted by: I Saw OJ
So you were going to put out a fire in the fireplace? 😕


When you light a candle, what do you think is burning for hours?
Click to expand...

a candle doesn't burn like a gasoline spill, they have a very slow burn. i wouldn't think of how a candle burns as being volatile. maybe i should re-write it to say how volatile the wax can be.

and yes i was going to put out a fire in the fireplace because the wax caused the fire to nearly escape the fireplace
Click to expand...

Even water is flammable if you get it hot enough.... Class "D" fires (burning metals such as magnesium etc) will actually seperate the atoms of water molecules, and burn the oxygen and hydrogen...
Click to expand...

i am familiar with magnesium fires - those get hot as a mutha f*cka...good firestarters though
Click to expand...

its fun to play with magnesium. You cn get about a 10' roll for like $7
 
Originally posted by: bob4432
throuhgout the year we burn candles in the fireplace for some "mood" lighting. this morning since it is finally cold enough to use the fireplace for heating, we through a couple pieces of wood in the fireplace and started it up. we set up the wood the normal way we do eveytime we light a fire.

honestly, i couldn't even see the wax on the bottom as it was clear and the bottom of the fireplace was clean. shortly after the fire started the whole bottom of the fire place caught on fire - the wax i should say - it is like gasoline 😕

pulled out the fire extinguisher because the fire was still isolated and very much contained in the fireplace, but much larger than what would make you feel comfortable. so i am standing there with a large fire extinguisher in one hand, and a phone in another. i was getting ready to call the fire dept and then it started to die down.....now it is very low and the wood is just smoldering like normal and all wax seems to have burned itself out, but we are still keeping an eye on it.

so is it common knowledge that candle wax is extremely flammable? i guess i never tried to light the candle on fire before, just the wick

just trying to calm down a bit...f*ck :shocked:
Click to expand...

thats why you dont use candle wax in your hair (for the mohawk effect)
 
Wax can surprise you because it is not especially flammable until it melts or vaporizes and gets good contact with air. Which is rather convenient in candles; but a bit of a surprise elsewhere.
 
Heyyyy... I should get a roll of magnesium to use to start coal fires. It's a major pita getting the coal stove started; most fire starting things simply aren't hot enough to ignite the coal.

 
Obviously never a Boyscout. We used to take paper, roll it up loosely, tie string around it, and dip it into hot wax. Once it dried you could take it camping and use it as a fire-starter, hell of a lot better than dryer lint or newspaper.
 
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Obviously never a Boyscout. We used to take paper, roll it up loosely, tie string around it, and dip it into hot wax. Once it dried you could take it camping and use it as a fire-starter, hell of a lot better than dryer lint or newspaper.
Click to expand...
Why not just take a ball of wax and shave it as needed?
 
Originally posted by: her209
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Obviously never a Boyscout. We used to take paper, roll it up loosely, tie string around it, and dip it into hot wax. Once it dried you could take it camping and use it as a fire-starter, hell of a lot better than dryer lint or newspaper.
Click to expand...
Why not just take a ball of wax and shave it as needed?
Click to expand...

You mean shave wax straight into a fireplace, or fire pit? Need more to keep it burning longer, using cardboard/paper rolled up gives the fire something other than just wax to burn. The wax gets it going and gets it hot, the paper keeps it going long enough to start up the wood.

I've also seen people fill egg cartons with lint and wax, so the lint sticks out the top, then break off the individual dimples into 12 little fire starters. As long as it's compact you can tuck it into your backpack and start a fire almost anywhere.
 
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Originally posted by: her209
Originally posted by: Sphexi
Obviously never a Boyscout. We used to take paper, roll it up loosely, tie string around it, and dip it into hot wax. Once it dried you could take it camping and use it as a fire-starter, hell of a lot better than dryer lint or newspaper.
Click to expand...
Why not just take a ball of wax and shave it as needed?
Click to expand...

You mean shave wax straight into a fireplace, or fire pit? Need more to keep it burning longer, using cardboard/paper rolled up gives the fire something other than just wax to burn. The wax gets it going and gets it hot, the paper keeps it going long enough to start up the wood.

I've also seen people fill egg cartons with lint and wax, so the lint sticks out the top, then break off the individual dimples into 12 little fire starters. As long as it's compact you can tuck it into your backpack and start a fire almost anywhere.
Click to expand...

i never used this crap. magnesium firestarter and experience on making fires good enough for me.
 
LOL a lot of people don't know it. The wax is the fuel. Get a wick that's 6" long by itself and light it and see how it burns.

They have candles that float on top of cooking oil. The float part looks like a soft drink lid and has a wick. You fill a tall container with vegetable oil and as long as they'res oil it will burn. Obviously don't want them where they can be knocked over as it's 10x worse to clean up!

EDIT: OP you definitely over reacted. There's plenty of breathing room on most fireplaces for over firing. I've been through a few wood stove chimney fires myself and they are scary but now that I know what to do they are actually interesting to watch.
 
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