Heating Properly with Wood
The days are getting shorter and the nights colder. If you heat with wood, you can avoid smoke and unpleasant odours by lighting the fire correctly. There is a simple method for this: stack the firewood neatly, place kindling on top and light it.
Lighting from the top
With what is known as ‘top-down burning’, the fire burns from the top down. The gases produced burn completely in the hot flame. This results in less smoke and fewer pollutants. Furthermore, the fire burns in a more controlled manner than when lit from the bottom.
What you’ll need:
- Dry firewood, suitable for your stove.
- Four dry fir logs as kindling (approx. 20 cm long and 3 x 3 cm thick).
- A standard firelighter (e.g. wax-soaked wood wool).
Here’s how to do it:
1. Open the fresh air intake and the stove’s flue damper.
2. Stack the firewood loosely in the stove – criss-cross, parallel or upright. Place the thinner logs on top.
3. Place the kindling on top of the wood pile and position the firelighter in the centre.
4. Light the fire and keep the fresh air intake and the flue damper open throughout the burning process.
Which stoves is this method suitable for?
This method of lighting a fire works with all wood-burning stoves that have a flue at the top of the firebox. These include, for example, open fires, wood-burning stoves, storage stoves (such as tiled or soapstone stoves) and wood-burning cookers.
Further information
Further information can be found in a leaflet available from chimney sweeps, the Office for Environmental Protection or on the provincial administration’s website. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the chimney sweeps or the Office for Environmental Protection.
There are also low-emission lighting methods for wood-burning appliances with bottom combustion. You can find the relevant instructions on the cantonal administration’s website.
Contact:
Office for Environmental Protection
Bettina Göldi, Water, Air and Radiation Department
T +423 236 68 91
bettina.goeldi@llv.li
