How to Work a Wood Burning Fireplace

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By writedesign
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Working a wood burning fireplace is easy.

Although wood burning fireplaces aren't all that efficient when it comes to heating an entire home, they are a nice amenity to have when you want to curl up to a fire on a cold winter night. Here's how to work a wood burning fireplace:

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

fireplace grate or andirons
crumpled paper
kindling
fireplace logs
fireplace lighter
fireplace doors
grate heater
billows

Step 1

Use a fireplace grate or andirons to elevate the wood.

Use a fireplace grate or andirons to elevate the wood off the hearth while the fire burns. The wood burning fireplace grate and andirons raise the logs off the floor so air can circulate underneath. They also help reduce the amount of smoke that enters the room.
Step 2

Open the flue and damper before starting a fire in a wood burning fireplace.
Step 3

Use wood that has been dry for at least 6 months.

To start a fire, put crumpled up paper and kindling on top of the fireplace grate or andirons, then lay large pieces of dry firewood on top of the pile in a crisscrossed pattern. Light the paper in a few different areas and use billows to make the fireplace logs burn harder and faster. Make sure you don't stuff the wood burning fireplace with too many logs or the fire will go out. You need air to circulate around the logs so the fire can burn more easily. After the chimney and flue are heated up, close the damper slowly just to the point where smoke comes in the room, then open it slightly.
Step 4

Use fireplace doors to keep heat in the room.

Use fireplace doors when burning a fire. You will not lose heat from the room since the wood burning fireplace will not be able to pull air from it. The heat from the fireplace logs will still radiate through the doors when they are shut though.
Step 5

Use a grate heater to warm the room.

Use a grate heater to blow warm air into the room. Grate heaters use a fan to blow warmed air into the room from the wood burning fireplace. Many grate heaters have thermostats and work efficiently with fireplace doors.
Step 6

Have your fireplace and chimney inspected every year.

Have your wood burning fireplace and chimney inspected and cleaned every year by a CSIA (Chimney Safety Institute of America) Certified Chimney Sweep and replace the damper if needed. If the damper is old or left open when the fireplace is not in use, you'll notice an increase in your heating and cooling bills. If you don't clean the chimney on a regular basis, creosote will build up and potentially start a fire.
Step 7

Use a wood burning stove to consistently heat a home.

Use a wood burning fireplace to occasionally heat a room. If you are looking for a fire source to heat your home on a regular basis, use a wood burning stove. Wood burning fireplaces often leak warm air from the chimney even if they are not being used so they are not as energy efficient as wood burning stoves.

Comments

goodselfme said

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on 7/8/2009 Helpful tips on using a wood burning fireplace.

kittykat3 said

on 6/30/2009 Great tips on how to work a wood burning fireplace. 5*

gahazeleyes said

on 6/25/2009 Nice article. Thanks for sharing.

makaksa said

on 6/24/2009 Great article on working a wood burning fireplace.

shenandoah said

on 6/24/2009 Great advice! Thanks for laying it out, this will be helpful to first time fireplace-owners and people who have one but havent used it. We had a wood burning fireplace, but after a visit to the Hearst Castle in CA a few years ago, we switched ours over to a Heat 'n Glo gas fireplace when we got home. Husband is very happy to flip a switch to have a fire ;-)