How to Light a Coal Fire

Lighting a coal fire

Lighting a coal fire needn't be a challenge. The secret to a great fire is to create a small combustion chamber that your fire can take hold and quickly grow to an extremely high temperature.

The video to the right will take you through the five simple steps on how to light a coal fire, it couldn't be easier.

• With a clean fire grate, take two firelighters and place them in a V shape against the back wall of your appliance.
• To build a combustion chamber around the firelights, you should place two pieces of kindling one on top of the other (on top of the firelighters). Add 6 or 7 more pieces of kindling at right angles against these stacked pieces. The key here is to ensure that you can still get to the firelighters with a match! 
• Ignite the firelighters and add a final piece of kindling to fill the gap.
• Quickly add a generous amount of coal onto the burning fire - making sure to cover the kindling and firelighters
• If you are using a closed appliance like a stove, then leave the door open a fraction to allow air flow. Once the fire has taken hold and is burning well you can close the appliance door and fully open the air vents.

Works every time!