Fireplace Tools and How to Use Them

Do You Know What Fireplace Tools Consist of?

There are usually four basic fireplace tools that will come in a set, along with the stand. They usually consist of a spade, broom, poker, and tongs. There are thousands of makes, models, and styles, so choosing one that has your style shouldn’t be too difficult to find. Additional tools can consist of Bellows, grates, andirons, and sometimes an ash bucket. Tools are important to help keep your fireplace clean between uses and aid with the function of your fireplace.

This is how they work:

•  The spade, this is the flat shovel.it is used to pick up ashes, hot coals, and burning embers. By moving around ashes and providing a cleaner burn, you can reduce smoke production. Once the fire is done burning, it can be used to clean the ashes and coals once they are no longer hot by scooping them into the ash dump door, or a metal bucket that is designed for that purpose.
• The broom, This cute little broom is used to sweep out the ash from your fireplace once a fire has been extinguished. The broom is necessary to have because all fires, no matter what create ash, and used in conjunction with the spade it is much easier to clean the ash from the firebox, especially if you do not have an ash dump and have to put ash in a bucket
• The tongs, Tongs used in a fireplace are used to grab logs, and pieces of wood, and to break up burnt wood to provide more oxygen to the fire. More oxygen to the fire creates more flame and less smoke. These tongs can come with two or three prongs and are designed specifically for picking up hot logs.
• The poker, is the most used tool out of all of them, this is a long metal extended rod with a pointed tip on the end. This tool is also called the “stoker”. It is used to move burning wood in your fireplace.
• Andirons and grates, An andiron or log dog is a metal bar with legs. They usually come in pairs and logs are placed across the two bars to raise them off of the fireplace floor.  This allows for better burning and less smoke. It also leaves an area that you can keep clear of ash so that your logs burn more efficiently. A fireplace grate is typically a wrought iron square or rectangle with either bars or mesh, on which wood can be stacked when starting a fire. It helps raise the fire off the floor and creates airflow underneath the fire. This helps with draft issues as well as keeping the fire burning well.

Now that you know how to use these tools, go ahead and try them out!