How to Start a Fire in a Fireplace

Nothing can ruin a planned romantic evening by the fireplace like fumbling around trying to get the fire started in the first place. Although starting a fire is not overly complex, there are a few pointers to keep in mind.

First, make sure the flue is open! If you do not have it open you will quite rapidly have a smoke filled room! The damper is basically a door that open and seals the entrance to the flue. Usually there is a handle extending from the damper that you use to open or close the flue. You might instead have chains that you pull to open or close the damper. It is helpful to wear a glove when working the handle or chains as they are covered in soot. Having a soot covered hand isn't conducive to romance either.

Next be sure you are using dry wood. Green, or undried wood will burn but it is very much more difficult to get a fire started and keep it burning using it.

The real key to starting a fire is to start small. Place very small twigs and branches, called kindling, on the fire grate. Be a bit generous - it will take more than a few to get things started. In front and behind the kindling place medium sized logs. On top of these and perpendicular place very small logs directly above the kindling and place slightly larger logs to the sides. In this fashion, the kindling will catch fire and burn long enough to ignite the smaller logs. The smaller logs will then ignite the larger one at the sides. Also, by having everything sit atop the medium size logs you are providing room for air to reach the fire as well as providing fuel for the fire to grow larger.

To actually start the fire you can use newspaper but this is not recommended as the ink in the paper can cause build up in the flue and pose a fire hazard. It is best to use firestarter. This is composed of sawdust and wax or similar products. Plus, it burns much longer than newspaper to ensure a good start.





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