Putting alcohol on wood to help start a fire in fireplace, is it safe?

It could be the wood is not seasoned or been rained on a lot.

I'm not a big fan of flammable liquids to start INDOOR fires, (seen too many people with no eyebrows).

Take a hatchet and split some of the wood into a range of smaller sizes from about chop-stick size up to about 1 inch. Wad up quite a bit of news paper shove it under the grate (if there is no grate, put a log on the left and right and put the paper wads between the logs). lay the smallest splinters on first (lay them spaced apart and criss-cross so the flame can get up through it) keep adding gradually larger pieces again keeping them spaced apart and in a criss-cross fashion until you get up to the about 1 inch size. Light the paper, once it get s going a bit, GENTLY put the larger logs on. When you add logs, always keep space between the logs and go in a sort of criss-cros fashion so the flames can freely pass up through through the wood. If you just dump a pile of logs on all parelell it acts like one ginormous chunk of wood and won't burn very well.

NO. Do not do it. I once stupidly in my youth put some petrol on the fire and the fumes went up the chimney and then ignited and there was a terrible explosion which back blew back down the chimney. It could have been worse.

To get the fire going - find the smallest and driest splinters of wood. fold the paper corner to corner and then tie the length in a knot.. over and over. Put these in the grate first. Then position the wood slivers on top touching each other slightly. Get some cinders and put them here and there on the rood.. and then small pieces of coal or what you are using. Light from below. kneel down and blow under the grate so the breath blows under the grate towards the chimney and takes the fire upwards.

If the wood is seriously damp.. then you need to put lots of paper and LITTLE wood so it dries out a bit as the paper burns. If you can find any cardboard then ripping this up and putting it on top fo the paper helps to get the fire going.. but really.. it all depends on how the chimney is drawing.

Dunno how old you are but if you are of an age then you might recognize the term BLOWER where you have a board with a handle on it and putting this to the fire place its encourages and up draught - but you must know what you are doing or you could end up with a better fire than you ever anticipated!

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Starting A Fire In Fireplace

I don't want to seen harsh, but if you know how to light a fire you can get one going even with wet wood. It isn't just a poof! and the fire is lit unless the wood is bone dry and generally a softwood that isn't dense so lights really easily (but also burns up fast). Even not wet wood doesn't always catch very easily. It is a learned skill, lighting a fire.

I know this from experience. My family had a camp at the lake where we spent the summers back when I was groing up in Maine, so I have been trying to light fires since I can remember and it isn't always easy. It is work if you don't know what you are doing. the best way to get a fire going is to start with small stuff and progressively add bigger stuff. A big log won't just catch on fire. You need tinder.

But using any liquid fuel is dangerous because liquid fuel doesn't always stay right in the fireplace, and besides, it can really flare up in a difficult to control fashion because it is so easily lit. I am surprised that you had to be told this. It is pretty well a "how stupid can you be" thing. Seriously.

If your wood it wet you should let it dry first. But in a bind. Find some cut off pine wood,2x4s,1x4 what ever. Scrap. Remember 2 pieces of wood must touch to burn. Some paper, and a little Charcoal lighter. on them. This will start your fire under your wood and get it burning. Remember I said little here and give it a min to soak into the wood before lighting. The pine or soft wood. Punk wood is good as well A chunk of rotten wood that has dry'd under your logs.

Buy a Duarlog or equivalent at Home Depot or Wal-mart or somewhere like that and place it on bottom of the wood pile. It will burn and ignite your damp/green wood

It is possible the wood is still green or not dried out enough.

Do not use alcohol, gas or lighter fluid to start a fire in your fire place. For one alcohol burns almost clear and the flames are hard to detect and possibly hot enough to damage your fire brick and you may well end up burning the house down.

Go to a store and buy fire starter logs.

I would suggest going to wal-mart or something like that and buying a bottle of lighter fluid. Just make sure that it only get's on the wood. We wouldn't want a house fire now.

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