Are you starting a fire tonight how to#

STEP 5: Use your kindling to form the final, top layer. STEP 4: Add one more layer comprising smaller logs than the last, again running the opposite direction of the layer directly below. (These should be set perpendicular to the layer beneath.) STEP 3: Lay a row of smaller logs across the logs that you arranged in the previous step. STEP 2: Line up your largest logs across the fireplace grate. STEP 1: Group the wood by relative size: large, medium, and small. With the hotter flames at the top, near the flue, the flue heats up faster, drawing more smoke from your fire more quickly. This method of fire construction results in less smoke. As it burns, the smaller wood at the top drops embers down into the pile of larger logs and ignites them. With the kindling placed on top of the pile of wood, rather than at the bottom, the “top-down” method may seem a little strange, but it works.

Are you starting a fire tonight how to#

How to Start a Fire: The Top-Down Method STEP 4: Finally, light the kindling and enjoy a better blast of warmth from your winter blaze. The other perpendicular log should be very close (not 6 inches away, as in the first log cabin version).

Importantly, the rear perpendicular log should be touching the back of the fireplace.

STEP 3: Now, as in the traditional log cabin method, lay two additional logs perpendicular to the existing two. The far tips of both logs should actually touch the rear of the firebox. STEP 2: Next, run two pieces of wood parallel to the sides of the firebox. STEP 1: Start by laying kindling in the middle. In 1978, Mother Earth News reported on a variation of the “log cabin method,” tweaked to achieve maximum heat production. STEP 5: Finally, light the kindling in the fireplace. The stack should take up no more than half the height of your fireplace. STEP 4: If you choose, add one more layer, with the logs running in the same direction as the first pair. You should end up with a primitive log cabin-type structure that is two logs tall.

STEP 3: Position two additional logs perpendicular to the first two. STEP 2: Heap kindling-whether newspapers, twigs, or both-between the two logs set up in the previous step. STEP 1: Place two thin logs with no bark parallel to the back of the fireplace about 6 inches apart from one another. Light some kindling placed in the middle, and you’ll have a warm and cozy fire! It’s about as easy as pulling out your Lincoln Log-building skills from back in the day: Simply build a “structure” using perpendicularly placed pieces of firewood. One of the most commonly used methods of building a fire in a fireplace, the log cabin method builds a neat and well-balanced fire that requires minimal tending as the evening wears on. How to Start a Fire: The Log Cabin Method With the proper execution of either strategy, you should end up with a fire that not only generates a comfortable amount of heat but also burns well on its own. Once you’ve prepared the hearth and chimney, proceed with one of these two methods for how to make a fire in a fireplace. If your fireplace does not have a fireplace grate, add one for safety and to encourage the airflow needed to sustain combustion.Before bringing a flame into the equation, remember to open the damper so that smoke from the fireplace doesn’t overwhelm your living room.Over time, creosote builds up in the flue, making it vulnerable to chimney fires. Be sure your chimney has been inspected and cleaned by a professional.If you want to go the extra mile, scoop the ashes and dead embers into a fire-safe container and take the container outside before you go to bed. Apply a thin layer of baking soda over the ash and embers and wait until the embers cool. Start by spreading out all the embers then, using your fireplace tools, coat the embers in ash. When it’s time to go to bed get in the habit of putting out your fire, rather than just letting it die on its own.