Cannot get fire to burn.

[sandwich65]

I was wondering if anyone has any advice:

I have a 1930s built semi-detached house and it had a reclaimed fireplace fitted in the living room just before we moved in. It is one of the smallest fireplaces I have seen, looks more like one you'd find in a bedroom. I have experience of lighting fires, both in open fireplaces and wood burners but I just can't get any fuel or logs to burn. The kindling will burn and then smolder but then that's it! Is there something wrong with the fire, the chimney or me?! Or is the fireplace too small? The house has been opened up and is all open plan downstairs and we have exposed floorboards. I have removed the plate at the front below the grate to draw up some air, also if I hold a sheet of newspaper over the front this makes the fire burn ferociously but then it dies down once I remove it and the log just singes. The estate agent said the chimney had been swept - but who knows if that was the truth!

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks.

 

[Stivino]

Unless the logs are bone dry they won't burn on their own. You'll have to get a good fire going with coal first, then you'll be able to burn the logs. You'll soon get the hang of it, after about 20 years.
Do you know what kind of wood the logs are, and how long they've had to dry, how they've been stored etc?
Here's a wee poem to remind you which logs are best to burn.
http://tinyurl.com/74cd2su

 

[xr4x4]

Scrunched up balls of newspaper at the bottom, line the whole bottom of the fire.

BUY KINDLING and place these on top, quite a few, arange them randomly to allow for air.

Then a couple of smallish dry logs on top.

Light the newspaper all over and wait until it catches, as it starts to go and you can start to hear the kindling cracking... Use the newspaper trick to force air through the fire, do this for as long and as many times as you can.

Fire = heat-oxygen-fuel.

 

[sandwich65]

Definitely seasoned logs but kiln dried, they are really dry. Tried with solid fuel but still not catching. I have managed to light fires for many years before in other houses but just not this fire. Not sure what wood they are, just hardwood, maybe a mixture.

 

[xr4x4]

Maybe there is a problem with the chimney and there isn't enough draw.

Does the smoke get 'sucked' up the flue?

And tbh this all should of been checked when the fireplace was installed.

 

[sandwich65]

Yes the smoke goes up the chimney but I was wondering if perhaps the problem is that there is some draw but not enough to get the fire going. I wouldn't have thought the person who put the fireplace in thought about having it checked as it was a developer who sold the house and never lived here.

I will try tomorrow with the suggestions on lighting the fire. Maybe I should just get a sweep to come and inspect it, as I'm not sure if the estate agent told the truth or not.

 

[Stivino]

That's what you call a fire.

Untitled

• Stivino
• 24 Dec 2009
• 2

Logs don't give off any heat.
The only heat you'll get from logs is when you're sawing them, chopping them, carrying them to the house and endlessly throwing them onto the fire.
Get a good hot coal fire going, then start burning your logs.

 

[OwainDIYer]

YMaybe I should just get a sweep to come and inspect it,

Probably wise; it could save your life or stop your house burning down.

as I'm not sure if the estate agent told the truth or not.

You can fairly confidently assume that estate agents say whatever they think you want to here.

 

[Perry525]

It reads like your home is near to air tight.

Try opening a window and see if that improves things.

I wonder how old you are?

As children, we all learnt at an early age how to light a fire, but not many people have open fires now.

What you need is some newspapers, crunched up loose as a base, and perhaps add more under the grate, then more paper screwed up tight, then thin kindling, at this point light the paper under the grate, let it get going, then add thicker wood, then when its well alight add your coal or logs, whatever. Some wood burns more easily than others, all need to be perfectly dry, preferably cut more than a year earlier.

Check out, a fire needs a matching opening and chimney, the top of the chimney must be no less than 16 feet above the highest part of the fireplace opening, keep in mind that when you light a fire, the heat from the fire has to lift a minimum plug of cold air up and out of the chimney, then warm the chimney to enable the fire to burn. If the chimney is very cold, the fire is not hot enough, and there is no easy supply of fresh air, it will not light.

 

[cotswoldbuilders]

Sounds like you dont have enough draw, get it swept again, if the sweeps any good he should be able to advise, you may need the fire opening enlarged.
Id stick a wood burner and liner in, lots more heat.

 

[Nige F]

I was wondering if anyone has any advice:

I have a 1930s built semi-detached house and it had a reclaimed fireplace fitted in the living room just before we moved in. It is one of the smallest fireplaces I have seen, looks more like one you'd find in a bedroom. .

It could well be - you`ve just got me on a nostalgia trip Gran used to put some burning coal from the main fire into a bedroom fireplace if someone was ill in bed Never saw her light a fire in that small bedroom fireplace - maybe that`s the answer

 

[sandwich65]

Thank you to everyone who has replied. I did manage to get the fire to burn, however, my neighbour had smoke coming down their back fireplace so no more cosy fires until I get a sweep out! Seems like the front chimney is blocked and that might have been the reason why there was not much draw, next door had smoke and there was some smoke in our room.

 

[sandwich65]

Perry 525 I am 192 years old.

 

[Perry525]

We were born the same year, my birthday is September.

 

[Jamie80]

did you fix the smoke? maybe just chimney cleaning would be enough lol must be annyoing for him.