Educating some customers how to light a fire?

[easy-lift guy]

I have found the paraffin coated boxes from the grocery store make excellent kindling for nearly all types of wood. Sliced into 2" strips the amount of flame they produce is a marvel.

Even better for camping. I once had a firewood customer that was not very pleasant on a good day complain about the split wood I had brought over to her one season. Seems she could not get the wood to stay lit. I brought in a bundle of the box strips and the fire was burning nicely in a couple of minutes. Never did receive another complaint after that cure.

easy-lift guy

[Stubby]

I have found the paraffin coated boxes from the grocery store make excellent kindling for nearly all types of wood. Sliced into 2" strips the amount of flame they produce is a marvel.

Even better for camping. I once had a firewood customer that was not very pleasant on a good day complain about the split wood I had brought over to her one season. Seems she could not get the wood to stay lit. I brought in a bundle of the box strips and the fire was burning nicely in a couple of minutes. Never did receive another complaint after that cure.

easy-lift guy

 

I get the kids to save the wax covering off all the " Baby Bell " cheese they have . Chuck a couple of those on in the morning with some kindling and away it goes .

[Big J]

Don't get me started! So many people with stoves has got absolutely no idea how to use them.

 

Assuming you have a stove and it's fitted and all is in order, the first thing to get is a flue thermometer. I have no idea how people operate stoves without them - genuinely. I have a big stove and I know that it's running to spec when it's sitting at 450-550 degrees fahrenheit. Too much air and within just a few minutes it can get to 800. Too little air and a few minutes later it's down towards 300 and smoking. Flue thermometers are £6 from eBay and vital - perhaps all you proper firewood merchants out there could save yourself a lot of headaches and supply one free with every new customer's first batch of wood?

 

Also, a small fire can sometimes be counterproductive to economising on logs. Small fire equals less heat, less draw and therefore more air. A good, chock full firebox burning at the sweet spot of about 500 fahrenheit uses very little wood. I've loads of friends with stoves and a minority can use them properly. I had one chap say he didn't want wood too dry as it burned to quickly. Same guy who poked fun at me for filling up the stove rather than waiting an age for the three half wet logs to smoulder into life.

 

Anyway, we got a stove fan on Tuesday. It requires a minimum of 70c to spin and it has not stopped once in the past 5 days. Perhaps the answer for people who struggle to light fires is to get a stove that is nigh on impossible to put out?

[cessna]

I have a Grenadier Fire lighter super piece of kit well worth the money.

Grenadier Electric Fire Lighter.

They would be ideal for newbbies , to fire lighting wood burners or open fires .

[briquette_seller]

Don't get me started! So many people with stoves has got absolutely no idea how to use them.

 

Assuming you have a stove and it's fitted and all is in order, the first thing to get is a flue thermometer. I have no idea how people operate stoves without them - genuinely. I have a big stove and I know that it's running to spec when it's sitting at 450-550 degrees fahrenheit. Too much air and within just a few minutes it can get to 800. Too little air and a few minutes later it's down towards 300 and smoking. Flue thermometers are £6 from eBay and vital - perhaps all you proper firewood merchants out there could save yourself a lot of headaches and supply one free with every new customer's first batch of wood?

 

Also, a small fire can sometimes be counterproductive to economising on logs. Small fire equals less heat, less draw and therefore more air. A good, chock full firebox burning at the sweet spot of about 500 fahrenheit uses very little wood. I've loads of friends with stoves and a minority can use them properly. I had one chap say he didn't want wood too dry as it burned to quickly. Same guy who poked fun at me for filling up the stove rather than waiting an age for the three half wet logs to smoulder into life.

 

Anyway, we got a stove fan on Tuesday. It requires a minimum of 70c to spin and it has not stopped once in the past 5 days. Perhaps the answer for people who struggle to light fires is to get a stove that is nigh on impossible to put out?

 

Where do you fit a flue thermometer on an insert stove?

[Big J]

Where do you fit a flue thermometer on an insert stove?

 

Fair point, though what is the point of insert stoves?

[briquette_seller]

Fair point, though what is the point of insert stoves?

 

The Mrs wanted one, as she liked the fireplace, and saved me a bit of work hacking it out.

 

Had it a couple of weeks, and iam not Keane at all.

 

Mrs is happy though, for now.....

[TGB]

I have a Grenadier Fire lighter...

 

Ay up. Blowtorch meets hair dryer.

[oldwoodcutter]

The thermometer i use is very accurate.

When mrs oldwoodcutter shoves her armchair back a bit i then know the logburner is operating above maximum heat recommendations.

[Big J]

The Mrs wanted one, as she liked the fireplace, and saved me a bit of work hacking it out.

 

Had it a couple of weeks, and iam not Keane at all.

 

Mrs is happy though, for now.....

 

Not prone to chauvinistic outbursts, but it's honestly best if the women folk have no say in what stove is installed!

 

My wife is now well trained on stoking the fire, and really needs no supervision. The only issue is that she seems to suffer 99% of the stove related burns for about 10% of the stove operation