1. Make certain the chimney is drafting upwards. Many chimneys will reverse (cold air falls) when not in use. Open the damper of your fireplace and/or the door of your stove..if you feel a cold draft coming down then your chimney has reversed itself. Keep this in mind and follow step #4 below in order to reverse your chimney (after you have completed steps 2-3).
2. Set the Kindling. Yes, everyone does this differently. Here’s the best way. Place firestarters,( I prefer using the fire logs you can by at any grocery store. just cut them into thin rounds), or you can use fatwood or crumpled newspaper (3 or 4 sheets balled up fairly tight) and place them on the floor or grate of your stove. Place small kindling over the paper or starter
TIP: The more dry, small kindling you have, the easier and better your fire will start. Crisscross the kindling so there is plenty of air space in between each piece. Wood that is packed too tight will not burn properly.
3. Set more Wood. Set larger wood on top of the kindling, and continue to set larger and larger pieces on top until the stove is over 2/3 full. If it’s an open fireplace, set one or two layers of crisscrossed or spaced wood on top of the kindling.
4. If you determined in step #1 that your chimney was drafting upwards, go ahead an light the newspaper or starter. If you think your chimney has reversed, do the following: If it’s an open fireplace, place a piece of balled up newspaper up through the damper..it should stay in place by itself. Light this piece of paper, and watch it—it should warm up the chimney and get sucked upwards. If it does, immediately light the starter or newspaper under your fire..the heat will then warm the chimney quickly so it will not reverse again. If you have a stove, place the piece of balled newspaper as high up in the stove toward the chimney (usually above the baffle plate) as you can get it. Then light it—it should get sucked upwards and reverse the chimney with it’s warmth.
5. Assuming that you’ve lit the starter, stand back for a moment and watch the fire do it’s thing. If you have a stove, keep the draft control and damper fully open at first, in fact it may help to keep the stove door slightly open for the first few moments until the fire is caught.
6. The fire should quickly catch and spread through your load of wood. Don’t make the mistake of closing your air control or damper soon after you start the fire. it may look good, but until you’ve warmed the stove up, warmed the chimney and established a good bed of coals (red embers), your fire is not really at critical mass.
7. Keep the fire going… We can cover the subject of tending a fire in stoves and fireplaces in other articles, but keep these simple points in mind.
TIPS:
A. Always keep a "flame” on your fire - a smoking or smoldering fire is a cold and inefficient fire..and also produces pollutants and creosote (tar in the chimney)
B. Add more wood before the fire gets too low…this will assure the continuation of your hard-earned fire
C. Use Dry, Seasoned wood - if your wood sizzles and refuses to light or burn it’s probably not ready - store your wood in a dry place and cut and split it at least 8 months prior to burning.
D. If you have bought wood from a store and it is wet, keep it stacked near a warm dry place (near the fire if lit, but not too close – safety first). Make sure your logs have plenty of air between them, so they can dry faster.
E. Airflow is crucial when starting a fire. If air cannot get between your logs and starters, then you will never get that thing started! No Air = No Fire
SAFETY: Use creosote cleaning logs and burn them once a year at least, or have it professionally cleaned. Many house fires have been caused by chimney fires, due to them being dirty, or spark arrestors being clogged with something…. So keep your chimney clean and inspect it before the winter comes!
Having problems getting that fire lit in your fireplace, or campsite?
by: Christopher Jensen
Making a fire at your campsite , or fireplace seems like a simple thing…just put some wood in the fire, light a match and there she goes—NOT ! Anyone who regularly fires up a campfire or fireplace knows there is much more to it than meets the eye and you are a beginner, this can be frustrating at times (to say the least). You can use this method for campfires also.
Ok, lets break this down to a simple series of steps. Each one must be done, or the fire will be a bust. The guys at hearth.com recommend the following:
Strange but true fact:
Nothing to help get your fire going? Did you know that there is enough fat and oil in most chips that they can be lit on fire? See how a potato chip (or similar chip) can be used to start a fire in a survival situation in this instructional video. Just don't burn up all your food.