How To Start a Coal Fire

If you have an open fireplace or multi fuel stove, this guide gives you clear guidance on how to light a coal fire. If you burn coal indoors, it is essential to have a tested and working carbon monoxide alarm. We also recommend using modern smokeless coal, especially on an open fire, to reduce the risk of filling your living room with smoke and damaging furnishings.

Lighting a coal fire is completely different to lighting a fire for logs. The air flow is different and the fuel behaves differently. It's worth persevering, once your coal fire is warm, it will glow for hours so let's get stuck in to lighting your smokeless coal fire.

In this guide:

• Light a coal fire in an open fireplace

• Lighting a coal fire in a multi-fuel stove

Light a Coal Fire in an Open Fireplace

Open fireplaces work really well for coal. Where logs benefit from the controlled air flow of a wood burning stove, coal benefits from the open air of the grate and will glow extremely hot warming the room.

Start by ensuring you have an open grate with air gaps in the metal work, like this:

The grate simply lifts the coals off the floor so the cool fresh air can be drawn into the fire and heated by the coals. If you have had fires in the fireplace before, there will be ash, soot, unburned fuel left by the last fire. Remove this before attempting to light a new fire. We want to remove anything that will inhibit air flow to the coal fire.

Building the Coal Fire

You will need:

• Smokeless coal (fill the bucket right up)

• Kiln dried kindling

• Firelighters or newspaper

• Two kiln dried hardwood logs (small pieces)

• Matches

If built correctly, a coal fire can be lit and left. It's actually super low maintenance compared to burning logs. First, add a generous amount of coal to the grate. Fill the grate at least one layer full of smokeless coal lumps. This gives you the solid bed of coal that will become our glowing light.

Don't overload the grate so much that coals might fall out.

Next, add kindling in a square stack on top of the coals. We use six to eight pieces of kiln dried kindling in a fairly tight stack on top of the coal. Inside the stack, place a firelighter - use a paraffin wax soaked firelighter.

If you don't have any firelighters to hand right now (why not buy some from us?) you can also get away with using screwed-up newspaper. Paper burns quickly and smokes a lot but it will provide the flames we need to ignite the kindling. Paper towel also works but both newspaper and paper towel are poor burning compared with proper firelighters.

Finally, gently place the two small logs on top of the kindling. The idea here is that the kindling and firewood light easily. They burn well in the open air and slowly burn down onto the coals underneath.

Light the Coal Fire With a Match

Offer a lit match up to the firelighter to get it all going. The kindling will catch light first creating heat. Be careful the kindling and logs don't fall off the fire and into the room. Always use a fireguard.

Once the kindling is going, the hardwood logs will catch and burn hot creating lots of warmth and this is what ignites the coals.

You can also place some a few more pieces of coal onto of the kindling and logs if you want. Basically, we are using the wood to get the coals hot. Once they are up to temperature they will start to glow themselves and catch fire.

As the day wears on you can add more coal to the hot glowing coals already there and the heat cycle is such that the new coals will light from the old coals. There is no need to add any more firewood once it's going.

If you light a coal fire for the evening, a generous amount of coal in the grate will likely sustain all evening, around 3 hours. A coal fire can heat the whole house as well as dry out your chimney (a particular problem in some of the older houses here in Cornwall during the winter).

Light a Coal Fire in a Multi Fuel Stove

A multi fuel stove is designed specifically to burn coal as well as logs. The important difference is that coal needs air from underneath the fire to burn properly. That is why multi fuel stoves have a riddling grate and a lower air control.

Before you begin, make sure the stove is clean. Empty the ash pan and riddle the grate so that the air holes underneath are clear. Coal will not light properly if the primary air supply is blocked by old ash.

Open the bottom air vent fully. This is the primary air control and it feeds air up through the grate into the fuel. If your stove has a top air vent as well, leave it slightly open, but the lower vent is the most important when burning coal.

Building the Coal Bed

Start by placing a thin layer of smokeless coal directly onto the grate. You do not need to fill it deeply at this stage, just enough to cover the metal bars. This creates the base layer that will become your glowing bed.

On top of this, build a small stack of kiln dried kindling. Six to eight pieces arranged so that air can move between them works well. Place a firelighter inside the kindling stack.

Then add one or two small logs on top. Just like with the open fireplace, we are using the wood to create strong initial heat. Coal does not ignite easily from a cold start, it needs sustained heat to begin glowing.

Lighting the Stove

Light the firelighter and close the stove door, leaving the bottom air vent fully open. The kindling will catch first, followed by the small logs. As the wood burns, it will heat the coal beneath it.

Once you see the coal starting to glow red underneath and small flames licking through the bed, you can carefully add more coal. Add it gradually rather than piling it on all at once. Too much coal too quickly can smother the fire.

As the coal establishes itself, you can begin reducing the lower air vent slightly. Coal burns best with controlled primary air from underneath. Adjust the vent slowly until you have a steady, glowing bed rather than roaring flames.

Maintaining the Coal Fire

One of the benefits of a multi fuel stove is control. Once the coal is fully established, you can regulate the heat output by adjusting the lower air control. More air increases heat. Less air slows the burn and extends the life of the fire.

During use, ash will build up beneath the grate. Most multi fuel stoves have a riddling mechanism. A gentle riddle allows ash to fall into the pan below, keeping airflow clear and the fire burning efficiently.

With a well built coal bed and correct air control, a multi fuel stove can run for many hours on a single load. In the evening, you can add a final generous layer of coal, reduce the air intake, and enjoy steady heat well into the night.