1. 

   Comment by fred9232
   November 22, 2009 @ 3:54 pm

   1. What does the blower do…. do i keep it on when just trying to start the fire or the whole time the fire is buring?
   it circulates hot air from the fireplace into your room.
   2.Why does my fire smother quickly?
   because you are not allowing any air into the fireplace
   3. When burning the fire do i keep the doors open or shut?And if they are shut will i feel the fire
   keep the doors shut for maximum efficiency. don’t forget to allow some air in (you should have vents on the doors, near the bottom, that you can leave open so the fire won’t extingush)
   4. Is there one type of wood that burns better than other and is there a bad wood?
   oak, madrone and almond are good. they burn hot. any hardwood or fruit tree wood is generally good. redwood is not so good. it burns fast and creates creosote. fir is okay, butit burns quickly
   5. Are fire starters necessary /good?
   not necessary. paper and kindling should work just fine.

2. 

   Comment by you'll shoot your eye out ki
   November 22, 2009 @ 4:57 pm

   1. the blower is probably a heat exchanger. it has tubes or some similar arrangement if items that get heated up by the passing of the hot air/smoke around them as it goes up the chimjney. The heat exchanger should be used once the fire is hot. It blows the hot air off of the exchanger tubes and into the room, thus warming the room. It may automatically turn on/off depending on the temp of it’s tubes.
   2. check your damper to make sure it is open all the way when you start the fire. start w/a small fire of kindling & a little paper, once it starts to burn, slowly add small pieces of wood/logs, until it has a bed of hot coals, then you can add as big of logs as you would like. Also check if your burner has front intake vents (usually on the lower front and sides). if it does have vents, make sure they are not shut entirely.
   3. keep the doors shut. a wood burner is designed to be operated w/the doors shut, otherwise the smoke will pour out into your house/room. the fire will heat the entire stove/stovepipe and air around the stove quite nicely.
   4. hard woods burn longer/produce more heat than soft woods. try not to burn anything that has been painted or stained.
   5. fire starters are neutral in my experience. they often claim to make it all easy, but in reality are not much easier than using small kindling.
   6. be sure you have a CO2 detector in the room w/the stove and another somewhere else in the house.
   good luck and stay warm if you can!!!!!

3. 

   Comment by Act D
   November 22, 2009 @ 8:54 pm

   1. when you say glass doors and a blower – are you referring to an insert ? i have an insert in my fireplace and once the fire is going strong you turn on the fan to blow it thru out the house.
   2. more than likely because you are closing the flu (oxygen supply) after starting the fire. it might be the handle at the top separate than the handles used to open and close the glass door. it should be in the furthest out position for maximum oxygen flow. later when the fire is burning well you can close it a bit “bank it” to slow the burning and increase heat output.
   3. keep the door open until everything is lit, then close the dorr and see # 2. you will feel the fire when its hot and you turn the blower on.
   4. almond and oak are good hard woods that will burn for a good long time. make sure your wood is seasoned. i would not recommend using eucalyptus in the fireplace as it burns exceptionally hot.
   5. firestarters are great i use them everytime. its much easier than piling up kindling.
   6. oxygen flow is the biggest factor after having the wood lit. you may need to move logs around for maximum oxygen flow once they get going. if you put a log on top of a pile of embers for example, use your poker to poke some air ways underneath and you will see the fire flare up. Fire building and maintenance can be an art. It takes time to figure out what works best so be prepared to spend some time learning. Keep your eye on it too. it’s easier to rekindle a dying a flame than to start all over again.

4. 

   Comment by bbq
   November 23, 2009 @ 1:39 am

   1. The blower blows the warm air into the room, leave it on when you want heat, shut it of if you get hot.
   2.You probably have the air intakes shut and/or the damper. {the funny little lever above the doors that pulls in and out}
   3. Once the fire is lit, you close the doors and open the air feeds. these will be knobs on the bottom of the doors that let air in and regulate the intensity of the fire.
   4. Dry hard woods are best, pines and ceder burn fast and hot, oak burns hot and slow, there are “greasy’ woods like mimosa should never be used.
   5. They make it easier, I just use newspaper.
   Make dam- sure you have the chimney cleaned/inspected before you start.
   Check out this link http://www.enviro-fire.com/help/tips.htm…

5. 

   Comment by bearcat
   November 23, 2009 @ 5:02 am

   I have simular questions, I read the answers given to you and have tried those solutions. I can get a fire burning, but it goes out in about fifteen minites. The wood will not burn. I’ve gotten wood from different places hoping for a different result. I’ve also tryed expensive fire starter. my wood still goes out without really burning.
   firestarter do start a good fire. now, how do we keep the fore going long enogh to feel the heat?

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