Use the Swiss or reverse lighting method. It's important that you put out fires in your fireplace properly to avoid a hazard. Fire needs a “critical mass” in order to burn well. A top-down burn, sometimes called an upside-down fire, allows for a cleaner burn, and makes the best use of the fireplace, producing less smoke in the process. Before you start a fire, open up the damper. 1.Ensure a fast, hot start to the fire. Because air circulates under and around the grate, kindling burns cleaner and faster, heating the cold air in the fireplace and chimney. The warmth will create the draft in the fireplace and keep the fire going. By starting the fire with pieces of wood of fast-burning wood types (poplar, pine, willow, alder, etc.) This should create a strong draft that will keep the smoke in the chimney and out of the house. The main reason why a lot of smoke is produced all comes down to using the wrong type of fuel. How can I get the fireplace fire burning without smoking the living room up? Fortunately, two effective fire extinguishers, water and baking soda, are easy to find at home. The vaporization of the hydrocarbons under high temperatures in the wood causes the smoke. Whether you’re burning wood in a fireplace or woodstove, smoke coming into the house creates dirty air and dust in your home. Light a match to the newspaper under the grate, and the fire starts quickly, heating the chimney flue so that wood smoke flows up the chimney. When you open the damper, a rush of cold air will come down into the fireplace from the chimney. This makes it hard to light a fire and forces smoke … Also, keep a good supply of fire starters and kindling handy…it can be very aggravating attempting to start a fire without small, dry kindling. With indoor fires, it’s especially important to start with well-seasoned wood that won’t smoke you out of your living room. Just one log sitting in a stove will not ignite or burn. My Fireplace Smokes When I Try to Light It. If your fire smokes when it is first lit, it could be because the flue is cold. and a lighter block, a warm air flow through the chimney is quickly developed. Resources: All the materials Mark used to build the fire in his fireplace were found either around the house or in the backyard. - PR. The puff of smoke from an airtight stove can be solved with air regulation. Place the burning paper on top of the kindling. The most common source of smoke from a woodstove occurs when the door is opened to add wood. A fireplace fire operates differently than your typical campfire, so it makes sense that building one should require a few tweaks to your standard procedure. This is so that all of the smoke, gases, and other byproducts of combustion can exit out of the chimney. How to Put Out a Fire in a Fireplace. 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