4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Hen Huggers R Us]

We bought a chimnea about a week ago and we losing hope fast, puts out loads of smoke all the time, we have loads of dry logs but all we get is smoke can't go out to see the girls go to bed what are we doing wrong??

[moochoo]

I have had a chiminea for about 7 years now and it has always burnt well. I can only advise you as to what we do. We have a few inches of sand in the base of the chiminea. We start to make the fire, as most do with kindling, small branches and newspaper. Once this is all happily alight we add one good log and let it catch. Then we add more large pieces of wood gradually, too much large wood could cause your smoky effect. It can happily burn away all night.

Check all your wood is dry, you're getting a good flow of air up the chimney and don't rush it. You should hopefully be less smokey.

[Hen Huggers R Us]

Thanks for the tips, think I have been putting large logs on too soon, I will chop smaller pieces and get a good base, as you advise.

Thanks again

[Laura & CTB]

Smaller logs is definately the answer -or I also buy recycled wood chip blocks available from various garden centres, they burn well and dont smoke or spit at all.

[Guest]

is it a large cast iron one or a small ceramic one?

 

Ours is a large cast iron one and it has a flue and unless you open the flue, it can be smokey.

[Jules.]

Here's mine- we have only had it about 3 weeks & lit it twice- the second time our next door neightbour wasn't happy about it because of the smoke, & told us so

 

 

It has mesh all around the burning area- daft question, should we have taken off the top lid when it burns to make the chimney?

[Rhapsody]

er yes, otherwise no chimney in your chiminea Jules!

As other people have said, lots of very dry kindling to get the fire going and the thing hot, then gradually add bigger logs. Those bags of logs you get from the petrol station are always damp so dont bother, if you dont have your own wood *smug* get some dried seasoned stuff from a proper supplier.

[Laura & CTB]

daft question, should we have taken off the top lid when it burns to make the chimney?

 

Yep

 

and try and keep the wood you burn well lit -it starts to get smoky when the wood is struggling to catch light. try to get a happy balance between nothing happening and a raging inferno

[hillfamily]

I'll send my DD round - she's perfected the art of getting a good fire going in the Chimnea :D

[Jules.]

[Guest]

my DH pruned the trees at the end of the garden one day and decided it would be a good idea to get rid of the wood by burning it in the chimnea! You should have seen the smoke, I thought they'd elected a new pope!

[Rhapsody]

yes- green wood= smoke, white smoke=pope