There’s more than one way to start a fire this fall

Q. We had many trees taken down due to ash borers, so I plan to use my fireplace more this fall and winter. I have never had much luck building fires without smoking up the room. Do you have any tips?

A. Unless you have an efficient fireplace with glass doors or live in a one-room house, you should use your fireplace primarily in the fall and spring. During very cold weather, the typical open masonry fireplace loses more heated air up the chimney than it produces to help heat your house.

Almost any fireplace will smoke a little until the chimney gets warm enough to create an upward draft. Burning a few crumpled newspapers first can adequately warm the chimney. Slightly open a window near the fireplace to reduce the possibility of creating negative pressure. An open window also reduces the amount of already heated air drawn from the house and lost up the chimney.

The two most important factors in having a fire without smoke in the room are the quality of the firewood and the design of the fireplace.

Using well-seasoned wood with low moisture content produces a hot fire with a strong draft. Ash firewood can be difficult to start, but it burns well once you get it going. It is a good idea to also use some other softwoods to get the fire started.

Many fireplaces are designed to look good, but they do not always create a good airflow pattern. The relationship of the dimensions (the height and width of the opening, the firebox depth, and the size of smoke shelf and flue) is critical. If necessary, it is not difficult to modify the opening size with decorative metal strips.

There really is no best method for building a fire. If you ask 100 people, you will get 100 “best” methods, each depending on a specific fireplace. In general, though, two of the most common methods are the tepee and English (these names refer to the way you place the kindling and logs in the fireplace).

I have an efficient heat-circulating fireplace, so I use the tepee method and build the fire on the base of the firebox. This transfers more heat to the circulating room air.

First, put some crumpled newspapers in the center of the firebox. Using some wax/sawdust fire starters or small pieces of a fire log helps. On top of the newspapers and optional fire starter, place a few long, thin pieces of kindling in a tepee pattern. Next, stack the logs around the kindling, also in a tepee pattern. The hot burning gases and flames will be channeled up through the logs, creating a super-hot, concentrated fire. Once it is burning well, place more logs over the flames (any fashion is OK at this point).

If you prefer to use a grate or andirons, the English method can be very effective.

Put crumpled newspapers under the andirons or grate. Lay several seasoned logs horizontally across the grate. Place long pieces of kindling perpendicular across the logs. Place another layer of logs on top of this. No matter what method you use, have your chimney checked by a professional chimney sweep. Doing so is inexpensive insurance to guard against a chimney fire, which can damage the chimney lining and possibly cause a house fire.

During very cold weather, the typical open masonry replace loses more heated air up the chimney than it produces to help heat your house.”

Q. There is white aluminum siding on my house. There appears to be a narrow gap between the siding and the flashing around the window. Shouldn’t this gap be caulked to stop air and water leakage?

A. When siding is installed properly, this gap should not be caulked. Aluminum siding can expand a lot with temperature changes. The gap is required to handle expansion without buckling the siding.

There should be caulking underneath the point where the flashing around the window frame was nailed before the siding was installed. This creates the seal.

Other openings without a flashing, such as electrical outlets and faucets can be caulked.

Send inquiries to James Dulley, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, 6906 Royalgreen Drive, Cincinnati, Ohio 45244 or visit www.dulley.com.

The English method is ideal for use with andirons and larger logs. The kindling is placed on top of the rst layers of logs, with a few pieces reaching down into the newspapers.

JAMES DULLEY During the summer, stack some small split logs indoors so they are well seasoned by fall. Move the logs a safe distance away from the replace before building your rst fall re.

The tepee method of laying a re can be effective with smaller logs on a grate. Notice the re starter in the center of the tepee.