The most like culprits are likely tied to some kind of problem with your setup. Anything from issues with your pilot light, clogged ports on burners, damage to heating components, and thermocouple/thermopile malfunctions can be to blame.
Maintain oxygen flow.
If you stack wood too tight, it can snuff out the fire because the air and oxygen doesn't flow between tightly placed wood. You must stack logs somewhat loosely to allow some oxygen flow in between: One or two inches between pieces is typically a good distance.
Make sure there is enough space between the logs to allow for sufficient oxygen flow and heat circulation. Place smaller pieces of wood on top of larger ones so that they burn quickly and thoroughly. Regularly add more kindling or tinder to help keep your flames burning longer and hotter.
Fires need fuel, heat, and oxygen. If it just isn't catching, it could be that the fuel is too dense. If it's sputtering out, there isn't enough heat (or the fuel is too wet). This can be fixed with thinner sticks and something to reflect/ keep the heat from escaping too quickly, such as a large log.
The most like culprits are likely tied to some kind of problem with your setup. Anything from issues with your pilot light, clogged ports on burners, damage to heating components, and thermocouple/thermopile malfunctions can be to blame.
You can check the moisture content with a meter to ensure it is dry enough. Green or unseasoned wood contains too much moisture, which makes it difficult to burn and produces excessive creosote build-up.
Poor ventilation can affect the flame as the vents become dirty or blocked, preventing sufficient airflow. It can disrupt the balance of oxygen and pressure needed for stable combustion, activate safety mechanisms, and lead to incomplete combustion and overheating, all of which can cause a gas fire to go out.
The remaining ashes help the wood burn faster. The ashes have properties that allow them to enclose the fire's warmth and reflect it into the wood, resulting in a faster burning process.
For most fireplaces, there is a very tiny flame that is always burning, and that's called your pilot light. Some newer fireplaces feature a standing pilot system with an 'intermittent pilot,' where the pilot isn't actually on all the time.
A standard-sized fireplace can typically burn about four 16-inch firewood logs at a time. These logs will burn for about one hour in open wood-burning fireplaces before you need to replenish the fire with more wood. However, the same logs will burn much longer and produce more heat in closed-combustion fireplaces.
Your chimney damper is located in the flue. Dampers are placed inside of the flue to help control ventilation. It keeps cold air out when a fire is not going.
Using smaller pieces of wood initially can help the fire build enough heat to sustain larger logs. Regularly adding wood and stoking the fire to maintain oxygen flow is essential. If your fireplace or stove has a vent, adjusting it to control airflow will also help keep a fire going.
If you have noticed your fireplace causes smoke to come into your home on windy days it's most likely this is a downdraft problem. This means the outdoor high winds are causing a draft down your chimney due to an oversized flue, a too-short chimney, or a lack of a chimney cap.
A fireplace burning at on high (HHV) will produce 55,000 BTUs and burn for a duration of 2.5 hours. The same fireplace burning on low (LHV) will produce 18,000 BTUs and burn for a duration of 8 hours.
Firewood won't stay lit if it's made from softwood. Hardwoods include oak, birch, beech and maple, all dense enough to keep uncannily hot fires going for many hours. Oak is the densest of the hardwoods, generating the most heat for the longest time.
Keep the fireplace damper closed unless you have a fire burning. It can be easy to forget to close it when the fire has burned out, but keeping the damper open can cause drafts and heat loss in the rest of the house. But be careful, it can also be easy to remember to open it when you start a fire.
To create fires that produce more heat, open the damper as wide as possible when lighting a fire. A wide-open damper will increase the amount of air reaching the fire and improve combustion. As a result, the fire will burn hotter.
Any issues with the gas valve that supplies that gas to the flame, whether it be dirty or malfunctioning, can result in that flame going out. It's also possible that your gas supply has run low or out entirely, which will also cause the flame to blow out.
You need a different fuel
You won't get far without the right fuel: you need good-quality firewood if you want the flames to take hold! We'd recommend something like our naturally-dried, seasoned hardwood mix (typically containing ash, oak, birch and others), or our kiln-dried softwood that's ready to light.
Insufficient ventilation can smother the flames and cause the fire to die down. This often occurs when the firewood is tightly packed or when the fire is placed in an enclosed area. Moisture in the wood: Wet or damp firewood can be a significant hindrance to keeping a fire burning.
✓ Poor or improper fuel.
Wood that's damp or unseasoned will burn much less efficiently and generate less heat compared to well-seasoned firewood. Consider the species of wood you're using as well – softwoods burn more readily, but with less heat production than the hardwood species.
Tinder must be easily lit with a lighter, match, or spark and must be 100% dry. We suggest dry pine needles, dry grass, or pine cones. Kindling is usually anything smaller than a pencil. Look for small, dead, twigs on the ground but never deface a living tree or shrub to build your fire.