CincyDave
Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
I always make sure I have a draft before torching the fuel.
Propane torch placed inside the FP for a half minute, then test with smoke to verify draft. If draft good, light fuel. No problem.
How do I know this? By filling the house with smoke 3 times and setting off the smoke detector.
Yeah, sometimes you will get a "plug" of cold air in the chimney and when you light off the fuel the smoke has nowhere to go but in your house. Not a good thing and really not good in the winter when you need to open windows and turn on fans to rid the smoke.
That's why I always verify draft before torching the fuel -![]()
Same here. First couple fires we had and got a lot of smoke in the house. Then learned about heating the chimney first. I build the fire with paper, kindling and a couple skinny logs, and then use a propane weed burner to heat up the chimney. Once chimney is warmed up, I'll touch off the paper. Haven't had a problem with smoke using this method