How to Build a Fire in a Woodstove (and Keep It Going)

A woodstove is one of the great pleasures of cabin life, right up until you can't get it lit. The good news is that building a fire is a skill, not a talent, and anyone can learn it in a weekend. The basics haven't changed in a hundred years: you need fuel, air, and heat, in the right order.

Here's how to do it well, plus a few common mistakes to avoid.

Setting Up the Stove

Before you light anything, make sure the stove is ready. Open the air intake (usually a lever or dial on the front or side) all the way. Open the damper if the stove has one. If there's ash in the firebox from a previous fire, leave a thin layer on the bottom; it insulates the coals and helps the next fire burn. If the ash is more than an inch deep, scoop some out into a metal bucket and set it outside, well away from anything flammable.

Now build the fire. The classic method is the teepee: crumple two or three sheets of newspaper into loose balls and put them in the center of the firebox. Around them, arrange small kindling in a teepee shape, leaving space between the pieces so air can move. Then add a few slightly larger pieces of kindling, and one or two small split logs on top. Don't smother the fire before it starts. Less is more at this stage.

Light the newspaper in a few places. Leave the stove door slightly ajar for the first few minutes; the extra air helps the kindling catch. Once the kindling is burning well and the small logs have caught, close the door most of the way, leaving just a crack. When the fire is established, close the door fully and adjust the air intake to about halfway. You want a steady, lively flame, not a roaring inferno and not a smolder.

Keeping It Going

The trick to a long-burning fire is to add wood before the fire dies down, not after. When the logs have burned down to a bed of hot coals, add two or three split pieces, arranged loosely so air can circulate. Let them catch, then adjust the air intake. A fire that's burning well will have bright orange coals at the bottom and flames licking around the wood above.

If the fire starts to smoke, it usually means one of three things: the wood is too wet, the air intake is too closed, or the chimney is cold. Fix the first by using seasoned wood (split and dried for at least a year). Fix the second by opening the air intake. Fix the third by burning a rolled-up newspaper near the open damper to warm the flue before you light the main fire.

For overnight burns, load the stove with larger pieces of wood, let them catch well, then close the air intake most of the way. You should wake up to a bed of coals that you can revive with a few pieces of kindling and a little air.

A few final tips: never burn pressure-treated wood, never leave the stove unattended with the door open, and keep a fire extinguisher nearby. A well-run woodstove is a joy; a poorly run one is a hazard. Take the time to learn your stove's quirks, and it will keep you warm all winter.