When you have a fireplace to heat your house, besides saving money you offer a relaxing and romantic atmosphere to your home. Knowing how to make a good fire in a fireplace is not very difficult, you just have to follow certain key points with certainty. Therefore, we want to offer you some indispensable tips and recommendations to light a wood burning fireplace.
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Step 1. Most important, your security.
The first thing to keep in mind before lighting a good fire in the wood burning fireplace is to make sure that there are no objects that can be burned nearby , you will have to remove any object that can be ignited.
Step 2. Start a base with easily ignited fuel.
You have to prepare a base with easily ignited fuel . You can put a little newspaper, thin branches, dry leaves, a couple of glow pills ... place them in such a way that there are gaps for the flame to breathe and oxygenate.
Step 3. Light the fire and do not neglect it.
Now you have the base ready to light the fireplace, take a match or a lighter, light the fire and close the door. 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. To make the fire really light, you can put the flame in different parts. If you see that it is turning off add some more twig.
My personal trick to turn on faster is: Take 1 or 2 pineapples, and in their holes you put pieces of ignition pads . Then put on newspaper, small branches and on top some thicker trunk, I usually do it in the form of a pyramid leaving gaps so that the fire does not drown and oxygenate. Light a match or lighter and from time to time give it with the bellows to fan the flames until the fire takes strength.
Some fireplaces need more time than others to create a good shot, especially brick ones. If the draft is not enough, it may be a good idea to open the stove door slightly until the stove is hot.
If, after all, we have miscalculated the size of the trunk, or have erred in its placement, and the fire is extinguished, we can still take advantage of the embers and start over. It is not uncommon that several attempts have to be made.
Step 4. Monitor the flow of air.
Remember that the flow of air is the most important, we recommend a distance of 1 cm between piece and piece of firewood, is the ideal measure. The small wood does not have to be thick, small trunks or chips of between two and four centimeters thick is ideal.
Step 5. Add thicker logs.
Once you see that it is already on it is time to add thicker trunks so that they start to light up before the twigs are consumed and the chimney is turned off. To light the trunk, you must bring a flame continuously for a while until the trunk burns by itself. In this step we will still have to be attentive, and do not neglect the fire by occasionally inserting some twigs. It will be necessary that there is space between the trunks, so that the fire breathes and has the necessary oxygen to burn, you can place the trunks in a "pyramidal" shape so that air and clothing can be more easily entered.
Step 6. Use the bellows.
We can help from a bellows, it is very useful to fan the fire. A bellows is an instrument that is used to give air to the fire and thus fan the flames, thus getting them to light the larger trunks and not extinguish the flame. If you have a fireplace with a door, you have to check that the vents are open.
Step 7. Take care not to turn off by adding more logs from time to time.
Once the flame is well lit, you will have to add bigger trunks and recharge it according to what is needed. If you follow these instructions and light the fire with a pair of thick trunks, the first load of firewood will last one hour. When it has turned into embers, you can open the door and add more firewood. We recommend leaving the door ajar a few seconds before opening it completely.
Angelina is regular contributor at TheOnion, The Independent, Buzzfeed.