Turning fire lighting on its head…

Previously, stove users in the UK have adopted a very traditional approach to laying a fire which drew very much on the techniques employed for lighting coal fires or campfires. However, the stove users on the continent and in particular those clever Swiss have developed a different method which literally turns everything you know about fire lighting on its head.

Why use the top-down firing method?

According to our European cousins, lighting the initial charge of firewood and kindling at the top permits a steadier and more controlled combustion to take place as the flames progress down through the wood. The wood is burnt cleanly and efficiently whilst smoke emission is kept to a minimum and the glass remains clear.

The science behind this very sound. With top-down burning, the flames from the kindling are not engulfing cold un-burnt wood as they do when fires are lit at the base. When volatiles vapourise prematurely in a cold firebox they form thick smoke and soon reappear as condensation on the surface of the flue. This leads to the formation of a wet and tarry mess within the chimney and the emission of particulates into the atmosphere.

With top-down lighting, the volatiles are burnt completely as they are given off because they have to pass through the flames above. Of course, this only works with properly seasoned wood but we could not advocate using anything else anyway. (For more information on range of Kiln Dried Logs visit – https://www.robeys.co.uk/our-products/category/fuels-and-storage )

Building the fire

Step 1: Position two or three thoroughly dried logs flat in the base of the firebox. These can be laid lengthways or sideways to obtain the best fit and can be placed on top of the ash from the previous day.

Step 2: Build a ‘jenga’ style stack of kindling with each additional row of three or four pieces set at right angles to the row below (see picture below)

Step 3: Nestle one or two firelighters between the pieces of kindling near the top of the stack.

Lighting the fire

Step 1: Open the air control fully (lighting position)

Step 2: Apply a flame to the firelighters.

Step 3: Once the kindling is burning fiercely, set the air control to the middle position (setting 2)

Step 4: The air control may be closed further once the wood has become mostly char. Experience will dictate the best setting (somewhere between 2 and fully closed).

Refuelling: At the ideal setting, the fire should continue to burn for around an hour or more before refuelling is necessary. Refuelling should be done with the embers still bright. To refuel, place one or two fresh logs on brightly glowing embers and close the door.

** RAIS CleverAir – lighting is as above but the air is controlled automatically.

Follow the link below to see Bart of Harrie Leenders demonstrating the top-lighting method using display Harrie Leenders Fuga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WnSGQAF-Bqs

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