[Closed] Please help me with fire lighting

Will using kiln dried wood help?

yes

Allow kindling to burn until charred, then plonk on a log (well seasoned, 18%ish moisture log)

Add more than one log. I start with newspaper and kindling, then when it's going add one log that I've split into three of four bits - like bigger kindling if you will, then when that's burning well I add two or three logs. The fire is driven by the air passing through the gaps between the logs, so if you stick just one log on top the airflow isn't driving the fire.

Doing it this way, I can get the stove really hot pretty quickly, at which point a slow burn will maintain the desired temperature really easily

scrumple up newspaper, add in firelighters if you like, kindling on top, bit of coal if thats your thing, add dry smaller logs, light, stand back, make sure airflow is open under fire, once its smoking, its away. then add more logs and build up.

Scrap the fire lighter and use newspaper, the logs needs to start of fairly small until you have a base of embers but I use coal for that.

However, it sounds to me lack there's a lack of draw which suggest a blockage somewhere, place some scrumpled up paper at the top of the stove where it leads to the flu, open up all your vents wide and light the paper, close the door it should roar away if not then it suggests a blockage.

Like nbt says, you need to work up from (or have a mix) of small through to medium/big kindling before you put logs on.

Going from small kidnling to logs won't really work (think of it like trying to set fire to a log with a match...)

I pretty sure the draw is okay, not seen the fire fililng with smoke at all and when I open the door in the early stages of lighting the flames roar up the flue like a blooming inferno

Good stuff, I'll try splitting down some of the larger logs to get a medium stage.

Firelighters are cheating.

Don't chuck a massive log on top of kindling and shut the door straight away - all you'll do is smother the burning kindling and cut off air to it at the same time.

As others have said - put smaller log(s) on while kindling is still getting going (so that kindling hasn't all burnt out before the log can catch) and leave door open longer so that the log catches before you shut it up...

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Are you based in Derby?

Are you based in Derby?

no

Crumpled newspaper first, small kindling, larger kindling, then coal or wood, vent open, light newspaper in several places, close door, watch burn, add fuel as required.

That worked for me as an eight year old starting the family fire way back in the 70s. These days they'd have the social services round...

I just use a fire lighter & game of jenga over the top - bit of space between all & vents open door closed

I pretty sure the draw is okay, not seen the fire fililng with smoke at all and when I open the door in the early stages of lighting the flames roar up the flue like a blooming inferno

Describes mine perfectly that, like I've said on here before turns out the sweep I used was useless and left lots of jackdaw nests in the chimney. It would start off Ok but would hardly burn up, the smoke escaped and it only really burnt well when the door was open.

Try the tips above for lighting if you still have no luck the consider what I've said, I found out the hard way as I believed the sweep. The guys who fitted came back thinking they had done something wrong and had to knock a hole in my chimney breast again only to find out the real cause.

I start by putting two larger pieces side by side, I fill the gap with newspaper, put kindling on top, by the time the kindling is up to temp the logs have started to burn. I never need to start it with the door open, just open the bottom vent.

firelighter ?

4/5 sheets of scrunched up newspaper and small kindling with bigger on top (just a chopped up log - no need for fancy kiln dried stuff)

unless your using a big block of fire lighter theres no way your getting enough heat and burn into your kindling to create a fire - more smouldering embers

other thing is - ill bet that being external and im guessing not used often. the flue is cooling down , you need a really big dump of heat to get the cool air out the flue and get some warm air in to start the draw - thats where the news paper comes in. otherwise youll just have a smothered fire.

The Father-out-law always reckons that with log fires, "one can't, two won't but three will".
Firelighters sure save on faffing about with kindling; I now use them with bonfires.

Silver birch bark and pine cones found lying around in the woods. Strips of silver birch bark and cones are both brilliant firelighters, full of oil/resin.

Drac, the flue was only installed on Monday so I doubt it is blocked yet. If there is a problem with draw then it is not going to be sorted out with a sweep.

ill bet that being external and im guessing not used often. the flue is cooling down , you need a really big dump of heat to get the cool air out the flue and get some warm air in to start the draw

I'd also considered this, that was my rational for using firelighters, do you think paper would be better for achieving this? Would a base of coal work better at getting that big dump of heat in first?

Drac, the flue was only installed on Monday so I doubt it is blocked yet. If there is a problem with draw then it is not going to be sorted out with a sweep.

Fair do but don't to assume just fitted means it'll be fine, so was mine and yes maybe a sweep isn't the answer, would have been for me if he'd been any good. I do hope it's not the case that it is just your fire preparation skills.

Newspaper is a lot cheaper than firelighters. You can't run before you walk. You need the paper to light the kindling to get enough heat to ignite the main fuel be it coal or wood.

coal wont help at all.

kindling is used to light coal fires....

once you get the jist of it you can actually light a fire with paper and split softwood - without needing kindling BUT it seems to be an art - my mrs cant do it for toffee but i can.

unfortunantly that means i have to split kindling for her 🙁

I use rip-cut [i]twists[/i] (little curly bits of fir and pine I produce by cutting along the grain) as my base. Then some bone-dry kindling arranged in a lattice about two or three layes high and then the mid. Once that lot is going nicely a fling-ob a log or two. The trick is to keep air between the ash and the bits you're trying to ignite, IME.

Edit : a few strips of birch or cherry bark is good at the bottom of any fire as a highly flammable starter.

If it's an external flue you need to get heat into it.

Newspaper on top of the kindling helps get some heat into it but you need to keep feeding it small stuff until you've got a full on inferno (bothe vents open). Let that die back to a heap of glowing embers before you start loading it with medium logs (top vent only) then eventually get the big stuff on there and start closing the top vent.

so what I'm hearing so far is:

firelighter or paper
generous stack of kindling, well spaced to allow airflow
Once kindling is well alight add smallish log
Once this is well alight add larger logs, keep vent and door open until this point.

No advantage to using coal, kiln dried logs may help

Missing anything?

I use a big piece of fire lighter, handful of kindling, light it leave door open an inch to get it roaring, chuck on a smallish dry log once the flames are roaring, and close the door with both vents open. Then keep adding as you go. Once the fire is established I wind in the vents until I get a nice consistant slow lick of flame, that way your logs last longer and it pumps out a reasonable amount of heat.

Definitely need more than one log. Never manged to get one log to burn well - the heat escapes from the outside of the log. When building open fires at least, you have to have something opposite the burning side to keep the heat in.

Meant to say, I also use the coal briquette things sometimes too. They're really good, smokeless, and burn for hours, usually still warm after 24hrs.

Coal helps plenty but it's not necessary you can just use wood.

You can close the door once the heat is up enough that the kindling is burning fairly strongly.

I can't see what mcmoonter's posted int he youtube vid, but Google "upside-down fire method". Totally counterintuitive, but amazingly effective.

Efficient with fuel, burns nice and hot, zero maintenance once you've got the kindling going, and fun to watch. It's the only way I've built fires since. It's just better!

[quote=franksinatra ]so what I'm hearing so far is:
firelighter or paper
generous stack of kindling, well spaced to allow airflow
Once kindling is well alight add smallish log
Once this is well alight add larger logs, keep vent and door open until this point.
No advantage to using coal, kiln dried logs may help
Missing anything?

That's it.

I can't see what mcmoonter's posted int he youtube vid, but look upt he upsidedown fire method. Totally counterintuitive, but amazingly effective.

Not sure what this is but the stove is in now so not going to get the fitters back to turn it upside down, it would look rubbish 😉

Thanks everone, will have a bash later and let you know the outcome, with photo!

[url= http://www.google.co.uk/#hl=en&safe=on&sclient=psy-ab&q=upside+down+fire&oq=upsidedown+fire&gs_l=hp.1.0.0i10l4.1437.8607.0.13106.19.15.3.0.0.2.1672.7155.0j2j2j3j1j0j1j2j1.12.0...0.0...1c.1.7.psy-ab.hYsEAkHVoGY&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.r_qf.&bvm=bv.44158598,d.ZWU&fp=8d9c1fbbc66dfa5b&biw=669&bih=438 ]Very worth while reading some of this, you will not regret it![/url]

A quick skim of the previous posts seems to show a lack of this tip:

Open a window a little, to help with the draw. This made all the difference for us.

I'm officially the worlds worst lighter of BBQs. After half an hour of frustration and flapping I usually resort to getting the blowtorch on the job.

Does upside down lighting work with BBQ charcoal?

5 or 6 chunks of coal.
Jenga style tower of kindling on top of that about 2" high.
Firelighter in the middle of that.
Bang a log on top.
Open the fire and leave the door ajar for a few minutes for it to really take.

Works every time*

*on our fires.

What we need here is Ray Mears. He could start a fire using a fishslice and a pile of wet tissue paper 🙂

Don't use coal, it's not carbon neutral!

I went on a Ray Mears weekend course. It was interesting, birch bark is what you need if it's wet.

From that upside-down fire link:

How would you like to light a fire perfectly and have it burn for 3-7 hours without touching it or putting on more wood?

I would hate that! The whole point of an open fire is to stare thoughtfully at it and tend it frequently!

+1 for the upside down method.

As nedrapier said, upside down works for us.

Any fire is a mixture of fuel and air.
One log on top of the kindling is just a solid lump of fuel with air round the sides. You need several pieces of wood with air gaps between.

18% may be a bit damp too.
I've only recently bought a cheap moisture meter as a bit of a novelty.
The stuff on my log pile I consider as best quality is ~12%. Anything over ~20% feels wet and is definitely harder to light.

This is how i build my fire for lighting:

Coal
Logs of about 1 to 1 1/2 diameter
Kindling
Balls of newspaper
Grate

This is how i layer it at the start. I always put the 1" logs and coal on at the start as the newspaper and kindling burns upwards through the coal and gets it going. Never had any problems and can get my open fire to 450 degrees!

Firelighters are for girls.

Hope this helps.

balls of newspaper
jenga tower of kindling
topped with a split log

once that were all going, I used to pop on a couple of full sized logs

worked nicely in our old (very) small stove, it had excellent draw and would be going within a couple of minutes of lighting

Not read all of this but top vent open, bottom one closed.

[i]Never have bottom vent open when burning wood.[/i]

If it starts to struggle, put some scrunched up newspaper on the top of the logs and it will help draw up the flames again.

BigJohn - Do you know of a good place around Derby to get wood from?
I'm based in Derby, bought a big pallet of kiln dried wood a month back and the stuff is simply terrible! Doesn't light/burn very well and low heat derived from it too. Top tips of where to get wood from would be very appreciated

>Firelighters are for girls.<

This.

You need to learn how to roll your balls.........of newspaper.

Once you get that sorted things will become a lot easier. This does of course mean you need to source a steady supply of Telegraphs (or the Herald if you are in Scotland 😉

Do you know of a good place around Derby to get wood from?

No. It was a hugely bad taste topical question.

💡

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😈

Upside down method:

Two dry logs on the bottom
Firelighter/paper in
Largish heap of kindling on top of firelighter/paper
Small log on top of everything
[add a couple of lumps of coal if you feel like it]
Vent open, door ajar a tiny bit, cue fierce burning of kindling
Allow kindling to burn and watch with amazement as the bottom logs start burning, then plonk on another log when there's room
Close door, leave vent fully open

See above for best method 🙂

I think using split logs can be important at the start. The heartwood may be drier and more calorific than the sapwood, and the bark may slow down the heat getting through.

It worked! Used twice as much kindling as before, then small split logs. Got it nice and hot before adding large logs. Now burning nicely bang in the middle of ideal temp range on the thermometer

Thanks

Will try the upside down method tomorrow.

Will try the upside down method tomorrow.