This winter, Winston’s Chimney Service wants you to enjoy the best wood-burning fires that you can burn. Of course, you will need to only burn seasoned firewood, which is wood that has been allowed to dry for at least six months after it has been cut. This type of wood burns cleaner and longer and can easily be found from trusted local firewood dealers. Once you have your winter supply of seasoned firewood, you will be ready to build your fire. You may have learned to build a fire by putting kindling on the bottom and stacking the largest logs on the top; however, this is not the best way of building a fire. We would like to tell you how you can easily start the perfect fire by building a fire upside down. Keep reading to find out the steps to this build as well as its benefits.

How do I build an upside down fire?

Also known as a top-down burn, an upside down fire can be built in three easy steps. First you place the largest logs on the bottom of your fireplace or stove. Place the logs closely together with no space between them. The second step is placing layers of smaller logs on top of the larger pieces of firewood until the pile reaches about half of the height of your fireplace or stove. Lastly, you will place your kindling at the very top. Never stack this pile above the opening of your fireplace or stove. You can also put wadded up pieces of newspaper at the top of the pile. Once you have built this stack, you should be able to easily light a fire with a single match.

What are the benefits of an upside down fire?

This type of fire will provide much more warmth than a fire built in the opposite manner with the larger logs on top. According to The Four Hour Work Week, little warmth is wasted because air is able to circulate more easily. You will also see less smoke produced with an upside down fire. Since the air in the flue will be heated faster, you will not have to worry about backdrafts of smoke blowing into your home. A third benefit of this type of fire is you will not have to do as much maintenance to keep the fire going. Depending on the type of wood you use, an upside down fire should burn for three to seven hours. You also will not have to worry about the larger logs falling out when you use this build.

While an upside down fire may take a bit longer to produce large flames, you will be able to enjoy a warm, roaring, and maintenance-free fire after about 20 minutes. If you would like more wood-burning tips, contact us at Winston’s Chimney Service. We love helping our customers enjoy the best wood fires they can burn.

Winston's Chimney Service
11301 Industrial Road
Manassas, VA 20109