A piece of dry firewood has large cracks or checks in the end grain. Look for these when judging the quality of firewood. Hardwoods, being more dense produce a longer-lasting fire. When starting a fire, use plenty of crumpled newspaper and kindling. As a guide, fill the firebox completely with loosely crumpled newspaper and hold it down with at least ten pieces of finely-split dry kindling.
Softwoods make the best kindling.
Find out where the combustion air enters the firebox of your stove and light the fire there so that the fire gets plenty of air. Open the air inlets fully. Once the kindling is burning, add pieces of larger wood. Never use flammable liquids to start a fire. All rights reserved.