Measurement of temperature rise over time for commercially available night lights (tea lights)

• Published in: Fire safety journal Vol. 37; no. 3; pp. 329 - 336
• Main Authors: Daéid, Niamh Nic, Thain, Emma
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oxford Elsevier Ltd 01-04-2002; Elsevier Science
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Building technical equipments; Buildings; Buildings. Public works; Exact sciences and technology; Fire protection; Miscellaneous; tea lights; Temperature measurement; Air flow; Ignition; Measurement result; Bougie; Aluminium; Envelope; Experimental study
• ISSN: 0379-7112
• DOI: 10.1016/S0379-7112(01)00047-9

The use of candles such as night lights (tea lights) has increased in recent years and are now in vogue in many domestic dwellings. Their popularity is in part due to their ease of availability, relative in-expense as well as the increasing popularity of television makeover programmes, where bedrooms and sitting rooms are decorated. The present work examines the increase in temperature of the aluminium casing of night lights, when burned in still air and in an air flow, with the single existing candle wick and with a second-introduced double wick. In double-wick cases, the temperature rise is often rapid, easily achieving temperatures of over 200°C.