Wax melters

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Wax melters are used in the multi-billion dollar industries of packaging and candle making.

Candle making alone is a $2.5 billion industry not including the candle holders.[1]

The type of tank used to melt candle wax is far different than solder and tar, especially organic waxes like soy, for making scented and colored candles. For example, tanks used for adhesives may need to heat up to 500 degrees F [2] while an organic soy wax will be ruined at over 140 degrees F and should never be heated above 200 degrees F.[3] A delicate soy wax used to make candles would be destroyed and burned if not heated in an even, lower temperature manner than solder or tar. Also, since soaps and candles are scented and colored, these tanks designed for melting these substances need to be specially polished so there is no contamination between a for example cranberry candle and a cinnimon apple candle or soap. Based on this challenge, there are melting tanks that are specially coated for candle wax melting [4]. Obviously, tar and solder makers care very little about the scent of there product, whereas fragrence and scent are probably the most important determinant of purchasing a candle or soap. [5]

Wax melters like Melting Tanks Are Generally Classified as either Direct Heating and Water Jacket Heating. There is another type of melter which uses convection heating similar to an oven but these are generally more expensive than normal heaters even though they are very inefficient and take a long time to heat simply because they rely on air to heat.[6] Since wax is flammable, another concern with using convection melters is that the flash point of wax will be triggerred and there will be an explosion. Convection melters are dangerous when heating flammable substances and should not be used.

Direct Heat Melters are generally made from aluminum and can heat up to over 500 degree F. The uses vary from wax to solder. They heat with the heating element directly on the aluminum which is directly against the substance to be melted. Hence the name direct melter. Since direct heat melters apply heat directly, they generally cannot be larger than 5-10 gallons.[7]

Water Jacket Melters function more like a large, commercial double boiler in that they keep substances evenly heated but they generally only heat up to 212 degrees F since that is when the water would elaborate. They can be made of aluminum, but are generally made of stainless steel. Unlike direct heat melters, water jacket melters can be almost unlimited in size, with 153 gallons being common and up to the larger 1000 gallon melters and more.[8]

In the future, there is a hope that one day the benefits of both direct heat melters and water jacket melters can somehow be combined. Currently research is being conducted to achieve that end among some of the leading makers of melting tanks.

When selecting a wax melter, it is important that you know how many candles you will be producing. For example, one gallon generally needs 6-8 pounds of wax slabs to be melted and then you need to figure out how many ounces of candles you plan to pour. If you plan to pour more than 10 or so gallons, then water jacket melter is your choice. If you are using heavily scented or colored substances, then it is important that your melter be polished with a coating to prevent cross contamination.