To be able to burn solid fuel in your fireplace you will need a fire grate and a fret, or a fire basket.
A grate is made of cast iron bars with gaps in between to allow the flow of air from underneath. The fire cannot burn without this airflow from underneath.
Grates come in a multitude of shapes and sizes and you should aim to get one that best fits your fireplace. Many of our customers find making a paper or cardboard template of the opening that the fire grate has to fit and then sending this to us is the best way to get a good fitting fire grate.
Sometimes with older fires it is not possible to get the correct fire grate anymore, there are two alternative solutions to this:
1) We can get the best possible fitting grate and maybe provide some fire cheeks to fill any gaps if you ring us on 0191 268 0027 or e-mail info@thefiresideshop.co.uk with your sizes .
2) We are able to get fire grates cast to size from a UK foundry.For this we would require an accurate cardboard template and also if possible some photographs of the fire sending to usour contact details can be found from the top of this page.
The fire fret is placed in front of the fire grate to stop the fuel falling from the grate, as you will see from our fire fret page fire frets come in many designs to fit varying room styles. This grate and fret arrangement is generally used in ‘standard tapered fireplaces’
Fire baskets are generally larger in size than fire grates and are used mainly in inglenook type openings and larger fireplaces. As you will see from our fires complete page there are many styles of fire basket available reflecting room styles. They can be period, traditional or modern and can be solid free standing or in some cases can be placed on firedogs.
It is recommended that in addition to the fire grate or fire basket you purchase an ash pan to place under the fire to catch the ash, this makes the cleaning of the fire a lot easier! We can also provide ash pan carriers, that are designed to carry the ash pan out of the room without any risk of spillage. We also provide special ash bins designed to allow you to put the hot ash straight in without the risk of melting the container, or the ash bin catching alight. As with fire grates we can also make ash pans to size.
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To assist in cleaning the area around the ash pan we sell fire tidy sets comprising a small brush and shovel -see our fire tools page or you could purchase a companion set from our extensive range and use the brush and shovel from this.
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Once you have the fire grate or fire basket in place you need to set about lighting the fire .We recommend that you place a couple of firelighters on the fire grate put a small amount of dry kindling sticks on top of these, then light the fire lighters ideally using one of our extra long matches.
Once the kindling is burning well add a few lumps of fuel- you can use either coal or smokeless fuel depending upon the regulations in your area..
It is best to have some fuel stored near your fire in a coal bucket or hod and use fire tongs or a small coal shovel to take the few initial lumps from the coal bucket. These can either be purchased as separate items or you could use the tools from a companion set. In our experience at the initial fire lighting stage it is advisable not to pour fuel directly from your coal bucket or hod (sometimes also referred to as a scuttle) as dust from the fuel can choke the fire.
Once the initial fuel is burning then add more fuel to suit the size of the fire you require.
We sell coal bunkers in three sizes for the storage of bulk fuel or storing your pre packed fuels in quantity.
As an alternative to burning coal or smokeless fuel on your fire you could burn fire logs, crackle logs, or leaf logs. Fire logs as the name suggests are wood whereas crackle logs are man made and require you to simply light the paper bag in which they come. We offer an extensive range of log baskets for storage of your fire logs.
Should you have difficulty in getting your fire to light we sell fire draw plates or bleazers. These are metal sheets designed to fit over the fire place opening, thus forcing maximum updraught from under your fire grate allowing the fire to ‘pull’ .These come in two different sizes. We also stock a range of traditional style fire bellows to pump more air under the grate.
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Once you have your fire burning you need to be wary of sparks. We recommend that you use one of our fire screens or fire guards to ensure your fire is safe.
We would recommend the use of a fire screen or guard at all times with a log fire or fires using a fuel that tends to ‘spit’ .You should always put a fireguard or fire screen in place when leaving the fire unattended (or falling asleep in front of the fire!).
Should there not be a fireguard or fire screen in our extensive range that fits your requirements then it is quite possible that we will be able to provide a made to measure fireguard or fire screen for you.
We can also provide nursery fireguards designed to stop children getting too close to the fireplace. Also a lot of our customers purchase fireguards or fire screens to stop cats going up the chimney!
Fireplace fenders
are used to add decor to the fireplace and to stop any spillage from the fire falling off the hearth and onto the floor .We offer a very extensive range of fire fenders from a basic plain base fender through fancy ornate fenders and even the larger club fenders for the larger fire place.
Fireplace fenders can be made to your measurements and can be adjustable in size or fixed in size and we have finish choices - brass fenders, black fenders, antique brass fenders, chrome fenders, or polished steel fenders.
Now your fire is alive and roaring you can sit back and enjoy it, why not have a bit of fun and try toasting bread, crumpets, marshmallows etc on one of our toasting forks or roasting chestnuts by the fire on one of our chestnut roasters.
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We recommend that you have your chimney swept at least once a year if using your fire occasionally, or twice if using it on a regular basis. It is possible to undertake this task yourself using our sweeps brush head and rods
In between sweepings we recommend the use of our chimney cleaner available from our fire maintenance page this helps reduce tar deposits.
Should your chimney develop cracks or other damage you could is suitable repair it with our range of fire cement again available on our fire sundries page. Here you will also find useful items for you fire or stove such as stove ropes, black lead polish, coal paint, grate paint, stove paint and spare coals for gas fires.
Should you require to reduce the size of your fire we sell a range of sizes of fire cheeks and back bricks. These are simple to install and can reduce your fuel consumption.
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The 16 inch
fire grate is so named because it is designed to fit in a 16 inch opening, just as an 18 inch grate is designed to fit in an 18 inch opening. They are made slightly smaller so there is a small tolerance, to allow for things like expansion when the grate is heated.
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Much of the UK is governed by the Clean Air Act of 1993. This and other acts were brought in to eradicate the health problems caused by excessive burning of coal in domestic and industrial appliances throught the 1950s and 60s. Smokeless fuel was created by taking coal and heating it so all of the tar and oil stored within the fuel is burned off, destroying the harmful components of the coal and leaving the parts that burn most efficiently. Click
here to find out if your area is subject to this legislation. New, environmentally-friendly alternatives to traditional fuels are being produced, including the
Leaf Log, these alternatives are carbon neutral and are accepted as smokeless fuels because of the low amount of emissions they produce.
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