Imagine the warmth and comfort of a roaring fireplace during winter. What’s not to love? If you’re like most people, though, you don’t enjoy the process of drawing on your fireplace with chalk because it takes time and can be messy. Luckily there are some great tools that make this process easier! This blog post will teach you how to improve your fireplace drawings by using these 10 helpful tips.
Have The Chimney Swept
If you want to make sure that there are no fire hazards or carbon monoxide leaks, have the chimney swept. This is especially important if it has not been done for a long time. The last thing you need during cold weather seasons is for your home to go up in flames because of an unnoticed problem with one simple part of your house!
A chimney sweep can also help you figure out if your fireplace is properly working. Sometimes, it may be a simple fix that will save you money and time from having to hire another professional or buying new parts for the home.
In some cases, they even have fireplaces of their own so they know what problems could arise with certain types of designs/materials used in these areas!
Use The Right Type Of Wood
Did you know there are different kinds of wood? Some burn up faster than others while producing more smoke and releasing greater amounts of carbon monoxide into the air rather quickly – not exactly ideal during winter seasons when people spend most of their time indoors. Also, always remember to stock up on plenty of dry kindling as well as firewood.
Don’t Burn Paint Or Chemical Wood Treatments
Burning paint and chemical wood treatments can be a huge problem for your fireplace – not to mention it will release toxins into the air you breathe! Some homeowners choose to burn old furniture pieces, but only if they are sure that there is no leftover lead paint on them. Other items include plywood, chipboard, or fiberboard which all have chemicals used in their production process just like those mentioned above. Don’t risk burning things that could hurt you and those around you!
Open Any Air Vents Or Windows
Before starting, open any air vents or windows. This will help get rid of the fumes that are still sticking around from your last fire. It also helps make sure there is plenty of fresh oxygen to keep you warm throughout this process!
Fully Open The Damper
It may seem counter-intuitive to fully open the damper, but doing so will allow for better ventilation and more airflow. If you are worried about drawing too much air through your fireplace, make sure that there is a screen in front of it or some other barrier between the flue opening and where you want to draw from.
Leave Glass Doors Open Before Each Fire
This is very important and something most people tend to forget. It allows the fireplace room to warm up before you actually light a fire, which prevents smoke from filling your home or apartment.
- This step will also allow ash and soot particles that normally build up inside of chimneys after fires to stay out of living areas as well.
- Leaving the glass doors open will also allow you to visually inspect your firebox and chimney for any damage or obstructions.
- This step should be done before each use of a fireplace, even if it has not been used in some time.
Prime The Chimney Flue
Prime the chimney flue before starting a fire. Draw air into your fireplace by opening windows at each end of the room. Open doors to adjacent rooms if possible, too. While you are priming, an open damper on top of the stove to fuel will pull in better when it’s open than closed.
If your fireplace is a wood stove, see the section below on starting and maintaining a fire. If it’s an old-style masonry fireplace with no flue, make sure you have good ventilation in the room as well as opening windows or doors to allow fresh air into adjacent rooms.
Don’t burn anything that will create black smoke like plastic garbage bags or foam insulation – they produce poisonous fumes when burned! Use only seasoned hardwood (or softwood, if there are no bark bits) and don’t overload your firebox; keep fires small. You’ll get more heat and less creosote buildup than from burning green/wet fuel or too much at once: two cords maximum per 24 hours for smaller stoves). Check your stove once or twice a day to ensure that the fire is being maintained.
Make sure your chimney flue has been swept at least once per year. The build-up of creosote in the flue can lead to fires and/or carbon monoxide poisoning if it’s not cleaned out on time, so have this done by October at the latest before you start your first winter fire(s) – then again when spring comes around, just for good measure!
Creosote buildup will be much reduced over summer months due to cooler temperatures outside; however, we recommend having traditional masonry (brick) fireplace rebuilt with an additional stainless steel liner annually because these older types without liners are more prone to build-up than newer metal stove liners.
Build A Fire Using The Top-Down Method
Start by making a criss-cross of kindling on the bottom grate. Make sure to leave at least an inch between each piece. Place several pieces of newspaper underneath the wood and light them up using a match or lighter. Once your fire is going strong, shut off all ventilation options – this will help you avoid putting out the fireplace drawing with water before it’s the time!
Your goal here is to have as much oxygen getting into that little flame as possible, so don’t allow any fresh air from the outside to rush in through cracks around windows or doors until after things are well underway (at least 15 minutes). As long as you keep those vents closed tight, no smoke should escape from inside the chimney either.
Use Low Moisture Content Logs
You don’t want to be standing next to a hot fire with burning logs that create more heat than they’re worth. Low moisture content means less smoke and better value as your wood lasts longer before needing replacement. The only downside is you should try not to stack them too high or it can lead to intense smells like wet dogs, so avoid doing so if possible.
Increase the contrast of your fireplace drawing. Make it blurry if you are using graphite pencils or charcoal, but keep some detail for emphasis. If you choose to use colored pencils, try blending them together with a cotton bud soaked in baby oil so they become smooth and blend well on paper. You can also play around with different hues until you find one that stands out more than another color would against the black surrounding it.
Burn Smaller, Hotter Fires
In order to get a better drawing fire, you’ll want to burn smaller and hotter fires. When wood burns fully it turns into coals that don’t have any place for air or heat to escape from, that is why burning small hot fires makes the room warmer because there is more oxygen available in the fireplace. In addition, if your logs are small enough, they will begin popping when burned completely instead of smoldering slowly as larger logs do at first.
Use A Fireplace Grate
Most people don’t know this, but the grates in your fireplace are actually designed to be used! If you have a nice grate on your fireplace walls is much easier for you to draw because it will hold onto the chalk so that it doesn’t fall off of the wall. You can easily buy one online or at any store that sells fireplaces.
If you don’t have a grate, no need to worry. Just go over the grates in your fireplace with white or black chalk and they will work just as well!
Burn The Fire Towards The Back Of The Fireplace
- Use bricks to create a path for the fire. If you’re working with wood burning fireplace, keep in mind that you should never place your logs on top of each other as this can cause a backdraft and damage the chimney flue.
- If you’re working with a marble fireplace, make sure that the wood-burning fire is always pointing towards the back of your fireplace. You can use bricks or stones to create a path for the flames and help direct them in this way. This will prevent any damage from occurring to both your marble and chimney flue by ensuring it’s properly vented. Another key consideration when using an open flame is never to place logs on top of one another as this can cause a backdraft which could lead to all kinds of issues such as soot accumulation and potential structural damage due to excess heat buildup behind walls, ceilings, and floors.
- If you are working with a wood-burning fireplace, keep in mind that the logs should never be on top of each other as this can cause damage to both your chimney flue and the marble fireplace. You can instead use bricks or stones to create a path for the flames which will help prevent any potential issues from occurring.
- When using an open flame such as firewood it’s important to remember not to place logs directly on top of one another because this could lead to backdrafts which would damage your chimney flue along with potentially causing structural problems due to excess heat being built up behind walls, ceilings, and floors. To avoid these kinds of issues make sure there are always gaps between the pieces of wood so that air can flow freely.
- If you are working with a wood-burning fireplace, keep in mind that the logs should never be on top of each other as this could cause damage to both your chimney flue and the marble fireplace.
- When using an open flame such as firewood it’s important to remember not to place logs directly on top of one another because this could lead to backdrafts which would damage your chimney flue along with potentially causing structural problems due to excess heat being built up behind walls, ceilings, and floors. To avoid these kinds of issues make sure there are always gaps between the pieces of wood so that air can flow freely.
Don’t Use Your Fireplace In Windy Weather
When the wind is blowing, it can cause smoke to blow back into your house. This increases the chances of a fire breaking out in your home when you least expect it. Avoid using the fireplace during these times if possible or have someone else watch over things for you so they can tell you what’s going on outside.
You should also avoid using lighter fluid since this will only make matters worse if there does happen to be a fire during high winds and might even start one due to how flammable liquid accelerants are!
Clean the chimney
One of the best ways to improve your fireplace drawing is by cleaning out the chimney. You can hire a professional or do it yourself with some good old-fashioned elbow grease and tools. The cleaner the flue, the better draft you’ll get when starting up your fire in cold weather – making it easier for that wood smoke to flow up into bigger air passages where it can be properly circulated throughout your home.
Be very careful not to damage gas lines that run through your chimney; it is critical that these remain intact at all times! Also, be wary of using lighter fluid inside your fireplace as flammable vapors may build up if there isn’t proper ventilation available for escape routes (i.e double doors). These gases are highly combustible so please take caution with open flames near any flammables during lighting! Do not use any flammables on or near your fireplace unless you are ready to extinguish it completely.
Fireplace tools should be placed in a safe, secure location out of the way (and away from children and pets). When not in use these can collect dust which can lead to chimney fires if too much debris collects inside the walls! Again, please take great care when cleaning bricks with water hoses as this may damage them further; always test first before spraying all over. If possible try using dry cloths instead for wiping after each fire has burnt down.
Add an electric log lighter to make starting fires easier and more efficient
There are many reasons that people love to have a wood-burning, gas, or even pellet stove in their homes today but one of my favorite things about them is how they look when lit up at night while I’m relaxing on our couch watching TV! The crackling flame dancing around inside of it really adds ambiance and warmth making it feel like we’re staying in some kind of luxury cabin instead of home.
- Get rid of clutter around the house, including old clothes, shoes, and books.
- Put them in the closet, under your bed, or wherever you store clutter.
- Keep a nice rug near the fireplace to put on your feet when it gets cold.
Paint the inside of your fireplace with matte black paint to eliminate as much reflection as possible.
If you’ve never used some kind of starter before, it’s about time that you try one out! Even if have started fires in fireplaces or wood stoves many times, I’m sure there are some things that you could stand to learn from this article and why not read until the end for a little bonus?
Adding an electric log lighter is a great way to improve starting fires because it can actually help save energy by making it easier on you. Make sure that any outside air intake isn’t blocked so your house doesn’t lose heat while keeping up with all those logs burning at once.
An end table is a great addition to your fireplace drawing. A side table will help with putting down drinks or snacks when you’re sitting near the fire. They also look nice and give some more room in the living room. If you want, get one that has drawers for storage of other things like trinkets, games, blankets, etc…