How to Build a Fireplace Fire | Ask This Old House
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- Опубліковано 27 чер 2019
- Ask This Old House mason Mark McCullough demonstrates the best way to build a fire in order to prevent smoke from filling up the room
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Time: 5 minutes
Cost: $0
Skill Level: Beginner
Shopping List:
Hardwood or Seasoned Wood [amzn.to/31IjPRm]
Kindling [amzn.to/2XnLdF4]
Paper [amzn.to/2IQlPi8]
Steps:
1. Start by crumbling up some paper or newspaper and place it loosely underneath the grate.
2. Take two of the biggest logs and place them parallel with the back of the fireplace on top of the grate. Leave space between them for the flames to reach up over the logs.
3. Take some of the smaller logs and place them perpendicular on top of the bigger logs.
4. Place the kindling on top of the smaller logs in a loose pile.
5. Prime the chimney by lighting one of the pieces of paper on fire with a match or lighter and hold it up in the chimney. This should start an up draft to ensure the smoke will rise right away.
6. If the paper is long enough and it’s still safe to do so, use that same paper to light the pile of paper underneath the grate.
7. Place the burning paper on top of the kindling. This should create a strong draft that will keep the smoke in the chimney and out of the house.
Resources:
All the materials Mark used to build the fire in his fireplace were found either around the house or in the backyard. The only thing Mark cautions against is burning pine and other softwoods in the fireplace, as it can cause creosote to build up in the chimney which could eventually result in a dangerous chimney fire. Seasoned hardwood is best to use in a fireplace.
Expert assistance with this segment was provided by MJM Masonry (www.mjmmasonry.com).
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The Correct Way to Build a Fire in a Fireplace
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This Old House, Ask This Old House, DIY, Home Improvement, DIY Ideas, Renovation, Renovation Ideas, How To Fix, How To Install, How To Build, mark mccullough, fireplace, fire safety, masonry
Full episode:
Deck Staining, Water Monitoring | Ask TOH
www.thisoldhouse.com/watch/de... - Навчання та стиль
Just watched this morning when the big freeze is about to hit. I've never had a fireplace until now and with just me and my two kids at home, I really appreciate the tips for a proper fire. This video is awesome!
Being new to having a fireplace, we had trouble getting a good fire going. But Holy Moly this technique worked a charm! Thanks This Old House!
Another problem is the lack of replacement air in the house. For example, if you run the clothes dryer and have a fire, the dryer can draw so much air out of the house that the replacement air is pulled down the chimney and pulls smoke with it. A fresh air intake (or cracking a window) can solve that problem.
Very good.
Wow! Thank you for that info. We are about to add a fireplace to our home, and it is close to where the dryer will be...one door away, so this was gold for me! 🥰
wow that's crazy but good to know. thanks!
Thank you - great video. I have been making fires for ever and your reverse approach really worked for my new fireplace.
After watching this video I tried this, it worked alot better than I expected it to.
I watched so many videos on wood burning fireplaces, but this fire place is exactly like mine! Simple and i am ready to burn some wood! Thank you!
Great video. Very helpful and clear. Looking forward to trying out this method some cold day soon!
It's a great fireplace. I subscribed to a nice video.
In Japan, houses with fireplaces have not been seen so often.
I like bonfires, so if the fireplace gets home, it will heal.
This technique worked great! Thanks for sharing this
Thank you!! Just used the method in our fireplace :)
Just in time for summer.....
very beautiful fireplace.
@1:18: I could think only of the argument between Dan Akroyd and John Candy in "The Great Outdoors".
"You _twist_ the newspaper. You _twist_ it to simulate kindling." :)
"Oh, he's warming the flue, while the rest of the human beings in here are freezing to death!" lol
That was a good one thanks!
Ask this Old House - GOAT !!
Myth #3: Burning certain soft woods (such as pine) will cause creosote damage to your chimney.
While this myth has been around for ages, studies conducted by the University of Georgia found that the amount of damage wood left on the chimney was a result of low-temperature fires rather than a resin rich fuel source. While pine does contain more sap than other types of wood, this is no longer considered to be cause of creosote buildup in chimneys. Wood that does cause problems though is burning green wood or burning fires at low-temperatures. Regardless of your choice of wood, it is very important to only use dry and seasoned wood to burn in your fireplace. Always remember that properly seasoned wood takes about one year for wood to properly dry out. Dry wood is more of a concern than hard versus soft wood when choosing what to burn.
Thank you so much for this information very very helpful. Greetings.
Hi TOH ,who doesn't like a rip roaring fire when it's cold outside ! 👍😀🔥🔥🔥
I think priming the chimney was the fix here. I've had the same issue, I build my fires pretty similar but have never thought about priming. When it's not 80 outside, I'll try it
What does priming the chimney actually do - I don't see what he did here does anything at all in terms of priming 🤔
Please explain the theory of priming a chimney?
@@chazwalker7156 basically it's sending heat up the chimney before you actually start your fire. Before you prime it, alot of the time you'll have a cold draft coming down the chimney which would cause the smoke to poor into the house
@@jewermank8536 Interesting - surely the heat generated by his torch flame is nothing compared to that of the ignited paper below the logs; however, more importantly, it's all about having good ventilation (like an open window or air bricks/vents) in the same room to create up-draft isn't it 🤔
Cheers for your reply 👍
@@chazwalker7156 well, before you light the fire, alot of the time when u open the fireplace door the airflow is moving down the pipe and out the door. By first sending a small flame up the pipe, it helps to reverse the airflow so when u do light your fire, smoke doesn't poor into the house. I don't know the science of it, I just know from experience. Cheers
@@jewermank8536 and Chaz . I push 2 sheets of News paper up the chimney how far my hands can go then I lit it with a long match stick and the paper rushing up the chimney burning and the paper burn out before reaching the top of the chimney
They uploaded one of these out of season videos earlier this year. Something about properly maintaining your AC unit
Thank u for your video just started a perfect fire
This man is a genius
If you are camping this will come in handy too it gets cold in mountains even in summer
what a beautiful fire
The Fire Is beautiful
I love you guys but the 4th of July timing for this might be a bit off.
Appreciate Video! Forgive me for chiming in, I would love your opinion. Have you researched - Panilliaan Immaterial Prevalence (just google it)? It is a smashing exclusive product for protecting your family from danger minus the normal expense. Ive heard some extraordinary things about it and my old buddy Taylor got excellent results with it.
Appreciate Video! Sorry for the intrusion, I am interested in your initial thoughts. Have you ever tried - Panilliaan Immaterial Prevalence (Sure I saw it on Google)? It is a good one off guide for protecting your family from danger minus the normal expense. Ive heard some pretty good things about it and my friend Sam at very last got cool results with it.
You're about 3 months early posting this video. It's hot as balls outside.
If this aint the most correct response to this video
The editor of this video didn’t want to go outside to take a new video because it’s too hot. He found this old one in a cabinet.
He has his AC set to 59 degrees lol
It’s for our upside down Aussie friends
ua-cam.com/video/dvMEWSe-DVw/v-deo.html
Nice & knowledge video 🔥
Thxx
Just make sure you take the camera out before it's destroyed.
Once I saw it, that’s all I could think about. “When are they going to get that camera out of there??”
Great 👍
Now THAT a is fire place !
I use old wooden furniture and gasoline...works like a champ!
short and sweet steps: loosely placed newspaper. first row of thickest logs, lay additional rows of logs cris-crossed, lay kindling on the very top. “prime” aka getting heat flowing through the chimney (light one piece of newspaper and hold above stack for ~min). then light the rest of the stack.
Nice
would this require custom doors or would a large rectangular/square fireplace door that covers the entire opening work well? trying to avoid buying custom but my opening is curved like the one in the video and not rectangular
That will be fine. Just get one that is big enough
Never searched for this at all but I had an issue starting a fire and here we are. Remember your phone is a spying device you occasionally use to make phone calls.
Great video I’ll try and remember your tips come DECEMBER LOL 😂
It's an upside down fire, lit from the bottom?
My fireplace problem is the house is to air tight. I have to open a window on the opposite side of the room to stop smoke roll back, works most of the time. I'm going to put a Chimney fan on top. I also have four vents on the sides of my fireplace that heat comes out of once it's hot, one on top and bottom each side. I'm going to add draft fans that pull more hot air from the vents. I see no problem since I'll be able to control the speed of all fans installed. Maximize the BTU I receive from the fire. Oh, the four small draft fans will be dependant on the temperature in the fire box via a sensor to avoid cold air blowing and control the on off cycle.
try a vertical grate. Grate Wall of Fire makes one and while burning it helps the smoke stay in the back. My chimney sweep recommended me to it when I bought a house here in RI.
15 minutes after lighting the fire: "Hey, you did remove the camera from the fireplace, right?" ...."Uh...."
hahahah
Thanks be doing it wrong my whole life never froze luckily will you do a video to show us how to take a proper crap next please
🙃
What’s newspaper? Can I buy that someplace? 😂
I’ll try this later when it isn’t 95 degrees out 😂
Next video please fireplace and chimney safety
Maybe I’m mistaken but aren’t those big logs pine, themselves?
All good tips, but this is simplifying a possible bigger problem. As was mentioned at the end of the video, the chimney on our house is far too short. Like 90% of the houses in my neighborhood, they were built for aesthetic more than purpose. So no amount of priming or fire building is going to create a roaring fire and not have smoke roll out of the firebox.
Truth be told, there are a number of proper methods to build a fire, but none can overcome design issues.
If the cost of an insert is not an issue, install one. You'll have a great draft and something that throws lots of heat efficiently.
Yep, my chimney is too short. That can matter when the wind shifts direction. If my house is getting a wind from the north, the wind comes down the south side of the hip roof and puts downdraft pressure into the flue. I've had smoke blow into my house exactly when the wind shifts direction, even if it is not a strong wind.
My fireplace is very similar to this one, but there's a vent on the side of my hearthstone. I believe this is fresh air intake? I keep it open when the fire is going but when it's -30*C out I only open 1/4 of the way.
What is this thing called, meant for, and how do I properly use it?
U r all good
Clean out vent
Always finish a fire with a few pieces of fresh pine and cedar. Nothing primes the draft for the next fire like a chimney fire.
Myth
@@robertm5969 Or sarcasm
@@ncooty or sarcasm premised on myth. Burning Pine and cedar do not lead to Chimney fires. Unseasoned wood and low flue temperatures do. Adding seasoned pine or cedar at the end of an established fire will produce virtually no creosote.
@@ncooty or sarcasm premised on myth
@@robertm5969 : It's a myth that burning resinous woods in fireplaces leaves residue in the flue?
As a Texan, I have to watch this lol
Newspaper? What's that?
It's what educated people still read. You can use the apartment listing papers you get in the mail too.
How to light a fire in a paperless world 😮
I hear Samsung have a suitable gadget.
@@2011blueman You chomped down hard on that bait.
Just use few smart phones and a laptop or two for kindling.
Plastic makes a really hot fire and it's a great way to save a tree.
90% of the heat goes up the chimney . . . Get a fireplace insert . . . much more efficient
Fireplace stone warmth, beautiful evening glowing flame used daily through winter equals children and happy life! Fireplace insert...tyranny, taxation, central bank digital currency.
Why do you want the hot air to go up and out of the chimney? Should it not remain as long as possible to warm the house?
A fireplace is actually a pretty poor way to heat a house. You need a lot of heat to go up the chimney so that it pulls the smoke up and out.
Exactly. Enter the Free Standing wood burning stove. @@phonedave
And the heat right out the chimney
If smoke begins to seep out into your house just open a window or door on the windy side of your home until the draft begins to pull up into your chimney then you can shut them ')
Radhe radhe ji❤
Maybe they had smoke in the room because the makeup air vent in the floor of the fireplace wasn't open. step 1 of lighting the fire should always be opening the damper and vent, which you completely missed when stuffing newspaper on top of the vent.
That's true !!
That was most likely an ash dump that he covered with newspaper. Opening that would not help with drafts. Worse it could allow smoke, heat, sparks, or embers below the fireplace hearth.
@@dominicc.3864 In many areas fireplaces built after a certain date are required to have makeup air vents in the bottom of the fire box. The one in our fireplace looks exactly like that. The vent is connected to an inlet outside the house so that cold air from outside is used by the fire instead of air from the room. Without the vent the air from the room feeds the fire and goes up the chimney, resulting in cold drafts as air is drawn in through every break in the air/vapour barrier to make up for what goes up the flue.
@@SidecarBob This is true. Most modern construction homes are required to have a combustion air intake or make up air supply. New homes are far too air tight for fireplaces to draft efficiently. Many times even if the smoke doesnt enter the living space it spends too much time within the chimney. This slow/poor draft, while most likely not noticable to the homeowner, can lead to excessive smoke residence time and significant creosote buildup. Heavy glazing/tar buildup that are very flammable.
The most common type of make up air supply, the Drescher air valve, is installed in the back wall of the firebox. There are other styles that are installed on the floor, although it would be very uncommon to find them directly underneath the grate. The floor style is typically installed closer to the front firebox opening in front of the grate. Placing directly under the grate would just lead to it getting clogged with ash, soot, and half burnt pieces of wood. For all these reasons I still feel it is more likely an ash dump. This is very common in masonry wood burning fireplaces. There is usually a clean out in the basement, crawl space, or sometimes directly on the outside of the chimney.
@@dominicc.3864 As I said, it looks exactly like the fresh air vent in ours. When you open it the front tilts up and the rear stays even with the floor so any ash or other debris falls behind the actual opening.
BTW: It would be impossible for ours to have a cleanout below because it is in the basement. When you open the damper and the vent you can feel the cold air being drawn in as warm air rises in the chimney so it is definitely the fresh air vent.
IDK, I can't get behind the kindling on top.
Still no idea how to build a fireplace, but now I know how to check it
1:14 Whats newspaper?
’e-ḇen just throw your smartphone into the fire instead it will explode
Great that they didn't paint it white
What did we do before paper?
Hieroglyphs?
@@forwardsdrawkcab Yeah, but stone tablets don't burn so easily.
Other tinder materials are: dry grass, dry leaves, willow or cattail fluff, dryer lint.
But why do you start the fire from the bottom? Put the newspaper up there together with the kindling. That way you get a clean fire.
The newspaper will float up the chimney and set your roof on fire.
The draft/airflow from the fire to the chimney opening causes the flames to pass through all the wood and kindling thus. igniting it. To be honest, I have been making a fire as my main source of heat since the mid-1970s and this particular method is flawed.
Flames and heat go up.
There can be various reasons why a fireplace doesnt draft: negative pressure issue inside the home, stack effect, wind induced downdraft, temperature difference between inside and outside, humidity, and many more. Not to mention all the various construction related issues: smoke chamber too small, smoke chamber walls inclined more than 45*, smoke chamber walls not parged smooth, chimney too short, flue ratio issues, ill constructed firebox, and many more. Taking a look at the soot staining is not an accurate representation of how the fireplace works. If they would have left the video to only the right way to stack firewood I wouldnt have a problem. But I feel this video is misleading, and potentially dangerous. It gives the impression that, based on some soot stains, everything with the fireplace must be fine. This is categorically incorrect and to pass this one to other homeowners is disingenuous and down right dangerous. I would highly suggest, if you are having CONSISTENT drafting issues, to contact your local chimney sweep. Obviously check their reputation and reviews, but they will be the best equipped to handle diagnosing the various issues I stated above. Also sweeping your chimney yearly is a good place to start as well. But what do I know, I've only been a Certified Chimney Technician for 17ys. Good luck folks!
You are 100 % something wrong why it’s happening? Stacking the wood cannot stop the smoke to come back into your house
@@porterdor39 Huh? I'm not quite sure what your trying to say.
@@dominicc.3864you are 100% correct on that and I light a piece of news paper and let it goes up the chimney and that kills all the drafts
I refuse to hire a chimney sweep. When they dance and jump around with their long brushes and dirty top hats, they get soot all over the place. Plus, they only sing the same song all the time, not a broad repertoire.
What does priming the chimney actually do - I don't see how this does anything at all in terms of priming 2:41 🤔
Please explain the theory of priming a chimney?
It gets the updraft into the chimney going.
At least, that's the idea.
Wait, what's wrong with pine again?
Nothing if you use a mesh spark screen and its dry. It doesnt leave creosote like everyone thinks as long as its dry. But the smoke aroma isnt very nice. White oak is ideal.
Too much resin that gets vaporized and deposits inside the chimney as tar, i suppose.
C'mon, it's 92F outside
This fire pit is one of a few covered pits that is on the list ua-cam.com/users/postUgkxAU9pOCSV9Y5JprooHvfxTpOrt4hx8uRM of approved products for Disney Fort Wilderness. The product served its purpose well and provided excellent fires throughout the evening. We were able to open the door and do s'mores, but I had to be careful because the handle was a bit hot on occasions. Additionally, I wish they had replaced some of the standard nuts with lock nuts in some places. We lost the door handle after just a couple of days of usage. Not a deal breaker, just a recommendation. I still give it 5 stars.
All the heat is also being drawn right out. 🤔🤷🏻♀️
First step to making a fire place
A sprayer filled with diesel fuel and a leaf blower works much faster
Yes if you don’t like your house please do this lol
🤣😂
You get heat from the fire,and fire gets oxygen from you
Good one but still feels incomplete ,, you should have added an animated video describing the inside built and mechanics in detail..eg the inside up dome of how much to not let smoke fall back while burning, minimum area or length of fireplace ideal for a prescribed room dimensions... waiting for such🙄
I grew up in a house where we had an Awsome fireplace but never used it cuz it sucked all the oxygen and warm air out of the house.
Fireplace would burn more hotter with a steel plate on the back wall!
".......more hotter.......". C'mon.
@@ackack612 The heat from the fire hits the large steel plate and heats up the plate and thrpws more heat out. Works better with wood burns coals not ash
@@ackack612 He is right we do that in Aussie.
Twist the newspaper, dont crumple it...
Let me guess, you have OCD issues?
Agreed, my method also, the flame/s lasts longer.
Dan Akroyd, "The Great Outdoors"
pine is fine, that is a old myth. If the wood is dry its a non issue
First you tear out that crap & build a proper masonry stove in its place so the heat isn't wasted & goes right up the chimney.
You'll also save massively on wood as well.
Or have an insert installed, otherwise yes a fireplace is only about 20% efficient. Very inefficient.
And that's coming from a chimney sweeper.
I put fireworks in mine
It's better to burn wood without a grate. A good bed of coals will build up on the hearth and it'll be hotter and will burn more efficiently.
A sharp eye will notice the important change that they do not mention or show starting at 4:05.
I shall not question their intent, but the results of off-camera manipulations is evidenced here.
You be your own judge.
That fireplace looks expensive and sturdy
Paper sucks, it smokes way too much. Firestarters are way better and easier to light a fireplace, woodstove or insert.
what's newspaper?😂
That little bit of flame is not gonna prime anything.
I just use my propane torch. Much easier.
Who is in charge of posting videos for ATOH, they need a different job..... why post a video about starting a fire in June?!?!
andrew franco lol
Kindling is used to light the fire, not to be part of the fire. Only an idiot would waste kindling on top of the logs. That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever seen when lighting a fire.
I find it strange too, but it seems to wotrk here.
I'll try it zome time.
Yeah, ok, I'm still putting the kindling on the bottom, this makes no sense at all, your paper burns out, & your left trying to relight your wood, no deal, kindling makes quick hot coals, & burns upwards, igniting the large logs faster, yeah, I totally disagree with this video, obviously he's not much of a camper
While I agree, this is on a platform, not a campfire. The kindling would smother the newspaper because it burns fast. Now, if you fed that newspaper with some more, or a bit of kindling, it would produce enough heat to overcome that effect
@@DXSUCKIT1990 a platform is a platform as you call it
I put paper under the grate, kindling on top.
Lite paper. When kindling starts burning good, add medium wood, then larger wood.
This doesn't seem very efficient.
Cheap and weaker way to build the firebox.
I got a even simpler solution install a gas insert.
Not
Looks like that fireplace has a draw problem, note the black stained center at opening. Being in industry for 25+ years i can spot this from a mile away.No big deal just crack window when building fire for about 3-5 min so help start draft
This did not work at all. The paper just burned up without getting the logs any of flame
No Body is talking about the real issue here, you are creating tons of polution, there is betters ways to heat a house this need to stop, USA is a country where still make wood houses killing millions of trees in the process, and then this burning tons of wood. Are you a first world country ?