Jack Pixley's Homeowner's Guide

Easy Tips for Starting your Fire

Be sure to open the damper. This is forgotten more often than most people care to admit!

You will need three things to start your fire:

• Tinder—crumpled up newspaper makes the best tinder. You can also use small twigs or pine cones.
• Kindling—large twigs, small branches, and small splits of wood anywhere from ¼” to 1” in thickness will do. This is the most important ingredient for building a good fire and usually the most overlooked.
  • Fuel—Use only well-seasoned hardwood, like oak, ash, or hickory. If you have to burn soft woods, be certain they are well-seasoned. Look for well-split, dry wood that has been stacked for up to a year. Loose bark and cracks in the ends are signs of seasoned wood. You should never see bubbling liquids on the ends of logs. (Never burn glossy paper, plywood, chipboard, painted or treated lumber in a fireplace or woodstove. Toxic fumes given off may cause serious health problems. In addition, avoid burning cedar or pine in an open fireplace because of the danger of flying sparks.

  Starting the fire:

  • Arrange two small to medium sized pieces of firewood on the grate and place some crumpled up newspaper for tinder between the logs.
  • Now cover the tinder with several pieces of kindling. Be generous with the kindling—it’s the most important element in starting your fire.
  • Now. Place two or more pieces of firewood on top of the kindling and two more at right angles to these two. Leave some space between the logs for air circulation

  Warm up the flue: (For Fireplaces)

  • Open a window or door to the outside slightly to avoid a negative air problem.
  • Warm up the flue by holding a piece of burning rolled-up newspapers in the (opened) damper region for 10-15 seconds. This helps the flue establish a good draft.
  • Then light the tinder.
  • Within a few minutes you should have a nice, hot roaring fire. Now you should be able to close the door or window.

  Efficient Burning Techniques:

  • The key is to burn small, hot fires, using small pieces of well-split hardwood that will minimize creosote accumulation and maximize heat output.
  • Keep fires burning hot with flames, not smoldering with a lot of smoke.
  • Be careful not to add much firewood. In a fireplace, keep the top of the flames visible below the fireplace opening. In a woodstove, keep the flames confined the woodstove itself.
  • It is better to add smaller loads more often than to cram in a lot of wood.
  • When you are ready to put out a fire, separate the logs by moving them to the side of the fireplace or stand them on end in the back of the fireplace. Close the screen or glad doors, but don’t close the damper until you’re sure the fire and coals are completely out.