How To Light A Fire
Simple, light a match and drop it on the wood right?
Wrong!
If you want a good, strong fire to burn in your hearth, fire pit or wood-burning stove, you need to know how to set and light it correctly.
The Traditional Method
This is the most commonly suggested way of laying an open fire in a hearth, or outside in a fire pit.
- Make sure the fireplace is clean. You may want to leave a thin layer of ash in the heart to help insulate the fireplace, but it is vital that your chimney is fully clear to enable the airflow to rise up and out.
- Ensure the damper is open on your chimney. You may also want to open a window on the windward side of the room to enhance the airflow.
- Lay your firelighter and kindling. Create a base of kindling sticks and an eco firelighter. Don’t pack it too tightly otherwise you’ll restrict the flow of air through the fire, this is why the criss-cross method of laying kindling is so popular.
- Use sections of split heat logs across the top of the kindling to build the fire. Remember, heat logs will expand as they burn so make sure you leave enough space for the fire to breath.
- Light the firelighter. Leave the damper/window open for a few minutes to help the fire establish itself if required.
The Wood Burner Method
If you are setting a fire in a wood-burning stove, or log burner, the method is essentially the same, but you reverse the way the fire is built.
- Ensure your burner is clean and regularly remove deposits of creosote and other by-products.
- Make sure the controls are fully open to provide airflow for the fire.
- Build the fire by placing the larger sections of heat log at the bottom of the burner. If you want you can add a natural firelighter on top to help these logs catch as the fire burns down, but it isn’t always essential.
- Add the smaller sections of heat log on top.
- Finish off with a few pieces of kindling.
- Top with another natural firelighter and ignite it to start the burn. Leave the stove door slightly ajar to help plenty of air to reach the growing flames
- Once the kindling has started to burn, close the door but leave the air controls fully open for the time being.
- Finally, when the logs have started to burn well, adjust your stove controls to your normal running mode.
Use a Natural Firelighter
Lekto’s Natural Firelighters are the ideal way to light a fire. Made from natural wood shavings from sustainable sources, with a thin coating of paraffin wax (another natural substance), they are quick and easy to use. Because they are made from eco-friendly products they are much kinder to the environment than chemical lighter blocks and easier to control than lighter fluids.