Eastlife Autumn 2020

Written by Kate Garside
www.blakeney-cottage.co.uk
A real fire is one of the great joys of the cooler nights. Here are our five tips to ensure you get the best from yours:
1
Make sure that you have your chimney regularly
swept by a reliable and competent chimney sweep.
Chimney sweeps get very busy in the autumn and winter
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once people start to use their fires so you may need
to book well in advance. If your fire is in regular use it
should be swept at least once a year to reduce the risk of
chimney fires or blocked flues causing fumes and smoke
to re-enter the room. Even if you do not use your fire that
often it is still worth having it swept annually as birds often
nest in unused chimneys in spring and summer.
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2
Choose the right fuel for your fire. Log burners
need well-seasoned logs. Hard wood logs will usually
burn for longer than soft wood, but they may need
more seasoning after cutting before you can use them.
A Victorian and Edwardian style grate will need a
smokeless coal.
A multi-fuel stove is often the best choice as you can burn
wood or smokeless coal products. Free or cheap fuel for
your log burner or fire can be readily sourced by scouring
industrial estates and asking businesses if they have any
wood scraps. Window companies often have offcuts they
may be looking to dispose of. This sort of wood is great
for getting your fire going as it is usually very dry and
burns quickly.
5
Kindling is required to get your fire going.
Try scrunched up newspaper and some light twigs.
Offcuts of pine work really well. Starting at the base with
paper, then kindling, then wood, build your fire in layers.
Once the fire is going you may add larger pieces of wood
or coal-based products to the fire depending on the type
of fireplace it is.
If you have an open fire it is wise to have a fire guard
and large stone or tiled hearth. This is to reduce the
risk of sparks jumping out of fire and setting fire to the
house and also to prevent children or animals touching
fire or inadvertently falling on to it.
Clean your fireplace out regularly. Ash will
accumulate under your fire and this needs to be removed
when it is cold, or it will eventually cause a blockage. A lot
of modern log burners have an easily removable ash tray
that can be taken outside and emptied. If not, it is back to
a metal bucket and a small metal shovel. The ash can be
added to your compost heap.
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