How To Build A Fire

Be careful about what you put in your stove. Never use painted or pressure impregnated wood or plastics containing chlorine, such as PVC. This gives off highly poisonous gases. Don’t use driftwood from the sea as fuel. This contains salt which converts to chlorine when it is burned. You can wash the salt out of driftwood by leaving it outside in the elements for at least a couple of years. When lighting a fire, it is a good idea to place two thick wooden logs at either side in the stove. Place some crumpled up paper between them and create a stack of thin split-up logs on top. You can then add more paper, if you need to. Add fuel to the stove often, but only a little amount at a time. If the fire is too strong, the thermal stress in the chimney may be unnecessarily high. Make a moderate fire. Prevent the fire from smouldering as this produces the most pollution. The ideal is when the fire is burning well and the smoke from the chimney is almost invisible.