Sunny Windows, Shady Trees and Other Non-Electrical Supports to HVAC

If you just had a fireplace installed in your house, you are going to need to master the art of getting a fire started in your fireplace if you want to keep your home warm with your new heating method. Here are a few tricks of the trade that will help you keep your home warm and toasty with your new fireplace. 

#1 Open The Damper

The first thing you need to do is open the damper on your fireplace. The damper is located above the firebox, which is where the fire is actually located, along the chimney. It is usually a simple lever that you push in to close and pull out to open. The damper allows the smoke from the fire to leave the firebox and escape up the chimney. You need to open this so that the smoke doesn't fill up your home.

#2 Locate The Right Firewood

The second thing you need to do is make sure that you have the right type of firewood to get a fire started.

To start with, you need some starter wood, such as small, fallen branches that are dried out. Next, you need some fatwood. Fatwood is technically from the heartwood of pine trees and is great for starting fires, although different companies manufacture their own version of fatwood for starting fires. Finally, you need some good firewood to keep the fire going once it gets started. The best firewood has been dried for at least a year and is made out of beech, ash or locust wood. 

#3 Additional Supplies

Third, you need some additional supplies to get the fire started. You are going to want to start collecting newspaper. Newspaper is a great fire starter and works better than other types of paper. You are also going to need some matches; matches work better than a lighter because you can strike the match and throw it into the fire, which you can't do with a lighter. 

#4 Building The Fire

Now it is time to actually build the fire. First, take one sheet of newspaper at a time and crumble it up loosely. Place the newspaper under the grate in your fireplace. Then, put a couple of pieces of fatwood on top of the newspapers, stacking them up in a tepee like manner. Next, place some starter firewood on top of the fatwood followed by a few pieces of regular firewood. 

Take a match or two and try to light the newspaper. The newspaper should get the starter wood and the fatwood burning, and eventually the regular firewood will catch fire. 

Wait until some of the firewood has burned down and you have some nice, glowing embers going before you add additional firewood to the fire. Occasionally, poke the firewood a little bit to make sure that air is flowing around your firewood; this will keep your fire going. If your fire is struggling, open your damper a little more; this will provide your fire with the additional oxygen it needs to grow. If your fire gets too large, shut the damper a little bit; this will lower the amount of oxygen feeding the fire and will help control the flames.

For more information about using a fireplace, contact a company like A One Heating & Air Conditioning.