How To Light Firewood
Regardless of whether you’re planning on lighting a fire in your backyard fireplace or you’re currently planning a relaxed kickback friend and want to make sure that you’re able to stay warm and create the perfect ambiance - lighting firewood is a key component to get right.
However, if you’ve ever attempted to light a campfire in the past, then we’re sure that you’ll agree with us when we say that lighting firewood can sometimes be a little bit tricky to successfully achieve, but luckily enough, that’s where we come in to lend a helping hand.
To make sure that you’re able to light your firewood without fail time and time again, this article is going to be talking you through a tried and true method that will make lighting your firewood as easy as can be.
Not only that, but it’s also more environmentally friendly than other lighting methods, so it’s a win-win. Read on!
What Is Firewood?
As we’re sure that you might have already guessed, the term “firewood” quite literally refers to any type of wooden material or furniture that is used to specifically burn.
However, more often than not, firewood will typically come in either logs or pellets, as these types of wood are far more affordable and readily available than other types of wood material.
In addition to the above, firewood is also usually available in two forms: seasoned or unseasoned. In a nutshell, seasoned wood essentially refers to wood that has been prepared and given time to dry out for a period of time that can last a maximum of around 6 months.
Seasoned wood is typically deemed to be the more superior of the two types of firewood, as it tends to burn for a long period of time without producing too much smoke.
In addition to this, it should also be noted that seasoned wood is widely considered to be the easiest to ignite, purely due to the fact that it has been given plenty of time to dry prior to it being put on the market to sell.
On the flip side, the next type of firewood is unseasoned firewood, which has a far higher water contact than seasoned firewood.
For this reason, even though unseasoned firewood is the more affordable option of the two, it is worth noting that it can have a much harder time igniting when exposed to a match simply due to the fact that it has not undergone a drying process prior to being sold.
In addition to this, it is also worth keeping in mind that unseasoned firewood tends to produce a significant amount of smoke when ignited, which is certainly something to keep in mind if you would like to achieve a fire that offers a clean burn free from as much dark smoke as possible.
How To Light Firewood: Step-by-Step Instructions
If you’re already familiar with lighting firewood, then you’ll likely already know that there are a variety of different methods out there that each come with their own benefits and drawbacks.
However, this article is going to be showing you a simple and effective method for burning your firewood that will ensure you’re able to enjoy a great air supply, far less soot, as well as a satisfyingly long burn.
To try it out for yourself below, just check out the following instructions:
What You’ll Need
How To Light The Firewood
1. To begin the process of lighting your firewood, first begin by preparing where you plan on lighting the fire.
If you own a fireplace, you will need to take a few moments to ensure that all of the air vents are open, while also removing any leftover ash and dirt from previous fires.
Alternatively, if you’re lighting a campfire, make sure that you have enough space to safely prepare your firewood.
2. Once you are ready to begin setting up your fire, begin by taking your smaller logs of firewood and placing them in layers of two to build a foundation.
For every piece of firewood that you add, you should be sure that you are placing a layer of kindling over the top.
Remember, while you are placing your firewood in the fire, you’ll need to make sure that they have a 1cm space between them so that air can properly circulate.
3. To help ensure that your firewood ignites, we recommend that you take some newspaper (or firelighters) and place them over the top of the layer of kindling wood.
By doing this, you will help to ensure that the firewood ignites almost immediately after you have exposed it to a flame/lighter.
4. As soon as you have done all of the above, the only thing that will be left for you to do is to light your fire and enjoy it!
If you’re using a fireplace, then all you will need to do is simply light the fire and shut the door if your fireplace has one.
However, if you are going to be lighting your fire in a fireplace, then keep in mind that you might need to give your fire some time to create a strong draught, regardless of whether you’ve left space between your firewood or not.
So, if you’re noticing that your fire isn’t picking up, we recommend taking a fire stick and gently prodding the fire to help encourage the flames. You could even open a window to help achieve a gentle drought.
Alternatively, if you’re planning on lighting your firewood outdoors, then you will likely find that you won’t need to do anything after you have ignited it due to the draught from the wind.