How to Light a Log Burner: A Step-by-Step Guide

The quickest way to light a log burner is the top-down method: your biggest logs go on the bottom, kindling sits on top, and firelighters go right at the top. You light it from above and let the flames work their way down. It sounds back to front, but it lights cleanly, produces far less smoke, and rarely needs a second go.

If you've been building your fire the other way round — firelighters at the bottom, logs piled on top — and wondering why it keeps going out or smoking you out of the room, this is almost certainly why. Here's exactly how to do it properly.

What you'll need

• Dry logs. Wood with a moisture content of 20% or less lights faster and burns hotter. Our kiln dried logs are dried well below that, so you're not fighting damp wood before you've even started.
• Kindling. Small, thin sticks that catch quickly and pass the flame up to your logs.
• Firelighters. A couple of natural firelighters or a handful of wood wool from our firelighters and kindling range. Natural firelighters light clean, with no chemical smell.
• A long match or lighter.

The top-down method, step by step

1. Lay your logs on the bottom. Place two or three larger logs flat on the grate or floor of the burner, with a small gap between them so air can move through.
2. Build a layer of kindling on top. Criss-cross the kindling into a loose stack. Loose is the word — the fire needs air, so don't pack it tight.
3. Add your firelighters at the very top. Tuck one or two into the kindling near the surface.
4. Open the air vents fully. Your fire needs plenty of oxygen to get going. Leave the vents wide open for now.
5. Light the firelighters and close the door. Leave it slightly ajar for the first few minutes if your burner tends to be sluggish, then close it fully once the kindling has caught.
6. Let it burn down before you touch the vents. Once the logs are properly alight and you've got a steady flame, you can start easing the air vents back to control the burn.

That's it. No poking, no relighting, no smoke pouring back into the room.

Why light from the top?

When you light from the top, the flames heat the smoke and gases rising from the logs below and burn them off, rather than letting them escape unburnt. That means a cleaner start, less soot on your glass, and less smoke out of the chimney. It also lights more reliably, because the flame isn't being smothered by a pile of logs sitting on top of it.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Damp or unseasoned wood. This is the number one reason fires won't take. If your logs hiss, steam, or blacken the glass, they're too wet. Dry wood is the single biggest thing you can change.
• Closing the air vents too soon. Starve a young fire of air and it'll smoulder and go out. Give it plenty of oxygen at the start.
• Packing it too tightly. Fire needs to breathe. Leave gaps.
• Skimping on kindling. A generous nest of kindling bridges the gap between a firelighter and a full log far better than one or two sad sticks.

Ready to get a great fire going?

A clean, easy light really does come down to two things: dry wood and the right firelighter. Stock up on kiln dried logs and grab some natural firelighters and kindling, and you'll be lighting your log burner first time, every time. Prefer a longer, fuss-free burn? Our heat logs are worth a look too.