After 30 years I discovered top down fire lighting

[CatMan Fetters]

What I do is use dryer lint, put some in the cardboard type egg cartons, a little lint in each space, get some candles from a second hand shop and melt down in an old pot then fill each hole up with the wax. Drop in in the middle of a couple of pieces of wood and your good to go.

 

[lead farmer]

Go to Youtube and just punch in "top down firewood starting" or something like that and you'll see it, instead of having the newspaper and kindling on the bottom it is upside down, you put the paper on top of the kindling which is on top of a few bigger pieces, the paper lights up and heats up the flue quickly and it just starts burning from there "top down".

I will check it out. Thanks

Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[unclemoustache]

Good kindling is the bomb. Cedar is wonderful for that. Whenever I do a job where I have to tear out any cedar, I keep it and cut it into 6" lengths, which are then split into thinner pieces by the smaller kids or by me at the stove.

I usually build it the 'proper' way, but I've also lit from the middle as well. The preferred method is to just throw more wood onto the coals from last night, but as someone else said, it's been too warm, so I sometimes don't reload at night, so I have to light in the morning.

I also use a torch to light, so usually no need to bother with paper. But I do have draft issues (chimney is on the windward side of the house), and when I have a dead cold stove, I have to open a door nearby to overcome that.

 

[Stonesforbrains]

I tried this method on the burn pit out in the snow today and the wind didn’t help much but it finally went like I saw on the webs. I then tried it this evening in our tiny fireplace. Wife doesn’t like me to burn a fire in the fireplace that often cause of the backup smoke. Tonight it worked very well and there was very minimal back up smoke. Wife is very pleased and toasty. She just told me that’s the way to go from now on. Thanks for the thread. I never even looked at that type of fire starting before.

 

[Sandhill Crane]

I believe it is considered a 'swiss style' fire. It burns the fuel more slowly.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I tried this method on the burn pit out in the snow today and the wind didn’t help much but it finally went like I saw on the webs. I then tried it this evening in our tiny fireplace. Wife doesn’t like me to burn a fire in the fireplace that often cause of the backup smoke. Tonight it worked very well and there was very minimal back up smoke. Wife is very pleased and toasty. She just told me that’s the way to go from now on. Thanks for the thread. I never even looked at that type of fire starting before.

I'm glad that it worked and helped cut down the excess smoke for you and the wife! I basically tried it because of the same reason and the other night I tried it for the 4th time and it worked like a charm, I am getting the hang of it now! But it will be awhile before I need the stove, this weather here is insane, record highs in the low 60's, no wonder everybody is sick!!!!!

 

[EastoutWest]

For me, paper grocery bags seem to work really well for firestarting vs. newspaper. Another good reason not to use plastic bags.

 

[svk]

I prefer the traditional method of bottom up. But my boiler, fireplace, and sauna all draft extremely well so I guess backdraft is not an issue in my case.

 

[Hedgerow]

Good kindling is the bomb. Cedar is wonderful for that. Whenever I do a job where I have to tear out any cedar, I keep it and cut it into 6" lengths, which are then split into thinner pieces by the smaller kids or by me at the stove.

I usually build it the 'proper' way, but I've also lit from the middle as well. The preferred method is to just throw more wood onto the coals from last night, but as someone else said, it's been too warm, so I sometimes don't reload at night, so I have to light in the morning.

I also use a torch to light, so usually no need to bother with paper. But I do have draft issues (chimney is on the windward side of the house), and when I have a dead cold stove, I have to open a door nearby to overcome that.

I like the torch method.

In the shop, I load the burner and put a scoop of used motor oil on it..
Don’t do that in the house..
It’ll piss people off..

Sup Unc??

 

[Hedgerow]

I'm new to the top down thing, but it sure does work.

Works especially well for these little “modern” stoves like the one I got the kids.
Very little smoke, warms the flue and secondary tubes. They really like a good draft to function properly.

Howdy Don.

 

[alleyyooper]

Stop screw around and get a fire going quick. I lay some big half splits in first lay in some and I mean some a hand full then small splits open draft and damper and light it.

I use a torch and can have a roaring fire in 5 minutes.

Screws on a small one pound tank.
they even sell ones that have a trigger starter one too.

Stops smokeing the house up doesn't take for ever and a day to get a fire going and heating the house.

Al

 

[grizz55chev]

Stop screw around and get a fire going quick. I lay some big half splits in first lay in some and I mean some a hand full then small splits open draft and damper and light it.

I use a torch and can have a roaring fire in 5 minutes.

Screws on a small one pound tank.
they even sell ones that have a trigger starter one too.

Stops smokeing the house up doesn't take for ever and a day to get a fire going and heating the house.

Al

Yep, fastest way to get er goin, no fussing around! Map gas for me!

 

[sunfish]

Works especially well for these little “modern” stoves like the one I got the kids.
Very little smoke, warms the flue and secondary tubes. They really like a good draft to function properly.

Howdy Don.

Howdy Matt.

 

[husqvarna257]

When I do use the coal stove in the basement I have to use the top down method. The outside chimney pipe has a negative draft until the stove pipe gets warm. I had some bad smoke shows getting it going before. Now I light some paper in the stove pipe and light some scrap wood and charcoal bricks soaked in diesel right on top of the coal. Hot anthracite fire in 30 mins or less.

 

[Hedgerow]

Howdy Matt.

You need to make it down to the Wappapello races this March.
We’ll have libations after I win that sumbich again this year. That bulliet rye is my new favorite.

 

[Hedgerow]

Ok.. I’ll probably get my ass kicked by Levi and 10 others this year..


But we’ll have a toast just the same

 

[sunfish]

You need to make it down to the Wappapello races this March.
We’ll have libations after I win that sumbich again this year. That bulliet rye is my new favorite.

Sounds like a plan. I'll be out of town one weekend in march, hopefully not same weekend. Bulliet is all I drink anymore. Good stuff!