For all those cold winter nights, you must be prepared to start a fireplace fire. It is not just putting a few logs and lighting them with a match; you need to ensure your safety first, too. This is why learning how to start a fire in a fireplace is important. It can come in handy, and a little extra knowledge never hurt anyone, right? Keep reading to know the proper way of starting a fireplace fire.
What to Do Before Starting a Fireplace Fire
Before you get started with lighting up your fireplace, there are a few precautions to take:
- When burning wood, it is vital to have a fire extinguisher in your house. Fireplaces can start a fire and burn your house down if they spread beyond the hearth.
- To make the fire stay within the fireplace, a spark screen can help. It will keep the nearby home surroundings from catching any sparks and ambers and allow you to add a log easily.
- Iron grates keep the logs from rolling around or out of your fireplace. Moreover, they allow airflow through the combustion zone and upward through the fuel, making log burning easier.
- A chimney cleaning and inspection really help with the fireplace safety. A clean flue with no animal nests or blockages is less likely to result in harmful outcomes.
- It is also recommended to avoid liquid fire starters like gasoline, diesel oil, etc.
Supplies You Need To Build a Fire
To start a fire in a fireplace, you’ll need:
- Long safety strike matches
- Small pieces of kindling like dry wood or twigs
- Uncoated newspaper sheets
- Well-seasoned firewood that is split appropriately
- Iron grate
- Spark screen
- Iron utensils for fireplace like tongs, brush, poke, and poker
- Metal ash bucket that comes with a tight-fitting lid
Time to Start a Fireplace Fire
Now that you’re ready to start a fireplace fire, here are the steps:
- Take two medium-sized pieces of firewood and place them on the metal grate. Make sure they are nearly 6 inches apart.
- Crumble some sheets of tinder newspaper, placing them between the two firewood pieces. Put kindling above the tinder to cover it.
- Place one or two more pieces of firewood above the other logs, leaving sufficient space for ventilation.
- Ensure that the fireplace damper or vent is fully open.
- Now comes the lighting part, be extremely cautious. Twist one sheet of newspaper, and light it after holding it as high as you can.
- Carefully and slowly, light the kindling with the burning paper.
- After you have successfully started the fire, add the necessary firewood. Don’t forget that the flames should be visible below the fireplace opening.
One thing to remember is not to put a lot of firewood. In addition, keep the children at least three feet away from the fire. And put out the fire before you sleep or leave the house, separate the logs using the iron utensils and close the screen tightly. Other than this, wait for the fire and coals to cool down completely before closing the damper.
The Final Takeaway
If you know how to start a fire in a fireplace, it can come to the rescue on those cool winter nights. But stick with all the safety tips before you start lighting the firewood. Contact Brushers Chimney for chimney repair, inspection, and more. Dial (346) 803-2981 to contact us today.