Domestic fires

Operating your domestic fire

When lighting a fire, make sure you:

• use enough kindling
• don't put too much firewood on/in at first
• stack wood loosely in the firebox so air can circulate
• never use wet or green wood, painted or treated wood.

Once alight, make sure you:

• keep the fire burning brightly
• keep the air control open for at least 30 minutes
• burn smaller logs (less than 110mm) rather than trying to burn a single, large log
• if you add logs, open up the air control to high for at least 20-30 minutes before turning down
• be careful not to block air supply to the base of the fire with a badly positioned log
• don't damp down the fire
• don't burn rubbish in the fire.

Check your chimney

• use this handy chimney checker to see how well you are operating your woodburner.

Chimney checker

For a list of approved wood burners, please visit the Ministry for the Environment.

Good practice for operating your wood burner: