Fireplace Safety

• Never use flammable liquids to start a fire
• Use only seasoned hardwood.
• Never burn cardboard boxes, trash or debris in the fireplace.
• Open the damper before staring a wood burning fire.
• Teach children about dangers of fire. Guard around the fireplace is for children safety please ensure the door is closed. Children can get burned not just by the fire but by the glass and metal doors surrounding the fire.
• Do not use lighter fluid to start a fire.
• Use long matches.
• Never leave a fire unattended.
• Fireplace gloves are a safety necessity, long fireplace gloves offer maximum protection please use them.

Fireplace Safety & Equipment:

• A Fireside Set (These usually come with a stand and have a small broom, shovel and poker – all with long handles).
• Metal bucket (for removing coals when cleaning heater out)
• Paper (Newspaper or other paper bits)
• Kindling (Clean, dry kindling)
• Sustainable firewood (hardwood) HINT: Keep in mind that most firewood is split to approx 30cm (12 inches) long.
• Matches Long matches
• Long Fire Gloves

Building up some Ash in the bottom of the wood heater.
NOTE: Please don’t clean out all the ash! If you are starting from scratch (eg: you have totally cleaned out ALL the ash from the bottom of the heater), you will need to build up some ash in the bottom of the woodheater.

Instructions on How To Light a Fire in a Woodheater:

1. First, OPEN the air vent known as the damper (the knob on the left hand side at the top) and make sure the FAN (on the right hand side down the bottom) is in the OFF position.
2. Twist some paper up firmly, or squash several pieces into balls (this can be newspaper or any other sheets of paper). Place the paper in the bottom of the wood heater (in the centre – not all over the bottom).
3. Add 8-10 pieces of clean kindling on the paper –criss-crossed – to let air get through.
4. Light the paper around the kindling, from the BACK of the fireplace to the front (so you don’t burn yourself).
5. Let the flames increase and start to burn the kindling. At this stage, leave the heater door slightly open about 2½ cm (approx 1 inch) to help draw the air in. Criss-cross the kindling pieces a bit apart so that air can circulate for optimal burning. (Not facing side to side as they might roll towards the door as they burn down). Place them on the diagonal.
6. When the kindling has caught fire, add one or two pieces of small wood on top of the kindling, making sure not to smother out the fire you have just started, then close the door.
7. When the fire is burning well, add a couple of larger pieces of wood and close the door again. 

Tip: If the larger bits of wood are a bit slow to catch fire, simply leave the door open a tiny bit (approx 2½ cm (1 inch), so some air draws in to make the fire stronger, then close the door.
8. Add more wood as the pieces burn down. You should only have three or four medium-sized (or 1-2 large) pieces of wood burning at once.
9. If you want to spread the heat further, simply turn on the Fan.
10. Use ceiling fans to help push down the heat that has risen to the ceiling to keep the room at optimum temperature.
11. Make sure you seal draughts under doors with the fabric door sausages.
12. Close off any un-used rooms ~ The closed door makes that room another barrier between you and the outdoors. It also stops air from circulating as much, which reduces heat loss.