log burner ignorance

[s.varty]

Anyone had this experience? People changing to log burners, but have never lit a fire in their lives and blame your logs for being to wet, although you have sold tons & tons with no problem so you know they are dry.

[felixthelogchopper]

A city boy that I did some groundskeeping for a while ago had a brother who built the fire upside down :lol:

[Stuart A-C]

yep, get it quite a lot. They seem to think you just put a match to the logs and the heat will pour out the burner! Ive even invited people round to my house to see them burning.

[County4x4]

Half the trouble is that people have no hesitation at all about buying and having a stove installed for well over a grand - but then they go and buy the cheapest wood they can get because "wood should be cheap shouldn't it 'cos it's all over the place"

 

I've also heard stories of people trying to light logs with a match!

 

Not sure what Felix meant though - if it was lighting the fire from the top down, quite a few people swear by that method - there are supposed to be some advantages over bottom up - but I can't remember what they are:001_rolleyes: I'm sure google will find it if you're interested.

 

Andy

[Dave Martin]

not sure what Felix meant though - if it was lighting the fire from the top down, quite a few people swear by that method - there are supposed to be some advantages over bottom up - but I can't remember what they are:001_rolleyes: I'm sure google will find it if you're interested.

 

Andy

 

I dread to think what would pop up if you typed `bottom up` into google

[Saw-sick Steve]

Not sure what Felix meant though - if it was lighting the fire from the top down, quite a few people swear by that method - there are supposed to be some advantages over bottom up - but I can't remember what they are:001_rolleyes: I'm sure google will find it if you're interested.

 

Andy

I seem to remember this method being popular in N.America when I was over there, lighting 'top down' and also laying the fire at 90 deg. to what we'd call conventional, i.e logs laid pointing into the chimney. Again, I can't remember the supposed advantage - but there must be one!

[Justme]

I think it only works on larger stoves.

[County4x4]

Found it:

 

 

Lighting fires is another problem area. Traditionally, we use paper, with twigs on top, and then we add larger pieces as we go on.

 

1) First things first; we need to stop using paper. Being mineralised, paper makes thick fluffy ash flakes, and these can obstruct the flow of air through the fire.

 

2) Build the fire upside down. Put the coal or larger wood at the bottom so that it forms a reasonably solid mass, and will catch everything that falls onto it. (This enables it to catch all the small embers that form from the burning of the kindling, and which would otherwise fall through the bars of the grate and be lost. By using this method, the embers will fall onto the wood/coal and create a hot heart to help the ignition process along.)

 

3) Then put the large kindling on base, the smaller kindling on top of that, and on the very top place a small fragment of firelighter (I use only a quarter of the firelighter) plus some very small kindling.

 

4) Light the piece of firelighter and the fire will burn down faster and cleaner than the conventional technique.

 

This method has one stunning advantage: We have all, at one time or another, lit a fire that has failed to catch light. We then have to demolish the fire and rebuild it form scratch. This is possibly the dirtiest job known to man, and usually results in creating a terrible mess, leaving one black to the elbows. Been there, done that and didn't like it.

 

Using the upside down method, if the fire shouldn't catch, then all is simplicity and cleanliness. Simply add a few more small kindling scraps, another quarter of a firelighter, and off we go again. No mess, no fuss, and no dirty hands.

 

THIS REALLY WORKS. Trust me, I'm a chimney sweep.

[cousin jack]

I'll try that tonight, thanks.

[T14EES T14UNK]

I like the sound of that. I'll be trying that out. I normally build a lattice cos I like playing and also it never fails but this is something new to play at.

Cheers