It’s important to use proper safety practices when burning oil candles, tiki torches and especially, gel fuel burners. Follow these tiki torch tips, and you'll get hours of safe enjoyment from your lamps, candles, torches, gel burners and ventless fireplace:
- DO change your fiberglass wick when switching between paraffin oil and torch fuel, for best performance. The fiberglass strands can bind together if contaminated with multiple fuels, thus keeping the wick from absorbing the oil efficiently.
- DO use a funnel to avoid spills when filling your torch or oil lamp. When you don't have a funnel, a glass pyrex measuring cup will to nicely.
- DO keep your wicks low to conserve fuel, reduce smoke and soot.
- DO trim your wicks when their performance starts to degrade. Remember, the wick is the fuel's highway.
- DON'T leave torches or lamps unattended.
- DON'T move a lit tiki torch or lamp. Extinguish it and allow time to cool before moving, to avoid fuel splashing and igniting unexpectedly.
- DON'T refill a torch, lamp or gel burner until you are sure it's extinguished and cool. Ethanol gel fuel, in particular, can burn with an invisible flame, which can cause an explosion and injury if refilled while lit.
