Gather the Necessary Materials for Effective Fire Lighting
To successfully light your stove you require three things
1. yesterday's newspapers or firelighters
2. dry kindling, the ideal kindling will be small pieces of kiln-dried soft wood
3. solid fuel
Understanding the Importance of Proper Fuel Selection
If your stove is a wood burner then as suggested by the name you will be burning wood-based fuels
Kiln dried hardwood logs make great firewood with low moisture aiding the fire to burn cleanly and efficiently. If ease of lighting is required then Heat Logs are also a great addition
A multi-fuel stove can burn all of the above as well as anthracite and manufactured smokeless fuel ovals.
The burning of ordinary bitumous house coal should be avoided on stoves and other closed appliances.
Preparing the Base for a Successful Fire
Now that we have all our ingredients we can begin to build a fire.
- Lay a bed of loosely scrunched newspaper on the base of your stove.
- Arrange some dry kindling in a cross hatch pattern on top of your bed of newspaper.
- Light the newspaper in three or four places working from back to front.
- Put all air controls in fully open position and close stove door completely or if draw is limited leave doors slightly ajar and allow kindling to burn until fully light and blackened.
Adding Fuel and Maintaining the Fire
- You should now add a small amount of fuel of your choice to the burning bed of kindling.
- Care should be taken at this point to arrange fuel in such a way as to allow air to pass easily through the fuel.
- Leave all air controls in fully open position and close stove door completely or if draw is limited leave doors slightly ajar and allow fuel to burn until fully alight and blackened.
- You should then fully close the door and set the air controls for your desired burn rate.
Topping Up and Enjoying Your Fire
- You may now top up the firebox with a full load of fuel again allow the fuel to become fully alight and then fully close the door setting the air controls to your desired burn rate
- refueling intervals vary depending on the burn rate and fuel quality then sit back relax and enjoy the warmth and beauty of a real fire