Understanding Drafts: A Deep Dive into Fireplace Mechanics
We often get calls from homeowners who are experiencing issues with their draft, and our first step is to investigate the problem at hand. We begin by examining the back wall of the fireplace, specifically focusing on an area where soot has been burnt off. The clearer color stone reveals a layer of burnt-off soot, which indicates that the fireplace is operating correctly. Most of the heat should be directed downwards, but in this case, it's clear that the fireplace is working efficiently.
This tells us that the fireplace is producing the right amount of heat to burn off the soot effectively. We observe that most of the heat is being generated below the stone, which explains why this area is clear of soot. This also means that we can expect hot air to rise through the chimney, carrying smoke with it. Our goal is to create a proper draft, which will allow us to gauge the effectiveness of the fireplace.
To achieve this, we build a smoke shelf and smoke chamber, constructing these components in the shape of a cone that meets at the bottom of the flue. This design allows the smoke to be drawn upwards through the chimney. If we have a proper draft, we know that our fireplace is working effectively. However, if we still observe soot on this area but see smoke coming back into the room, it's likely that our technique for building the fire was incorrect.
Understanding Fireplace Technique
To build a fire correctly, we begin by adding newspaper to the grate, crumpling it up loosely and stuffing it under the grate. We don't need to worry too much about the amount of paper used, as it will burn quickly. The next step is to add our biggest logs, laying them horizontally in the grate like this. We leave a space between each log for the flame to catch fire.
Next, we add medium-sized logs, crisscrossing them over the big logs. Finally, we sprinkle kindling on top of the second layer of firewood, creating a thin layer of material that will help the flames spread. Most people place their kindling at the bottom of the fireplace, which can lead to issues with smoke entering the room.
To prime the flue before lighting the fire, we wait for a bit and observe how the heat is moving through the chimney. If we're getting some effect on the kindling, we know that our mechanics are working properly. As the flames ignite, we hear the unmistakable crackle of wood burning, indicating airflow.
The Importance of Hardwood Seasoned Wood
One crucial aspect to consider when building a fire is the type of wood used. Hardwood seasoned wood is always the best option to use, as it produces fewer creosote and other combustion byproducts that can harm our homes. Pine, on the other hand, should be avoided due to its high moisture content, which can lead to issues with draft and smoke.
Practical Application
Our goal is to create a fire that burns efficiently and effectively, producing minimal smoke. After following our method of lighting a fire, we have successfully achieved this. We've managed to build a good burn, with no smoke entering the room. Even when adding more logs, the flames remain strong, indicating proper airflow.
This highlights the importance of our technique in building the fire. If you use this method nine times out of ten, you'll be able to achieve similar results. However, if you do experience issues with smoke returning to the room, it may indicate a blockage or an insufficiently built chimney.
Conclusion
Understanding drafts and fireplace mechanics is essential for creating a warm and comfortable home. By following our methods and techniques, you can ensure that your fireplace operates efficiently, producing minimal smoke and heat loss. Whether you're new to building fires or just looking to improve your technique, we hope this article has provided valuable insights into the world of fireplace mechanics.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enso we get a call from thomas uh anytime anybody calls in and says they have a problem with the draft the first thing i do go to the house and i look at this back wall back here what are you looking at so you can see how this particular area of the soot is all burnt off all right so the clearer color stone yeah no soot sit up on top what does that tell you so that tells me that the fireplace is operating correctly because most of the heat is supposed to be down here that's why you have that burn the way you do in that area so i know this fireplace is working great so much heat that is actually burning the soot off that's right okay and we like the heat obviously because that's creating the hot air which is we hope will go up the chimney that's right so basic principle of physics hot air goes up behind this stone we have a couple components that we build smoke shelf smoke chamber we make that into like a cone that meets at the bottom of the flue and that's where the smoke goes up and out of the house once we have a proper draft we know the fireplace is working well so if someone still has this hue back here that we see but they still have smoke coming back we know that they've probably built the fire incorrectly so you're thinking maybe technique all right well let's see your technique for building all right fire so the first thing we're going to do is add newspaper all i'm going to do is crumple it up loosely stuff it under the grate i'm not going to worry about putting too much paper in because it's just going to burn but i do want to leave enough room for the flames to catch second thing i'm going to do is i'm going to get my biggest logs and i'm going to lay them the long way in the grate like this i'm going to leave a space in between the logs just so the flame can bump up now i'm going to take my medium logs and just crisscross the big logs like this again i'm going to leave a gap in between the firewood and the last thing i'm going to do is take my kindling which i got in the backyard as well and i'm just going to throw it on top of my second layer of firewood just like this so most people are probably putting a kindred down low so what i find is when you put the kindling down low which is what most people do you light the newspaper and the newspaper flame can't get up through that kindling so that's when it gets stuffed and the smoke starts to emanate into the room so what i want to do before i light the fire is i want to prime the flue you can see it's already starting to pull smoke up to priming it meaning you're trying to get a little bit of heat moving through that chimney that's right and that's gonna let everything else go the same way so i just wait for that i'll go about halfway and once i'm at about this point all i'm going to do is dip down to my newspaper kind of ignite it and then i'll just put that on top but you can see the flames being pulled up that's because we primed the flue not just pulled up but you can see actually the flames come off the paper going right between the big ones right right between the medium ones and you hear that crackle that means we're getting some effect on the kindling i can feel the heat out here but no smoke yet right and you got sort of a very tall upright flame telling you that's airflow so that's airflow and again that means all my mechanics inside were built properly because the flue is lined up directly with the center of our fireplace and as you can see that flame is being pulled right into the center so and another thing we should add is that hardwood seasoned wood is always the best to use you know some people you don't ever want to use pine pine can create some of that creosote that everybody is so afraid of all right i think you proved your point mark we got about a half hour into this fire you got a good burn no smoke in the room no smoke and we were actually able to add a couple logs so um if you use this method of lighting a fire nine times out of ten you're going to be great if you do have that oddity where the smoke comes back into the room you probably have some kind of blockage or maybe the chimney isn't built high enough so might be time to call the local mason at that time all right good information and thanks for the fire all right thanks kevin thanks for watching this whole house has got a video for just about every home improvement project so be sure to check out the others and if you like what you see click on the subscribe button make sure that you get our newest videos right in your feed\n"
