It’s getting colder and colder, but how do you make sure you can still stay warm in the garden? Then it’s time to light a BonFeu fire! Lighting a fire on your BonFeu fireplace is not only magical, but it also gives you plenty of warmth. We are happy to explain to you the best way to do it, which wood to use and the best stoking technique.  

Tip 1: Use dry and untreated wood

When firing, always use dry and untreated wood. This can be recognised by cracks or loose bark. When you use damp and/or wet wood, too much water vapour is released. This water vapour causes the combustion air to displace the wood and therefore it burns incompletely.

The woods that are bone-dry and also burn best are ash, oak and birch. Ash wood gives a nice flame pattern and burns slowly. Oak gives a crackling flame, provides little smoke and burns slowly. Birch wood is extra clean and gives a lot of heat. Be careful when burning paper and cardboard, this releases a lot of smoke and fly ash, which you would rather avoid.

Tip 2: Build the fire solidly in the shape of a tepee

After gathering the wood, start by putting wood wool or a wood curl in the middle of your garden fireplace or fire bowl. On the side of the wood wool or wood shavings, put two logs. Then you put two logs on top of this, these are slightly thinner than the bottom logs. You light the fire and wait for the wood to start burning. Now you have lit a fine fire. Once it is lit and you want to enlarge the fire, put some smaller logs against it diagonally. You can expand this again with some larger wood around it. You can repeat this until you reach the desired size. Build the fire in the shape of a tepee so that enough oxygen can get to it.

Tip 3: Light the fire with a match

The simplest way to light a fire is to use a match. It is best then to use a long match or a special lighter and use it to light the centre. Avoid that your match can get wet, this will slow down or prevent the fire from lighting.

Tip 4: Fire in the best weather condition with as little smoke as possible

Besides firing good wood and knowledge of proper firing techniques, weather conditions are important to carry this out responsibly. By taking weather conditions into account beforehand, you can reduce or virtually avoid any nuisance from smoke. It is not ideal to fire in windless and foggy weather, as the smoke lingers for a long time. Finally, take the direction of the wind into account so that the smoke does not blow directly in your face.

To minimise smoke development, make sure there is always enough oxygen near the fire. As soon as less fire dust is added, it will smoke more. Space under the logs is essential for this, so it is advisable to place the logs in the shape of a teepee.

Tip 5: Keep it safe

A barbecue or fire should be done safely. To make sure you are well prepared, always keep a bucket of water or sand nearby. Especially in a dry period, it is essential to reduce the spread of fire. As soon as the fire gets too big, you can sprinkle some sand into the fire to make it smaller.

Put out the fire

When you no longer need the BonFeu fire, it is important to put it out properly. Sprinkle as first with water and then spread the pieces of wood. You can repeat this step if the fire is still on or if the wood is still very hot. If you cannot get the fire out with water, sprinkle everything with sand. You should be able to feel with your hand whether the fire is really out, but be careful with this!

Stoking a fire can be done quickly and safely with BonFeu fireplaces. Do you still have questions about lighting a good BonFeu fire? Then don’t hesitate to contact us at info@bonfeu.nl.   

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