It All Starts With a Good Seasoning If you’ve read our article on the spectacular science of stacking firewood, then you know that the best type of wood to use in any wood-burning fireplace is seasoned dry wood. This is very important, because you want your fire to burn clean, with ...
If you've been using yourwood-burning fireplaceoroutdoorfirepitfor a little while now, you may be wondering how exactly to dispose of the ashes. One cord of wood produces 50 pounds of ashes, so it's safe to say you'll need someplace to put them all. Though you can certainly toss as...
It's unadvised to simply pull out the gas logs and throw wood logs into the fireplace. You'll first have to check if you have a venting system that can handle the smoke of burning wood. If you don't do this, you risk filling your home with smoke when you use the fireplace. Though...
How to clean a wood burning fireplace 1. Extinguish any fires and wait for the fireplace to completely cool before emptying out the ash. 2. Next, lay down a dust sheet or old towels to protect the floor from spilled soot or dusty ash. 3. Wearing gloves and protective eyewear, use a ...
8. Stock up on Fuel for a Wood Burning Fire If you have a wood-burning or gas fire, store enough fuel to keep at least one room warm. Many gas fires don’t require a pilot ignition to start, so you can use your fireplace to stay warm as long as the room is well ventilated. ...
Another good method is to find two trees very close to each other, place the branch between them, and use leverage until it breaks. If you find a nice long log you can't break, just feed it into the fire little by little. A good rule of thumb for gathering wood is to get as ...
Burn More Cleanly with Fireplace Retrofits and Inserts If you love the look and spontaneity of a wood fire, fireplace retrofits to your existing wood-burning fireplaces can make them more efficient and less polluting. Retrofits typically fit inside your existing fireplace and use materials that in...
Place a thermometer in each container of water to track the temperature change. Does the angle of the box toward the sun make a difference? What if you use a longer piece of tubing and make more loops? The warmer the water coming out, the more heat it's absorbing from the sun. If ...
A fireplace and a wood stove can help offset the energy it takes to heat your home. In fact, most homes that are off the grid depend on burning wood as their primary heat source. Electric and gas furnaces simply require too much fuel to keep a house warm on their own. You can even...
So, let’s talk about refacing. First, let’s discuss a masonry wood-burning fireplace. Ceramic and porcelain tiles may be options, but most will use a cultured stone or brick product that can be applied right over existing brick. If you’re planning to install an insert, the existing ...