10 Responses

1. Are you sure they are plastic – are the glass ones okay?

   http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/Menorah_fire/Chanuka_fire003.jpg

   http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/Menorah_fire/Chanuka_fire002.jpg

   http://i133.photobucket.com/albums/q75/Menorah_fire/Chanuka_fire001.jpg

2. the plastic ones shaped like dreidles coaught on fire in our house….

3. I used to sell these plastic menorahs. Once i saw that it was a fire-hazard i pulled them off the shelves. This also includes the non prefilled menorah.

4. Regularguy: What is a non-prefilled menorah?

5. “Regularguy: What is a non-prefilled menorah? ” This is a regular menorah that has plastic cups.

   I also believe that you have to remove the cover from these plastic cups before you use them. They should be lit only when they are uncovered. So the person who stated that the’draidel looking ones’ start to melt is right. They would melt when lit with the cover. Also make sure that there is enough space to between lights to allow the heat to dissapate.

6. If you keep the PIPE CLOSED along the lenghth (or rather, buy those which are closed along the lenghth, whichever one you prefer), keeping the flame ONLY ABOVE the cup, then there’s no problem.

   In the pictures attached above you clearly see the lenghth of the wick was on fire through the crack along the pipe.

7. Many children make beautiful wooden menoras in school. They glue a metal nut to the base and put the wax candle standing in the nut. Many years ago, someone I know had a fire in their house because when the candle burned down the menora caught on fire. Some of the schools still make these wooden menoras. It is comes from a kit that is sold in craft stores. It is imperitive that a menora be fire-proof. Have a safe and freilichen Chanukah.

8. I was told that the distributor of these plastic cups had ordered glass cups and his Chinese supplier gypped him, causing him a tremendous hefsed and embarrassment. The fellow is a upstanding Jew who had the wool pulled over his eyes.

9. Even if the distributor the was ripped off, how could he go ahead and distribute or allow it to remain on shelves, knowing it was a sakanah to people trying to fulfill the mitzvah of chankah lecht? It is really inexcusable.

10. If one uses regular tea lights for shabbos, there is a sufficient space between the tea lights. If tea lights are clustered together (touching each other or very close) the temperature becomes extemely hot and the WAX of the candle itself catches on fire and makes one big torch. I have witnessed this on two occaisions (in a camp and in a hotel). The candle of the tea light does not normally catch on fire because the wick burns at a much lower temperature (or so I was informed). I saw a picture of one of the menorah fires this year. First of all, if the glasses are wider than the width of the holder of the menorah, THE GLASSES MAY BE TOO CLOSE TO EACH OTHER. The oil, therefore, will get too hot and can catch on fire. xt, If there is a shorter menorah under it , this may also raise the temperature of the oil of the upper menorah. Some menorahs may have branches that are too close together or the cups may be too wide for that particular menorah making the cups almost touch each other, thereby raising the oil temperature. If prefilled are not safe, they should be recalled.