Can I Use Wax Fire Starters in My Stove?

Using for Wood or Coal Stoves

• Remove as much soot or wood ash before starting a fire. Leave only 1 to 2 inches of soot or ash at the bottom of the stove. Soot or ash can quickly rob a fire of oxygen and put it out. Bring fire starter, kindling, and a long match or cigarette lighter to the stove. Lay the fire starter flat on top of the ash or soot and light one corner. Lay small, thin pieces of kindling in a cross-hatch pattern over the fire. This assures that there will be enough oxygen in the fire to keep it going. Lay progressively larger pieces of kindling until the fire is strong enough to take wood pieces or coal.

Expert Advice

• If the wood or coal stove is cold or has somehow gotten wet, fire starter and kindling alone will not start the fire. Add crumpled up balls of dry newspaper to the fire starter and kindling. Do not use plastic or trash in a cooking stove. Although these items are flammable, they can produce foul-smelling fumes that can alter the taste of anything cooked on the stove.

Advantages

• Ralph W. Ritchie, author of “Wood Pellet Handbook and Buyer’s Guide,” recommends wax fire starters over alcohol-based gel fire starters for wood pellet stoves. Ritchie claims it takes a smaller quantity of wax fire starters to light a stove than gel fire starters, because alcohol needs a higher temperature than wax to catch fire and wax-based fire starters cause a hotter fire than alcohol-based gels.

Warnings

• Never use alcohol or wax fire starter products for gas or electric stoves to relight the pilot light. Fire starters, unlike a match, cause a strong flame that is impossible to hold and can get quickly out of control. It is more difficult to blow or shake out the flame of a fire lighter than of a match. Fire starters also cause ash, which can clog up the pilot light igniter of a gas or electrical stove. Always follow the stove manufacturer’s instructions on relighting the pilot light. Never attempt to relight a pilot light or strike a match if there is a strong gas smell in the kitchen. Immediately get out of the house and call the gas company.