by Tom

Share

by Tom

Share

How to build an upside down fire


Watch the video of How to build an upside down fire from Dylan Parker on Vimeo.

Years ago when you learned to start a fireplace or wood stove fire, chances are you learned to place the tinder and kindling at the bottom and put the logs on top. And that method has worked reasonably well over the years, but there is another, better method that turns the conventional way on its head.

The upside down fire calls for kindling and tinder to be placed on top of the larger logs. Rather than burning upwards, the upside down fire burns from the top, burning the wood it needs as it goes down. For this reason the upside down fire is sometimes called the self-feeding fire.

Advantages of an Upside Down Fire

The advantages of the upside down fire are significant. The biggest advantage is the extremely long burn time with no need to add more firewood. Because the upside down fire is built with several large logs on the bottom, there’s plenty of wood to burn, but the logs burn in succession rather than all at once. This makes the upside down fire especially good for wood stoves.

Other advantages include emitting an enormous amount of heat since the hot coals on top of the fire rather than being buried underneath. The upside down fire also helps reduce smoky fireplace problems by warming the flue. Because you light the fire at the top of the firebox, the kindling warms the flue and gets the chimney pulling air upwards.

To Build an Upside Down Fire:

  1. Place a layer of your largest logs at the bottom, tight against each other with no space between.
  2. Place a second layer of slightly smaller logs perpendicular to the bottom layer, again with no space between the logs.
  3. Continue adding layers until you reach the top.
  4. On top of the logs, add kindling and natural fatwood.
  5. Use crumpled newspaper at the top.
  6. Simply light the newspaper and wait.

Related Posts

View all

4 Comments

  1. Susan February 22, 2013 at 6:45 PM - Reply

    “Conventional Wisdom” turned upside down! Can’t wait to try this.

  2. korsten March 24, 2013 at 8:27 AM - Reply

    Incredible that it lights up. I’ve never tried to start a fire upside down. Must be very dry firewood only then it would work, I think.

    • Dianne Dawson April 5, 2013 at 11:37 AM - Reply

      Actually, I think it’s Fat Wood that they are using as the kindling in the video. I got some last year and that stuff is awesome. It makes starting a fire a whole new experience. I never thought of this upside down idea but I’m going to try it. Fat Wood lights up almost instantly like the video and it burns long enough to get the other logs going. It’s more chunky than something you might pick up around the yard for kindling, and whatever they have treated it with keeps it burning. You can find it here:

      Fat Wood Kindling for Starting a Fire
      or
      https://www.fireplacemall.com/Fire_Starters/fire_starters.html

  3. […] on the bottom and builds up to small pieces of tender and kindling, newspaper, and fatwood.  An upside-down fire reverses the […]

Leave A Comment

By submitting your comment, you agree your name and comment may be published. Your email address will never be published. In accordance with our Privacy Policy, it will only be used to notify you when there is a response to your comment. It is never shared with or sold to others..

  • Traditionally, knowledge based on teachings and experiences about selecting and burning firewood was passed along verbally. Often such information was put into a rhyming format to make it easier to remember. Thus were born firewood poems and firewood songs to address the question, “Which Firewood Burns Best?” As with most things passed from generation to generation, […]

    Continue reading
  • Have firewood in your life? If you have a wood stove or a wood-burning fireplace, fire pit or fire bowl, you have probably heard some common sayings, sometimes found in rhymes and songs, about firewood. Some call them firewood Old Wives Tales or Old Husband Tales. How can you tell which one is a firewood fact or myth? Which […]

    Continue reading
  • Usually when we think of a fireplace, we think of sharing it with friends and family. There is one type of fireplace, however, that is designed to enjoyed alone, in privacy: the bathroom fireplace. A bathroom fireplace is a personal and elegant indulgence. It is the ultimate for creating a spa-like retreat from the cares of the […]

    Continue reading
  • If you burn wood in your fire pit, you have the makings of DIY fire pit log stump stool – the firewood logs themselves. From the most basic to the most clever, fire pit log stump stools capture the essence and simplicity of gathering around a fire. Here are directions for making a variety of DIY fire pit log […]

    Continue reading