Vigil lamp keeps burning out

[Noah]

Can anyone post some of their tips on lighting (and keeping lit) their oil candles? There are days that my candle will stay lit for 8 to 10 hours, but others when it will not stay lit for more than a minute or two. I am using Philipo Berio Olive Oil and an Old Believer float with some cotton thread that I got at a monestary bookstore, and the tips that I have read thus far are MOST inadequate.

Also, when your flame endures for 10 to 12 or more hours (or any length of time for that matter), does that mean that I am supposed to let the flame go out, trim the wick, etc. and relight the wick, or is there something else I should do to avoid the flame going out at all?

Thank you,
a most ignorant and new Noah

[Savva24]

Hi Noah,

From my expirience, much of the time the problem comes from the oil being too thick. I stopped using olive oil for this reason. Usually the cheaper like salad or cooking oil seems to work much better for me. I think the moisture level in the room could have something to do with the problem as well. For example in the Tokyo area where I live, it is really, really humid in the summer and my lamp usually goes out much faster in that season.

in Christ,

Savva

[Justin2]

My Priest says that the oil actually works better as it gets older. I don't know if this has anything to do with it, though. The length of the wick might be a factor, too. Is the "old believer" float the small thing with the pink wax wick? Those things don't seem to work very good at all! Good luck!

[George Australia]

Can anyone post some of their tips on lighting (and keeping lit) their oil candles? There are days that my candle will stay lit for 8 to 10 hours, but others when it will not stay lit for more than a minute or two.

Christ is Risen!
Rancid olive oil rather than fresh olive oil burns better. We use a large tin of olive oil which has a pierced lid to allow the air to enter and thus make the oil rancid quicker. From this large tin, we fill a spouted oil decanter from which we fill the vigil lamp. The decanter spout is very long & narrow so that the lamp may be filled without disturbing the lit wick.
If using the Old Believer wicks, first saturate the cotton wick with the rancid olive oil before threading it through the tube of the wick support. Always ensure the wick-holder tubing is in the oil. If you wish the Vigil Candle to be "Unsleeping", then you will have to trim the wick and raise it every 8 hours or so. Alternatively, you could consider using the floating, parrafin dipped wicks which the Greeks use (and I must admit, I use). We have an unsleeping lamp in front of our icons which uses a floating wick, and which we tend each evening before prayers. If using these short, floating parrafin wicks, make sure there is a little water in the glass before adding the oil. This is so that when if the oil runs out, the water will extinguish the wick, rather than allowing it to burn the cork of the float. The water and the oil remind us how we should be "in the world but not of the world"- just as the oil and water do not mix. Another option is the "Athonite wick" which is a combination of the two (cotton wick & cork float). Never use water with a cotton wick.
In the Risen Christ,
George

[Noah]

Thank you very much for those pointers!! I have read on another web site an article by a priest who spoke of a candle he could leave unattended that would burn for up to four days. Now, with a cotton wick and the olive oil that I use (which is not yet even close to being rancid) that would be impossible, right? The wicks DO burn away, and there is no way to avoid extinguishing the flame and trimming it and raising it up a bit before relighting it is there?

Also, can you use the wax coated wicks with the old believer floats, or must I stick with cotton, or is there an advantage of one over the other?

Thanks!

-Noah

[George Australia]

I have read on another web site an article by a priest who spoke of a candle he could leave unattended that would burn for up to four days. Now, with a cotton wick and the olive oil that I use (which is not yet even close to being rancid) that would be impossible, right?

Well, nothing is impossible in the Orthodox Church, but for most of us who are on the path towards purification, this is difficult!

The wicks DO burn away, and there is no way to avoid extinguishing the flame and trimming it and raising it up a bit before relighting it is there?

I suppose if you used a thin pair of forceps and a pair of scissors, you may be able to do so, but it may be tricky, particularly if the exposed (burning) wick is short or fragile.

Also, can you use the wax coated wicks with the old believer floats, or must I stick with cotton, or is there an advantage of one over the other?

You cannot use parafin wicks with Old Believer floats because the wicks are too short, and only absorb oil near the top of the float. When using parrafin wicks, you need to use floats which place the flame in contact with the oil (and remember to put a little water in the bottom of the glass). The only advantage of the parrafin wicks is the ease of use- they usually burn for two days without relighting or changing the wick (provided there is enough oil or you top the glass up). Some people of the Russian tradition do not like the parrafin wicks because of custom, and prefer the cotton.
In Christ,
George

[Daniel]

Does the rancid oil smell bad? If so, what do you do about it?