Lighting a fire is an ancient gesture, which holds a certain magic even in the latest generation of fireplaces. In this magazine we have already talked about how to choose firewood, today we’ll look at all the steps for lighting your fire from above and what you will need to take into account for proper maintenance.
How to light your fireplace from above
Create a neat pile of seasoned wood, taking care not to completely cover up any slits at the base of the firebox (the use of a firewood holder may help you).
Add some wood wool soaked in wax (you can easily find it on the market), or lumps of natural fire lighters (avoid liquid lighters if possible).
On top of this, you will need to place some small sticks (e.g. spruce: it burns very quickly, but it’s great for lighting a fire), in a crisscross formation.
Light the wood wool and that’s it, you’ll see that the wood starts to burn!
This method significantly reduces harmful emissions because the gases generated flow through the hot flames and burn more completely.
During the ignition phase, remember to adjust the combustion air to maximum, to create optimum oxygenation and encourage faster ignition with a high , bright flame. You can reduce the air supply only after a good base of embers has formed.
Maintenance
It is important to properly clean the firebox hearth (where the fire is contained), the hood (upper dome of the firebox) and the flue (the “pipe” that takes the combustion fumes outside).
With proper maintenance, you will eliminate the risk of unwanted fire, increase efficiency, reduce emissions and, of course, you will be able to light the fire more easily and safely.
IMPORTANT!
In general, before lighting, you should make sure that any ash panunder thecombustion grate is empty and that there is no residue that prevents the correct flow of air.
It is important that the wood catches fire immediately during lighting and refueling. An excess of smoke inside the combustion chamber in the absence of a flame could in fact be dangerous. If you do find that this happens often, we recommend that you have an authorised technicianlook at your fireplace and the whole system.
