For many people, the question ‘how do you start a fire in your woodburning stove?’ would be answered by ‘quickly throwing some logs inside with a lit match’. That approach however, will rarely achieve a sustained, long lasting burn. A fire started properly is an art, and requires a step by step method approach. Good fires start out slow, and burn for hours on end. Burning Inspirations have outlined how to create this in the handy steps below.
Seasoned Wood
With any fire, particularly inside, seasoned wood is essential. It is also used on open fires outside, but an open air environment is less of a concern. Seasoned wood has been dried out, making it light in weight thanks to the lack of moisture. This makes the wood much less dense, which is ideal for use in a woodburning stove fire. Dense wood that hasn’t been properly dried out will struggle to catch light, and will emit a high level of smoke that can travel through your home.
Kindling
Standard newspaper is ideal as the base of your fire, as it is thin, untreated and highly flammable. It does the job far better than any thick, glossy magazine that will let off poisonous fumes. Add this to the bottom of your woodburning stove, piling split wood on top. This is important during the ignition stage of your burn as it catches fire easily. Round logs are much longer burners and are best used once your fire is already strong.
Stack The Logs
Rather than adding your logs to the woodburning stove here and there, lay them in a ‘jenga tower’ pattern. This is also known as the ‘log cabin’ technique, and consists of layers of logs in opposite directions with a sufficient amount of ventilation between each piece. This is a far more effective approach in comparison to the ‘teepee’ structure technique.
Light It Up
Ensure that your fire fuel has a good air supply and light the newspaper at the bottom of the stack. Leave the door open for 3 or 4 minutes to let everything catch properly, and once everything has been burning for a while, close the door securely. Round logs will slow burn for a long time, so to maintain your flames, add one or two round logs once the initial fuel has done its job.
Remember to never leave a woodburning stove open and unattended. For more information on woodburning stove fires, please don’t hesitate in calling the team at Burning Inspirations today. Head to our contact form to get in touch.