What is the best way to build a fire in a fireplace?
A fire constructed with perfect form and bone-dry materials will still fizzle out if you don’t understand the role of the flue. The flue is the channel inside the chimney or stovepipe that circulates air and creates a draft, thus feeding the necessary oxygen to the fire. The flue is kind of a valve or doorway that opens or shuts off the air flow though the chimney, known as the damper. A handle opens and closes it, and that’s usually located in the fireplace near the bottom of the chimney. For wood stoves, there’s usually a handle located on the side of the stove, towards the top and at the back. Take a flashlight and familiarize yourself with the operation of your damper– and the position of it’s handle or chain when it’s closed or open. This will prevent the unnecessary smoke-outs and beeping smoke detectors that inevitable follow careless damper operation. Once you know the operation of your flue and damper, it’s time to build a fire. There are three steps to building a fire and cer
