Use starter blocks to light your wood fireplace. Because of this, some people may forget a few key steps in the process that might help them enjoy their fire better. I was told to prime my fireplace to keep it burning during cold weather. For wood-burning zero clearance fireplaces, the distance between the grate and the walls of the firebox is important! Wood-burning stoves need adequate air to operate properly. Once the kindling is burning strongly you can add two or … If it pops out past your screen and ends up on the carpet or furniture, rather than on the hearth, you can wake up to a nasty surprise. Light the topmost firelighter and leave the door of your stove ajar. Be sure that your chimney and fireplace is properly cleaned and maintained. They said to use a hairdryer on it for 30 seconds. Next, stack small kindling wood on top of the newspaper horizontally, leaving gaps for air to pass through. The hairdryer technique works, but it will probably take longer than 30 seconds. You need to have long-lasting fuel, a way to ignite the fire, and some quick-burning ignitable material that can light the long-lasting fuel. Looftlighters are one of the safest ways to light your wood fireplace. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,383,062 times. Checking for cracks once per year will ensure that you don't have fire escaping the chimney and lighting the frame of your home. Now you have the base ready to light the fireplace, take a match or a lighter, light the fire and close the door. Build an “upside down” fire. See How to Inspect a Fireplace Chimney. A cold flue can be a common reason why a fire goes out in a wood burning … Opt for softer wood types as well, such as Pine, Fir, Hemlock, Spruce and Cedar. Invest in a pair of fireproof gloves (welding gloves will work) in case a piece of burning wood falls out and you need to retrieve it immediately. That would not be good. Tinder is light, dry material like dry moss, straw, tiny twigs, or newspaper that takes a spark. You strike something sharp against it to create a spark. The Looftlighter, which is said to light your fireplace in as little as 60 seconds, does not use gas or flames to light your fire, instead it relies on super heated air. Once you have built a stack of kindling, place another firelighter on top. Small fireplace fires generate less smoke and create less creosote buildup. References Copyright 2012 The Fireplace Place | All Rights Reserved, on How to safely light your wood fireplace, Top 6 Benefits of an Outdoor Fireplace or Fire Pit, Pro Tips for How to Improve Fireplace Heating Efficiency, 5 Most Common Problems With Old Chimneys and How to Avoid Them. Next, build a crisscross stack of kindling, and place a firelighter in the centre as you build upwards. Favored for its woodsy fragrance and dancing flames, a wood fire brings the outdoors to the fireplace. Are there other options? Additionally, leave gaps for air to pass through. Put that on top of the fire carefully, being as certain as possible that the stack is not leaning side to side any direction. Anthony "TC" Williams is a Professional Landscaper in Idaho. Leave the flue damper closed at first to allow the fireplace to get to room temperature. 1 out of 5 Customer Rating (1) Item #M49900045 Starting at. The fire is getting too much oxygen. There are some scenarios that will not allow for the installation of a gas log set in your fireplace. This cross-bar will hold the other firewood and keep an air vent open where the fire can draw fresh air to feed it from underneath. Starter blocks can be used to warm up the chimney by breaking off a small piece, placing it on a shovel, lighting it and then placing it near the flue opening. ", "Helpful article. A gas starter system makes it easy to safely light a fire in your fireplace, as long as it is was installed correctly and is being used properly. Air-Cooled Chimney System. I would recommend getting a chimney cleaning log to burn and consult a professional. #4 Light using starter blocks Wet wood is harder to burn. Converting a Wood-Burning Fireplace into a Gas Fireplace? % of people told us that this article helped them. This step is the most delicate , it is very important to be attentive and not to neglect the fire so that it does not go out. Superior WRT3000 Wood Burning Fireplace by Superior Products. Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered. This article has been viewed 1,383,062 times. Lighting a fire in a fireplace is usually an easy task. He is the President and Founder of Aqua Conservation Landscape & Irrigation, an Idaho Registered Landscape Business Entity. information before I got started. Wood burning fireplaces can also negatively affect indoor air quality. If you don't have newspaper, you can use other Tinder to create flames. You don't want your fire to rage out of control when you light it, and you can always add more firewood as needed. Light the fire and do not neglect it. This will stop the air from coming down and pushing the air into your living area. What does it mean if black stuff trickles out when I first open the dampers? How many you use will depend on how big of a fireplace you have, smaller fires require only one block, while bigger fires can use two to three blocks. Any air vents on the stove are fully open. Two logs that are the size of one is almost always preferable. As the gas starter runs underneath the grate, the last thing you want to do is use a matchstick or a normal sized lighter to light it, instead use a longer butane lighter. You probably did not light the fire from above. Also, make sure you have a fire extinguisher nearby. Wood burning appliance venting is broken into two primary categories. If your bed of coals underneath the grate is too high, use the poker to spread them out under the fire, leaving a couple of inches of air space. There are several different methods; you can safely use to light your wood fireplace without risking injury to yourself or your home! Starter blocks are an easy and quick way to get a fire going inside your fireplace. He is a Idaho Registered Contractor and a previously Licensed Irrigator in the State of Texas. When there's too much oxygen, the fire has a hard time catching hold of the fuel, and can make more smoke than normal. You can light a fire in any weather circumstances that you prefer. Your fireplace should have a heavy mesh spar resist curtain or other protective piece in front of it. Air is fuel to a fire. For example, if the fireplace is a high efficiency wood burning unit, a … This means your chimney needs cleaned in order to prevent a chimney fire. 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