Any tips for first time fireplace Owner / User?

Question

I have always loved fire and I am so excited to be moving into my first apartment with a wood burning fireplace, however I am also nervous because I don't know how to use or care for it & I don't want to get third degree burns before I actually enjoy it. Does anyone have the latest addition of "Fireplaces for Dummies"??

Answer 1

Make sure you know how to operate the damper before you light any fires. It's a metal flap inside the chimney near the bottom which opens and closes to control the amount of air going up the chimney. More air, more fire, faster burning. No air, no fire and/or a house full of smoke. Get a flashlight and look up the chimney so you're sure what you're doing when you operate the damper controls. Start a fire with it wide open.  As the chimney gets warmer it needs less opening to maintain a proper draft, so you may be able to close it a bit. If you close it a bit and smoke starts to appear at the top of the fireplace, open it again. Every chimney is a bit different. Never close the damper completely until the fire is well and truly out and the ashes are cold, but it's good to keep it closed if you are heating by other means and not burning a fire. A lot of air goes up a chimney even if there's no fire in it, so you don't want the air that you paid to heat by some other means going up there.

To light a fire(this is for real wood), you want several sheets of newspaper loosely crumpled, then kindling which should be less than 1" thick. Pile a bunch of kindling on the paper, light the paper, and if all goes well it'll all burn. Kindling especially should be bone dry. I like to stack the kindling at right angles in layers. You need air spaces between the wood so it can catch fire so don't stack it too tight. When the kindling is well alight or even half burnt, you can start adding bigger pieces of wood. Wood is at its hottest when it's more coals than wood, so don't be in a big rush to add more wood.

Care mostly involves cleaning the ashes out when they build up. As another poster said, a grate is a big help. If air can get under the wood it will burn better, so when there's no air space left under the grate it's time to clean. When the ashes are dead cold, which can take longer than you think, just shovel them up and toss them. Friends with gardens might want them if you've only burnt real wood and not those packaged firelogs. If you want to play very safe, always put the ashes into a metal container such as a small metal garbage can, in case there's still a little warmth in them, and wait till the next day to put them anywhere else. You can vacuum up the last bits but never vacuum all the ashes. They are very fine and can clog most vacuum filters. So, you'll want a little metal shovel for ashes, and you'll need a poker. You can buy a whole fireplace set but I've often found they make better decoration than tools. A metal dustpan and a whisk broom work fine to shovel ashes with, and I usually end up with a favourite piece of wood for a poker. Once the end has charred a few times it won't catch fire easily any more, and if it burns too short you just find another nice branch somewhere .

Answer 2

You should have a chimney sweep look it over and clean it. Look for any cracks in the firebricks, the area where the logs sit. Should always use a grate to elevate logs. Always burn seasoned wood. Find a dry, covered place to store wood outside. Avoid duraflame and similar "fake" logs. When starting a fire, always "prime" the draft in the chimney. This is done by lighting a piece of newspaper and holding up inside the chimney. The heat from the paper will remove cold air in the flue, creating a  draft for your fire once you light it. This will prevent smoke from backing down the chimney into the house.

Lots of other tips and info....below is one site....

http://www.fireplacebasics.com/