Top tips on how to build and maintain your fire

‘Warm’ your wood

Bring in your logs 24 hours before you light your fire and take out 3 or 4 and place them individually on the hearth so that if there is any dampness from your storage your logs will dry out overnight.

Useful signs that wood is ready to burn: the bark is beginning to lift and peel away, the log feels relatively light when lifted and the wood has started to split across the grain. Check to make sure that the log is not darkened at the ends and does not feel cold and dank to the touch.

Create a good base with a bed of ash

Wood burns best on a bed of ash and not in a basket or grate. Wood ash should be emptied infrequently (about once a week). Always leave some ash behind as a bed for the next fire. Wood ash is rich in potash and very beneficial for your garden.

Use plenty of paper

You don’t need bought firelighters - some of which have chemicals in them. Just scrunch up plenty of paper and place your kindling like a ‘tipi’ over your paper and light the paper with one match – on both sides and at the front of your grate.

Pick smaller logs to start

As the fire gets going use smaller logs, such as hazel, to create the blaze and then add larger logs as you get the fire underway. Once you have used up the logs on the hearth, pull out logs from your log basket and put them beside the fire before burning.

Add while you have yellow flames

Don’t leave your fire to glow red or blue before adding more logs. Whilst there are long yellow flames add the next log and this will keep your fire burning well.

Experiment with different woods

If you enjoy a range of aromas from your fire choose types of wood that give off distinct fragrances when burning. The lines from an old poem will give you some ideas:

“Pear logs and apple logs,
They will scent your room
Cherry logs across the dogs
Smell like flowers in bloom.”

Use the whole log

About an hour before you are due to retire you can stop putting on more logs. At this stage use a fire poker or tongs to turn over the remaining logs on the fire so that they are well burnt through. During the last hour break up the remaining logs – as you do so they may burst into yellow flames again. You are aiming to be left with red embers only as part of a log may smoke if the remainder of the fire has gone out.

And remember….

Don’t burn wet wood as the chemicals in the wood do not burn completely causing tar in your chimney, which can catch alight. Have your chimney swept regularly, at least once a year, depending on how often you have fires.