I’ve been seeing the clay pot candle heater show up all over the internet, and it makes me very nervous that someone’s going to have a house fire because of these. The above linked article does list safety precautions, but they’re at the bottom of the article and also aren’t very thorough so WARNING:
1) As with any candle, these should be placed somewhere very stable and sturdy, where there’s no chance they’ll be jostled or knocked over. The surface it’s placed on should be non-flammable, as well.
2) The burning chamber inside will get quite hot. it can get hot enough to completely liqjify the paraffin inside, and even ignite it directly (not just the wick) this can lead to sudden flare-ups and bursts of flame, which of course would be extremely dangerous. For this reason, you shouldn’t burn more than one candle at a time in this style heater, because the more flames you have, the hotter it’ll get in the burning chamber, and thr more molten wax in the chamber, the farther a flare-up could potentially spread.
3) For this reason, you should take care that there is nothing over or around the heater that could catch fire in the case of a flare-up. You should also never burn this heater while you’re sleeping, or leave it unattended. If a flare-up happens, it can spread FAST. you should also have a fire extinguishing method within arm’s reach.
4) Wax fires are just like grease fires, from an extinguishing perspective. NEVER USE WATER ON A WAX OR GREASE FIRE. water will simply spread it. To put out a wax/grease fire, you can use a fire extinguisher rated for grease fires (check the side, it will say what types of fires it’s for), or if that’s unavailable, baking soda or salt. If you’re using a fire extinguisher, check to verify it isn’t expired, and that it’s rated for grease fires. if you’re using baking soda or salt, fill a container like a tupperware or box with an easily removed lid so you can quickly open it and pour it over the fire. Whatever you plan to use, put it somewhere you can grab it at a moment’s notice.
5) On the subject of water and molten wax, make sure there is NO water near this heater. I’ve seen people advising folks to perch a container of water on top of the heater to get some steam in the air, and this is a TERRIBLE idea. As mentioned above, the heat inside the burn chamber can be extreme, and the heat that’s transferred to the top of the pot can also be quite intense. This can be enough to crack or melt your water container, and if that happens (or even if the container is simply jostled), that water will slosh down into the burn chamber with the molten wax. You know how if you splash water into hot oil, it will immediately boil off and turn into steam and cause the oil to violently bubble and splatter? That’s exactly what it would do if water hits molten wax, except it will be wax and it will be on fire. DO NOT GET WATER NEAR MOLTEN WAX.
6) Fire burns oxygen. Normally this wouldn’t be an issue, but there’s so much advice about sealing off your rooms to keep the warm in and the cold out, so it’s worth mentioning: if you’re burning anything (even just a candle) you need to make sure you have some ventilation.
I know people are stuck between a rock and a hard place here, and I promise I’m not trying to finger-wag. I’m not saying don’t use these, but please- be aware of the risks and what you can do to mitigate them. Keep in mind that a house fire (while never a good thing) would be particularly dangerous now, when emergency services would have such difficulty getting to you, what with the snow and ice.
