Step 1.
The first step to a perfect fire is making sure that you have selected good quality, dry, environmentally sustainable firewood. If you’ve bought logs from us at Granton Trading, you’re already well on your way to a warm and cosy evening!
Step 2.
Firelighters?
Our logs are dry enough to light with just a single fire lighter cube, so this would be the cheapest option but not as eco-friendly. If you choose this option, make sure that you stack the wood very close to the fire lighter and arrange it so that the resulting flames pass around the wood as much as possible, and no flame is wasted by escaping out of the top. You will need at least four logs for this method. Try to pick the smaller ones as they can be arranged more easily. If you spot some Silver Birch within the stack, use this to start the fire as it has a resin within the bark which acts like a firelighter.
Or
Newspaper and Kindling?
We favour crumpling newspaper into a loose ball. About five balls should suffice if arranged close together at the base of the kindling. The kindling should be stacked on top of the paper in an organised criss cross to allow the flames to make contact with as much of the wood as possible. This should be stable enough to balance two or three logs on top before you light it.
Step 3.
Once the fire has developed a solid glowing red base right across the bottom, add two or more logs and lower the air flow to allow a slower flame. This will allow maximum heat absorption by the stove as the flames will have contact with it for the maximum amount of time. Be sure to turn the air back up a little if the fire starts to die. It’s a fine balance, but you will soon get used to how your stove works. There should always be at least two intact logs on top of the red ember base to sustain the heat output.