How to Look After Your Fireplace and Get More Out of It

So, you’ve just got a new fireplace that allows you to burn real wood and coal in your home. There’s nothing quite like sitting by a crackling fire and enjoying a cosy evening, especially if it’s cold and wet outside.

But a fireplace does require some skill and care to use properly. You also need to look after it to make sure it’s safe and burns well. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Lighting the Fire

First thing’s first, lighting a fire is unfortunately not as easy as it looks. The simplest option is to add firelighters and let them do all the work, but it’s helpful to learn how to light a fire using natural materials. 

One option is to use natural fuel that lights easily and that allows you to get a fire going with logs and coal. This allows you to get a fire going right away.

Or you can learn how to use paper, kindling (small sticks), and trusty matches to light a fire. This takes time and skill, but it’s useful to know. When building a fire, think about how air will flow into the fuel and the flame. Build tall and small to start with and build it slowly until it gets going.

Tools for the Fire

You can just use your hands before you light the fire, but once it’s hot, you might want to use tools when adding fuel and moving it around. 

Heat proof gloves are always handy and allow you to get closer to the flames without burning yourself. They’re also useful when you’re dealing with a hot stove if you have a wood burning stove.

Pokers and tongs allow you to manipulate fuel that is actively on fire from afar, so you can stop it from falling out and keep the fire going for longer.

Keep it Clean

A safe and efficient fire is a clean fire. As things burn, ash and other debris will build up. You need to think about the fireplace itself and the chimney.

You can clean the fireplace using a metal shovel and a brush, ideally when the fire is out and cold. Push the ash through the grates and clean around the fireplace itself. Put the ash into a nearby bucket and, once it’s cold, you can discard it. Ash can also be used for compost.

You also need to keep your chimney clean by getting a chimney sweep to get rid of any build-up and ash in the chimney itself. If this is ignored, it can block the chimney. This can make it harder to light your fire and, in the worst case, can even be a fire risk.

Safety

Fires are, by their very nature, dangerous. If you have an open fire, get a fire guard to stop sparks from spitting out and to keep children and pets away from the flames. Never leave an open fire unattended.