How to Use Fireplace Vents Properly
Use fireplace vents properly to aid in starting a fire and keep it burning longer. Many homes have a bellows among the fireplace accessories. Yet if you use the vents as they are designed, this tool will not get much use. Fireplaces do more than just warm a den.
A fire provides soothing stimulation to four of the five senses. Enjoy winter evenings and get the most out of your fireplace by making use of the vents.
Tip
Close the doors and open the vents to make a fire burn out quickly. The resulting draft will burn wood and coals as quickly as possible. Close the doors and vents to extinguish a fire and save the logs for another time.
Warning
Never leave a fireplace burning unattended.
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Lay kindling twigs over the grate. Stack logs on top in perpendicular layers with air spaces between them.
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Open the vents and light the kindling. Close the glass doors once the kindling is in flames. The draft will create suction that draws air forcefully in through the vents. The air flow will fan the flames and light the logs quickly.
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Open the glass doors once the logs begin to burn. Close the screen to keep sparks inside. Allow the fire to burn long enough to drop a bed of hot coals.
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Close the vents once there is a bed of coals under the grate. This will keep the coals burning longer to light the new logs you add to the fire.
The Drip Cap
- Use fireplace vents properly to aid in starting a fire and keep it burning longer.
- Lay kindling twigs over the grate.
- Close the glass doors once the kindling is in flames.
- The draft will create suction that draws air forcefully in through the vents.
Writer Bio
Jonra Springs began writing in 1989. He writes fiction for children and adults and draws on experiences in education, insurance, construction, aviation mechanics and entertainment to create content for various websites. Springs studied liberal arts and computer science at the College of Charleston and Trident Technical College.
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