How to Burn Logs in Fireplaces
The beauty and warmth of a roaring fire in your own fireplace is unsurpassed. Hard woods, such as oak and maple are perfect choices for long-burning and heat-generating fires. Starting a fire in a fireplace takes some practice. Make sure the flue is open and the chimney clear. Make sure you have a grate in the fireplace, upon which you can burn your logs. When building your fire, it's best to begin with kindling, then gradually add larger logs. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Newspaper
- Kindling
- Oak or maple, cut to approximately 16 inches in length
- Butane striker or long-handled wooden matches
Instructions
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Remove excess ashes from the fireplace and discard them.
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Open the damper in the bottom of the chimney. Locate the damper control by looking up, into the chimney, to either side. The damper control may be a chain, or a metal lever.
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Crumple up old newspaper loosely and place beneath the grate. Use about four newpaper sheets that have been ripped in half.
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Lay kindling on the grate, being careful to leave lots of open pockets within the kindling, to allow for air flow.
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Place two small logs atop the kindling, parallel to each other with about three inches of space between them.
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Place two larger logs atop those logs, at a 90 degree angle to them, also spaced about three inches apart.
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Place one final log, larger than the others, atop those logs, again at a right angle.
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Use a striker or long-handled wooden match and ignite the newspaper in several places.
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Add more crumpled newspaper if necessary, until the wood has caught fire.
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Tips & Warnings
Use fire-starter logs in place of newspaper.
Never leave matches or other incendiary devices by the fireplace.
Never leave a fire unattended.
