How to light a fireplace and properly burn wood in the house: instructions

The main way to light a fireplace is no different from lighting a stove. Ignition is carried out using paper, newspaper, splinters, wood chips, bark and birch bark. Firewood is placed on top of them, at first providing minimal draft, and then gradually increasing it. The main stages of kindling are described in the presented article.

How to choose firewood

Learning how to properly burn a fireplace with wood begins with choosing wood. The selection of firewood is carried out according to the same rules as for stoves:

• Birch is optimal because it provides long-lasting, stable combustion, but has the disadvantage of a large amount of soot;
• oak is one of the best options for properly heating a fireplace with wood: they burn for a long time and do not smoke, although they are noticeably more expensive;
• beech also produces quite a lot of heat, but it takes a long time to burn and is also expensive.

There are other ways to properly light a fireplace. For example, you can use firewood based on coniferous species (fir, pine, spruce). They are affordable, but do not provide much heat and also smoke heavily. Another drawback is associated with resins that settle on the inner walls of the chimney.

If we talk about how to properly light a fireplace, you can also consider fir and pine wood. They do not provide much heat and also lead to clogging of the chimney. But they are quite affordable, so they are suitable for cases where the fireplace is not used so often.

How to light a fireplace

It is clear how a fireplace burns - the stronger the flame, the better the draft, that is, the less clogged the chimney. To ensure sufficient air flow, it is necessary to clean the duct every year, even if it is rarely used. Moreover, if there has been no kindling for a long time, and it is not clear how to light a fireplace, it is recommended to check the draft using improvised means:

• set fire to cardboard, newspaper or paper and place it in the center of the firebox - if the flame deviates in the direction of the pipe, the draft is good;
• Place exactly the same material in the inspection hole of the pipe and observe how it behaves: if it deviates strongly towards the pipe, the draft is normal, you can drown it.

Next, you can begin to study the instructions on how to light a fireplace. The main stages are:

1. Small chips, sawdust, paper, birch bark and other materials for kindling are placed in the center.
2. Medium-sized firewood is laid on top, with small gaps left between them.
3. The valve in the chimney is opened.
4. Also open the ash pit or ash pan to allow air to flow in. This is one of the important rules of the instructions on how to light a fireplace in the house.
5. Take paper or newspaper, roll it up and light it, bring it to the kindling material.
6. When the fire engulfs sawdust, wood chips, cardboard or birch bark, it will begin to ignite the firewood itself.
7. At this moment you need to close the firebox door. This is an important condition, regardless of what you use to light the fireplace.
8. Next, close the firebox and adjust the draft to ensure uniform combustion.

From this review it is clear how to light a fireplace. There is nothing complicated in this procedure. The main rule is to keep the chimney clean and use only high-quality wood, optimally birch.For kindling, improvised means are usually used (paper, bark, birch bark, splinters), and less commonly, lighter fluid.