What could have been a nice night by the fire can easily become a smoke filled room. You can also try taking off the spark arrestor — sometimes the tops are placed too close to the closed part. Never use any kind of accelerant, such as lighter fluid, gasoline, or diesel when lighting a fire inside of the house. In most cases, yes, both vented and ventless gas logs can be installed in a fully functioning wood burning fireplace. You can with a propane fireplace insert. To use simply place the starter blocks underneath and between two logs and light with a lighter. Well-seasoned wood saves energy by radiating heat from the fireplace while using a grate in your fireplace circulates air around firewood for a clean, energy-efficient fire. #1 Light safely with a gas starter I would not recommend it. Use some mesh, like hardcloth over the top of the opening to catch larger sparks and embers, but leave the top off. Starter blocks can be used to warm up the chimney by breaking off a small piece, placing it on a shovel, lighting it and then placing it near the flue opening. How to Improve the Draw of a Wood-Burning Stove to Help It Burn Better. Use starter blocks to light your wood fireplace. Use some roof patch to stick it to the existing chimney. These tips are crucial in knowing how to work a fireplace. For safety reasons you only want to turn the gas starter on right before you light it, leaving it on for too long allows gas to build up inside the fireplace, which will flare up once lit. What is the best method for keeping fire wood dry if building a canopy or a roof isn't an option? All sorts of unexpected things can happen — there can be a pocket of moisture or sap inside a log which can cause it to pop with the heat. Wood burning fireplaces can also negatively affect indoor air quality. No, it isn't true. If you light your fire like a candle, so from the top, the smoke and fine particle emissions are minimal, and the wood burns more completely. This step is the most delicate , it is very important to be attentive and not to neglect the fire so that it does not go out. Use your fireplace poker to lift the wood stack carefully; just pry it up a little, like jacking up a car. Light the fire and do not neglect it. Eliminating creosote buildup (oily soot) from the inside of the chimney will keep you from suffering a chimney fire, which is a terrible thing — very hard to put out, and very destructive. Put a tarp over it. Additionally, leave gaps for air to pass through. Light the firelighters with a match and then as the kindling takes hold, partially close the door of the stove leaving a gap of about an inch to let in maximum air. Do you usually light your wood-burning stove or insert with paper and kindling under the logs? Invest in a pair of fireproof gloves (welding gloves will work) in case a piece of burning wood falls out and you need to retrieve it immediately. Achieving a toasty fire is as easy as knowing how to light a gas fireplace. Adjustable heat: You can’t control the heat levels of a wood burning fireplace. Checking for cracks once per year will ensure that you don't have fire escaping the chimney and lighting the frame of your home. Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 1,383,062 times. Excellent job! Any air vents on the stove are fully open. Wood burning appliance venting is broken into two primary categories. As wonderful as wood is, there may eventually come a day when you’d like to convert your fireplace to gas. Several fire-building methods exist, and all of them have their merits. For wood-burning zero clearance fireplaces, the distance between the grate and the walls of the firebox is important! While newspaper is easy to light, it can be difficult to work with, as it doesn’t always stay in place once lit. This means laying it down flat, not standing it up on end. If the cold air is pouring in, use a hair dryer. The Heatilator fireplace you have selected is designed to provide the utmost in safety, replacement work and before the Appliance or any component of the Appliance has been removed from the place of original installation. To start the fire, you need kindling -- smaller pieces of wood that will take flame easily. Last Updated: October 8, 2020 Light the topmost firelighter and leave the door of your stove ajar. Make sure the damper is open before you light the kindling with newspaper. The Looftlighter can be used to prime the chimney, simply press the button, and let the super heated air warm up the chimney. The glowing embers will keep things hot, and you should be nice and toasty for a couple of hours this way. 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