Remember the times that your grandparents or parents told you not told play with the fancy set of tools as a kid? Well, those ‘fun toys’ are known as fireplace tools. Most people use these as a statement piece next to their unused fireplace. In all honesty, these tools are meant to maintain a fire, making it easier to clean and control. These toolsets typically come with six different individual tools, each has its own purpose. Using the fireplace tools, you can take care of a fire without needing to worry about burning yourself. These tools also allow you to extend the life of the fire by having the ability to move the wood and clean that ash out. Cleaning out the ash and moving the wood allows there to be more oxygen to the fire.
Tools & Purpose
- Spade – appears similar to a flat shovel. It is often associated with digging, mainly used to pick up ashes, hot coals, and burning embers. Moving around the ashes and providing a cleaner burn, there will be a decrease in smoke production. Typically is used after a fire is done burning, use this to clean ashes and coals once they are cooled by scooping them into the ash dump door.
- Tongs – similar to the ones for cooking, but these are much larger. These are large enough to grab logs, pieces of wood, and breaking up burnt wood to provide more oxygen. More oxygen creates more flames and less smoke.
- Fireplace Broom – a tiny/small broom that is used to sweep out ashes from the fireplace once a fire has been extinguished. This is important to have because all fires create ash, it is specifically designed to fit in the fireplace to clean.
- Bellows – not one of the more commonly known tools, but is used to blow a controlled gust of oxygen into the fire to increase the flames. There is a valve on the end to direct the wave of air. It is used to help start the fire by increasing the flame size and heat. Typically used to light the kindling.
- Fireplace Poker – a long metal extended rod with a pointed end, similar to a Philips screwdriver. It is used to move burning wood in the fireplace.
- Andiron – a rarer tool and known as a ‘log-dog’. It is a horizontal bar that is used to hold/support logs that are fed to the flames. It allows more air to pass through, producing a cleaner burn.