Fireplace Instructions

A Few Things To Know About Your Fireplace

How to operate the fireplace

• First check to see that the damper is open.
  
  
• The damper is a hinged metal plate that is usually inside the fireplace where it joins the chimney. Many people close the damper in summer when the fireplace is not being used, and in winter to prevent cold air from entering the room via the chimney.
  
  
• A common mistake is forgetting to open the damper again before lighting a fire.
  
  
• To inspect the damper, you usually have to crouch down and peer upward toward the rear of the fireplace. A flashlight will help. A metal lever inside the fireplace controls the damper. Pushing on the lever opens it; notches along the length of the lever allow you to adjust the opening.
  
  
• The damper regulates the fire by controlling the flow of air from the fireplace into the chimney.
  
  
• The correct procedure for using a damper is to open it fully before lighting the fire, then close it a few notches after the fire is well underway by moving the lever with a fireplace poker. If the fireplace begins to smoke after the damper has been lowered, reopen it a notch at a time until the smoking ceases.

Another common cause of fireplace smoking is insufficient air in the room containing the fireplace. This inhibits both combustion and the formation of the draft of air that carries smoke up the chimney.

• The test and cure for this problem are usually simple: Try opening one or two windows in the room a few inches while the fire is burning. The fireplace may cease smoking. Experiment until you learn how small an opening is necessary. The amount may vary from fire to fire and may also depend on weather conditions.
  
  
• Sometimes smokiness is a result of the fire being built too far forward in the fireplace.
  
  
• This causes smoke to float upward into the room instead of up the chimney. The remedy is to build the fire as far back against the rear wall of the fireplace as possible. If that does not work, the proportions of the fireplace may be incorrect.
  
  
• To avoid this problem, many masons construct fireplaces that are deeper than necessary.
  
  
• Occasional puffs of smoke that enter the room from beneath the chimney breast are usually caused by downdrafts, or air rushing down the chimney despite the upward air flow caused by fireplace heat. Downdrafts often occur in windy weather.

How to use the Fire Starter Sticks

Only two sticks of the provided fire starters are needed to get a roaring fire going. Crisscross two Fatwood sticks on a grate so that the flame will move up the sticks. Position firewood on top of the sticks. It’s best to leave a bit of room between the Fatwood and the firewood to allow for airflow. Light one end of each Fatwood stick.