Top Tips for Keeping a Fire Going

In the age old choice of hot and cold, personally I like the cold. Clear, crisp mornings, with the ground covered with crunchy frozen grass and your breath hanging in the air behind you like a steam train from a painting by Monet, that's how I like it.

This love of the cold does come with one severe proviso, a rather important yet simple one, a fire. There is nothing better after having spent all day out in the cold, than settling down in front of a nice warm fire and enjoying that sensation of heat seeping into the body.

A Roaring Fire at DLS HQ

Maintaining a good fire is pretty easy, so here are some top tips for keeping a fire going.

1. Make sure you're using good dry kindling. This is the base of your fire. If you use damp kindling your fire will never get going properly. For the best kindling, use small thin pieces of wood to really get your fire off to a roaring start. 
2. Use dry wood. The drier the wood the better, more efficient and hotter your fire is going to be. If you use wet logs the fire will expend all its energy burning the moisture out of them and so will eventually go out, causing a lot of smoke along the way. Seasoned firewood that has been properly stored in a log store is best. 
3. A fire needs oxygen to keep burning. Make sure that the fire has plenty of ventilation. If you are using a log burner make sure the ventilation grids are open at the bottom to begin with to draw air in and get your fire going. 
4. Be sure to maintain your fire. You will need to feed the fire with new wood to keep it burning through the night. You might have to move your logs around using a poker, or re-position them to keep the fire burning well. 
5. Finally, only burn wood or coal on your fire. Do not put plastic bottles et cetera on your fire, it will only end up putting the fire out and causing it to smoke.

Of course you should always be careful around a fire, but a properly maintained fire can keep your toes warm and your fingers from turning blue. Which is why here at Dorset Log Stores, we prefer a little bit of cold weather, followed by a cup of tea in front of the fire. Perfect.

To talk to a member of the Dorset Log Stores Team about our log stores or the best way to store your fire wood, why not leave a comment or call us on 01300 345229. 

Thanks for Reading

James