Starting a fire in the fireplace; help?

Question

We moved to this house in June, and now we're starting to have an interest in starting a fire in the fireplace.

We discovered last night that the gas key is REALLY hard to turn; so hard that we couldn't even turn it. It had two split logs (purchased from the grocery store), and we shoved newspaper all around them. We had a great draft going, and...nothing. We tried for 2 hours and the logs never caught any fire.

We don't have any lighter fluid, gas or WD40.

Any ideas?

Answer 1

Stores carry a packaged fire starter, which is wax or lighter-fluid soaked pressed sawdust. The wax burns slow, so it builds up enough heat to get the hard wood going.

You can make these yourself. Look for dry, dead leaves, place them in a 1/2 inch thick layer on a cookie sheet. Melt a candle in a disposable bowl in a double boiler and pour the hot wax over the leaves. (Use gloves--the wax will burn like heck if it touches your skin)

allow the mess to solidify, then break it into chunks. These should light right up and help start a fireplace.

You need plenty on small sticks to help the fire along and make sure the logs are good and dry...

Answer 2

You can use pine cones. You can buy bundles of little tiny super flammable sticks called "fatwood" which is wood from the center of a tree that is filled with dry sap. It's rock hard so it's not sticky. If you want to find out where to buy "fatwood" in bulk just search on the term "fatwood". You can also buy kerosene (usually at a local gas station) and add it to a metal can with some ash. When you want to build a fire scoop some of the kerosene soaked ash into the fireplace before you build the fire on top of it. It lights easily and burns long enough to get your main fuel going. Be careful and do not use this method if there are any coals in the fireplace. If this mixture hits a hot coal it gives off an explosive gas that will ignite and could seriously harm you. I have used all the above methods but the one I am currently using is that I have a bucket full of finely sliced kindling that works well. You can find some 1x (one by whatever) pine board scrap at a construction site then take it home and saw it into 8 inch lengths. Then when you have some free time slice it into slivers with a hatchet. You will have a bucket full of perfect kindling that is all the same length and looks great in a bucket next to your fireplace. If you make a bunch at once it will last you all Winter Long. Now to make a fire Lay your two mid size logs in a v shape with the open end of the v facing you. Crumple up two pieces of Newspaper in the center of the v. Place about 6 pieces of your home-made kindling so that they are over the v and propped up on the mid size logs. Put one more midsize log on top of that so that it crosses both legs of the V and it is over your paper and kindling. Light the fire and enjoy, You'll get a perfect fire every time. The V shape of the first two starter logs actually helps reflect more of the heat toward the center of the room.

Answer 3

I know this is an old post, but I have to make 2 points.

1) Using gasoline (I assume this is what you mean by "gas", as opposed to something like a propane torch) is a horribly bad idea. The stuff is WAY to explosive, especially after it has started to vaporize. Using that (and likely WD40 or lighter fluid) in an enclosed environment is a good way to burn your face, hair, lungs (since people usually reflexively inhale (sucking fire or super-hot gases into your lungs/throat) right before screaming when they see a ball of flame heading toward them) and house. Not to be too harsh, but it s a dumb idea.
2) starting a wood log (or wax log) fire in a fireplace designed to burn natural gas or propane won t work very well. The smoke stack on a gas fireplace is MUCH smaller than the smoke stack for a wood burning fireplace. If you want to use a gas fireplace that is broken, call a repair technician. They are a better option than having to call someone to clean up smoke damage (since the smoke from the wood logs will just roll into the house since the smoke stack is too small.)

Answer 4

Rather than newspaper that burns up so quickly, find some tinder. Little sticks, pieces of thick cardboard, something of that nature that will burn longer. The newspaper is probably going too fast to actually catch the logs on fire. You can also get fire-starter logs which are little blocks of wood chips and starter materials that you light, and they burn slowly which helps the bigger pieces catch fire. Good luck!

Answer 5

Good grief, what are you city slickers? Can't even start a fire? Jeez...! Wad up 6-8 balls of newsprint and place them in the bottom of the firebox. Chop up some kindling (small sticks about the size of a box of pencils} and lay the kindling crosswise on the paper balls. Chop some more pieces two or three times bigger than the first ones and lay them on top of the little ones, also crosswise. Lay one piece of the firewood on top of that and light the paper balls on both sides. If that doesn't work, go to bed!

Answer 6

newspaper is good for kindling, but burns too fast to start a log burning. You need something that will sustain a flame longer. Sometimes you can use cardboard, but you really need some sort of a firestarter product. There are fatwood sticks that you can buy to help.

Answer 7

go for a walk in a local wood gather sticks
half inch to 2 inch diameter.
larger also if you can carry them
screw newspaper up ,
put smallest twigs on then up in size
light paper when sticks are burning
add larger wood pieces

Answer 8

try lighting the paper on fire, also, you can try cooking oil, or something, why do u need the gas key? The wood is nice and dry, so I would assume that it being wet would not be a problem.

Answer 9

Try shredded paper or straw.

Answer 10

lighter fluid, gas or WD40 ..... very bad idea, don't do it.