Anybody who has ever built a fire in the company of others will tell you that everybody thinks there way is the best way and there is no lack of advice and ideas on the subject. But certain truths remain; to build a fire you need
Your heat will be the flame that you introduce when you are ready and if your chimney is clean you will have a flow of oxygen to feed that fire and carry the smoke away. Your fuel will be the logs you burn.
Start by using some small twigs and wood shards as kindling in the centre of the fireplace, you could even use bits of crumpled paper and then lay a split log on either side with the ends that are furthest away from you angled toward each other, do not let the logs poke out too far from the front of the fireplace as you will start getting smoke in the room. Light the kindling and allow it to burn for a while until your first two logs catch alight. Once you have these logs burning you can lay a log or two across your fire but be sure not to smother the flame, so start with just one if you aren't sure.
Once you have a fire going you can add wood as you need to, always keeping the front of the fire clear, thereby allowing oxygen to circulate. All that accompanied by your newly swept chimney should assure you of an efficient and effective fire.
If you use logs that have not been seasoned and have a high moisture content, you will struggle to light your fire and will very likely end up with a room full of smoke, this will also lead to soot build up causing you to have your chimney cleaned more often.
Carbon monoxide is formed when incomplete burning of fuels takes place, possibly through burning wood which has not been seasoned properly and has a high moisture content and also through a chimney needing a clean. As a result of the chimney not being clean insufficient oxygen reaches the fuel and it can not burn sufficiently, neither is there enough of a draft to carry it away.
Your fireplace is designed for fires, romantic, or otherwise and has been designed and built to function optimally. By sweeping your chimney you are freeing the chimney and allowing your fire to breath, much like removing a restraining item of clothing.
Soot is a by-product of burning wood and other fuels in you fireplace, it is like a very fine dust that coats the inside of your chimney every time you make a fire, as the flames and smoke shoot up the chimney they are hot, and upon cooling, condensation takes place causing the soot to get sticky. This builds up on the inner walls of your chimney. It is called creosote and is highly flammable.
Chimney fires have been recorded as burning at 1000degrees centigrade
and can cause the chimney structure to weaken and crack, even damaging interior
tiles and possibly setting any flammable materials in and on the roof alight,
or spreading to the rest of the building.
Once you have ensured that your chimney is clean and in good repair you will definiely want to build a fire. Visit firewood.injohannesburg.co.za and order your load of firewood.