A Guide to: Firelighters

Flamecraft • 1 March 2019

Firelighters are an important tool to get your fire lit quickly and effectively.

Can I just use paper to light my fire?

While it is possible to light a fire using paper, it isn’t as effective as a firelighter. Simply, paper burns quickly and doesn’t have as strong a flame as a firelighter. It can also cause deposits of soot and creosote to build up in the chimney/pipework.

When using paper on a wood burner or multi-fuel stove avoid any paper that has been treated with a specialist finish. E.G. Scented paper, shiny leaflets, magazines etc. Burning paper with specialist finishes can cause dangerous residue to build-ups, and the release of toxic chemicals.

It is best to only burn uncoated, black and white papers.

WARNING: Do not burn paper excessively on your stove as paper burns quickly, with big flames and ignite any build up in the chimney, causing a chimney fire.

What is the best type of firelighter to use?

We prefer firelighters made of natural products, this is because they are friendlier to the environment and do not have a chemical scent. We also tend to find them more effective.

  • Natural wood shaving and wax-based firelighters

There are many different brands of this firelighter type available. You do only need one to light a fire. It's only on a rare occurrence that we have ever needed to use more than one.

  • Natural firelighter sticks.

These resemble kindling and again are often dipped in wax. We have tried different brands and while they do get the fire lit, we often had to use more than the advertised ‘one’ firelighter to kindling and wood to catch.

  • Natural Firelighter Cubes

They burn well and are an effective Firestarter. However, be aware of size as some brands are quite small and you may need to use more than one.

All the firelighter types listed can be used to light any fire including firepits, chimeneas and they are also great to use on BBQ’s as they don’t contain chemicals so there is no risk of them contaminating food.

Our preference in the showroom is the natural wood shaving & wax firelighters, simply these live up to their advertised promise and do light the fire with just one.

How do I store firelighters?

Due to firelighters coming in relatively small packaging, they are usually stored inside. Keep them dry and away from open flames.

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by Flamecraft • 3 December 2020
We all made it through second lockdown and are pleased to be open to the general public once more. We welcome customers to come visit us, but kindly ask they adhere to the government guidelines regarding social distancing. While we understand lockdown was frustrating, we are in a tier 3 area and therefore we also ask that our customers shop responsibly and only come into the showroom for essential purposes when possible. We are still able to take orders for stove spares over phone and email and in many cases out manufacturers will deliver these directly to our customers to help us to reduce the need for people to put themselves at risk of Covid-19. We know we sound like we are lecturing, however we want to ensure all our customers have a very happy and healthy Christmas. With all this in mind, we have reduced the hours the showroom will be open. We will review these regularly and open for longer if needed, we are also able to arrange appointments to visit the showroom at Baytree outside these hours, Our December opening hours are as follows: Monday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Tuesday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Wednesday: CLOSED (Pre-booked appointments available) Thursday: 10am - 2pm (Pre-booked appointments available till 5pm) Friday: 10am - 2pm (Pre-booked appointments available till 5pm) Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 10am - 4pm We kindly ask when pre-booking appointments Monday - Wednesday that customers give 24 hours notice and Pre-booked appointments are available between 10am - 5pm. On Thursdays and Fridays appointments can be pre-booked on the day before 1:30pm via calling 01406 373600. We are available via emailing flamecraftuk@aol.com outside our opening hours and will try to reply to customers as quickly as possible.
by Flamecraft • 3 November 2020
With second lockdown looming many of our customers are concerned about being able to purchase fuel and spare parts during second lockdown. We completely understand this and whilst our showroom wont be open to the general public we are running a 'Call & Collect' service.
by Flamecraft • 1 November 2020
In October we teased that we were going to expand our range of wood burning and multi fuels stoves to give our customers a bigger range of Ecodesign Approved stoves that would suit a range of budgets, and we are excited to finally be able to introduce our two new brands to you.
by Flamecraft • 30 October 2020
The clearskies scheme has been recently introduced, and many of the wood burners and multi fuel stoves we sell have a clear skies mark. However many of our customers see this logo and are left wondering what it actually means. Therefore we have put together the basics explaining what clear skies is, and how this potentially will effect choosing a wood burner or multi fuel stove.
by Flamecraft • 23 October 2020
EcoDesign 2022 is changes to regulations for the Stove Industry.
by Flamecraft • 16 October 2020
It is the season for hot chocolate, fluffy blankets, hot water bottles and curling up in front of a roaring fire. With the days getting sorter and the nights getting longer it means we are busy installing wood burning and multi fuel stoves in homes. Like for many this year has been challenging, and we have worked tirelessly to ensure our customers will still receive the best service possible from us. We also understand that with the challenges of the past year many of us we are looking for more affordable heating options for this winter. Over the summer we have had many discussions about the issues we are all facing, and we knew we wanted to do everything we could to ensure our customers can still enjoy owning a wood burner or multi fuel stove. On top of the challenges this year has brought us all we are also very aware that since the announcement of the incoming Ecodesign regulations more and more of our customers are coming to us looking for Ecodesign 2022 Approved wood burners and multi fuel stoves. While we had Ecodesign stoves available, we wanted to give our customers more options to choose from. So, we knew we had two targets: 1. Have wood burning and multi fuels stove options available for a range of different budgets. 2. Expand our range of Ecodesign Approved stoves. We went through many different ideas until we finally realised the solution was in front of us (literally in a pile of brochures we had from a trade show we visited last year). A manufacturer that had a huge range of Ecodesign 2022 approved wood burning and multi fuel stoves that meet our own guidelines for quality and design (as well as being manufactured in the UK), and to top that off offering a range of price points that would allow us to offer more affordable stoves. So of course we gave them a call.
by Flamecraft • 9 October 2020
With the cold weather rolling in we are extending our opening hours to the following: Monday: CLOSED Tuesday: CLOSED Wednesday: 10am - 5pm Thursday: 10am - 5pm Friday: 10am - 5pm Saturday: 10am - 5pm Sunday: 10 - 4pm We look forward to seeing you.