Building a Fire in the Fireplace

Seasoned Wood

• Never use unseasoned wood in the fireplace if you can help it. Wood that still has significant moisture will not catch fire easily, and burns poorly with little heat when it does. If you are buying wood from a dealer then insist upon seasoned wood. If you cut it yourself, store it away from rain and snow for at least a year.

Start Slowly and Small

• Make sure the flue is open before you start the fire with small pieces of fast-burning wood such as pine sticks. Use prepared firestarter wax blocks to assist in lighting the small pieces. Add larger pieces of slower burning wood, such as oak or maple, after the smaller pieces are burning vigorously. Gradually add larger and larger pieces until you have the size fire you desire. When adding the wood, stack it so that not all pieces are laying the same way, but that they crisscross each other.

Don't Crowd

• Do not add too much wood at one time. A proper fire needs good air circulation and a crowed firepit will smother the fire. An overly large piece of wood may have difficulty catching on in anything but a very hot fire.

Manage the Fire

• Keep an eye on the fire and use the proper tools such as a poker and tongs to arrange the wood in the pit. Since the wood will shift its position from time to time, firepit management is an ongoing task for the life of the fire. Welder's gloves are excellent for hand and forearm protection against the heat as you adjust the wood.