Measurement & Installation

• Beeswax candle covers must be limited to a maximum incandescent bulb of 25 watts. You may safely use any wattage LED bulb.
• Resin and cardboard candle covers can safely handle bulb wattage of 60W when installed correctly.
• If using an incandescent bulb: When determining the height, the candle cover should fit level with the top of the socket or cardboard insulator, but never above. Incorrectly installed beeswax candle covers (too tall) will melt. Resin candle covers that are too tall may scorch. When using an LED bulb you can safely cover all of the metal base of the bulb. This will result in the best possible appearance.
• Always include the U.L. listed cardboard insulator that covers the socket terminals. The terminals are the screws where the wires are attached. (see Fig. 1 below). Failure to include the insulator may create an electrical hazard. If the cardboard insulator is worn or brittle from age, it should be replaced. Some modern sockets do not have the terminals exposed and in this case will not have a cardboard insulator. If the wiring or socket appears damaged in any way you will probably want to replace the socket and all of the wiring connected to the socket. You may need to contact a professional lamp restorer who can give you advice and/or an estimate for re-wiring the lamp or fixture.

Determining the Correct Socket Type and Candle Cover Height

To determine the correct candle cover size you must carefully measure for the correct diameter as shown in Fig. 2 above. This is an important step since our candle covers are manufactured using lighting industry standard sizing.

There are two common socket sizes on U.S. lighting. Most lamp sockets are either an Edison (also known as ‘medium base’ or ‘standard’) size or a candelabra size. There are, however, some uncommon sizes including “intermediate” or European sizes for which candle covers and replacement cardboard insulators are very difficult to locate. It is possible for us to manufacture European sizes by custom order in beeswax only, but not in resin. You can locate these in our beeswax collection. Feel free to contact us if you think that you have a European size.

Please follow these directions to determine the socket size and the necessary height for your candle:

• IMPORTANT: Please do not rely on the height of your existing candle cover unless you determine that it has been installed correctly. A large number of candle covers are installed too tall.
• A candelabra socket has an outside diameter of 3/4” (shown in Fig. 2 above) and will require a candelabra candle cover. This candle cover has an inside diameter of 13/16” to allow it to fit comfortably over the socket.
• A medium base socket (or Edison) has an outside diameter of approximately 1-1/8” and will require a medium base candle cover which has an inside measurement of 1-3/16” (See Fig. 3 above).
• A European socket has an outside diameter of just under 1" and will require a European candle cover with an interior of 1". Replacements are available only in beeswax.
• To determine the height, measure from the point where the bottom of the candle cover will sit up to the top of the socket. As a reminder, do not base your measurement on an existing candle cover unless it has been installed correctly. If your socket includes a cardboard insulator this is considered part of the socket and should be included when measuring.
• When using LED bulbs you can safely cover all of the metal base of the bulb. LED bulbs sit taller in a socket and the metal base protrudes out of the socket. Since they do not produce a lot of heat you should cover all of this metal bulb base with our candle cover. This will result in the best possible appearance.
• IMPORTANT NOTE REGARDING HEIGHT: Please also ensure that the outside diameter of our product as shown on our product page will fit. All of our candle covers have larger exteriors than most plastic candle covers available. If your fixture has a plastic candle cover that fits tightly inside a holder it will be important to verify the exterior measurement. Please contact us if you need assistance.

And Finally, to Emphasize Our Important Reminder......

When determining the height, the candle cover should fit level with the top of the socket or cardboard insulator when using incandescent bulbs. If using LED bulbs please see additional information above. To determine the correct height, simply measure from the location where the bottom of candle cover will sit to the top of the socket or cardboard insuator. Incorrectly installed beeswax candle covers (too tall) will melt. Resin covers that are too tall may scorch and discolor. Please measure carefully and do not rely on the height of an existing candle cover until you have determined that it was installed correctly.