Thanks to improved design in modern fireplace inserts and woodstoves, fire and wood burning safety is easier than ever to implement. Wood heat is wonderfully warm, romantic, and quaint, but if it causes loss of life and belongings, it loses its charm in a hurry. Fortunately, wood can now be as safe as any other method of heating.
If you are burning wood for the first time, make sure you invest in a safety-certified woodheating system, and make sure you have it properly installed. If you plan to use an older fireplace or stove, get it checked out by an expert and updated as necessary to make sure it is in safe working order. If you are an avid do-it-yourselfer, get plenty of good advice. Do your homework when it comes to learning fire and wood burning safety principles.
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A warm cozy fire in the fireplace is a great idea, but sometimes that fire is a challenge to start. To meet this need, a variety of firewood starters have been developed and marketed. Some are geared more to the campfire and survival techniques, while others are designed to be used in home fireplaces. People have also developed a variety of home recipes for firewood starter materials.
The traditional way to start a fire is to use kindling, but even small pieces of kindling sometimes need a little help to get started. A special type of firewood starter material is called fatwood. This is a commercially produced type of kindling made from aged pine. Pine tends to ignite easily and burn hotter than other types of wood, which makes it a great wood for kindling. You can even find attractive wrought iron baskets designed to keep fatwood fire starters near the fireplace or woodstove.
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