Wood Burner Lighting and Safety Kit Checklist

A wood burner is only as good as what you put beside it. Before the first cold evening, gather the things that light it cleanly and the things that keep you safe once it is hot: dry seasoned wood below 20% moisture content, kindling, paper or firelighters, a means of handling the door and fuel without burning yourself, somewhere safe for the ash, and a working carbon monoxide alarm¹. The fire and rescue service is clear that you should never use flammable liquids such as petrol or paraffin to light a fire, and that you should only burn the correct fuel, because burning other materials can cause toxic fumes, chimney fires and carbon monoxide poisoning³.

Lighting is a short, supervised job. Charnwood's manual for its Haven stove describes building a stack of 6 to 8 softwood kindling sticks on top of two small logs, with paper or a firelighter in the centre, and says not to leave the stove unattended during the lighting period⁵. The fire service advises using kindling to start a fire, with firelighters used carefully if at all⁴. Once it is going, the safety kit matters more than the lighting kit: a guard for children, a clear zone around the stove, and an alarm that will wake you if carbon monoxide builds up⁶.

This checklist sets out what to gather, why each item earns its place, and how to keep the kit ready through the winter. It also covers where to get help with a Charnwood stove, what the Ecodesign rules changed, and which official guidance to trust when advice online conflicts.

The wood burner lighting and safety kit list

Gather these before you need them, and keep them together near the stove but not against it. Each item answers a specific problem: getting the fire lit without a flare-up, handling a hot door, dealing with ash, and knowing quickly if something is wrong.

1. Dry seasoned wood, below 20% moisture. Wet or unseasoned wood smokes, burns cool and coats the flue. The fire service says only burn dry, seasoned wood with a moisture content below 20%¹. Defra says use dry untreated wood or fuels from its certified list of manufactured solid fuels⁸.
2. Kindling, 6 to 8 softwood sticks. Charnwood's manual specifies a stack of 6 to 8 softwood kindling sticks on top of two small logs⁵. The fire service recommends kindling as the best way to light a fire⁴.
3. Paper or firelighters. Charnwood's lighting method places paper or a firelighter in the centre of the kindling stack⁵. Firelighters are acceptable if you are careful⁴.
4. Matches and lighters, stored safely. Store matches, lighters and chemicals safely⁹.
5. A heat-resistant glove. The fire service advises taking extra care and using appropriate protection when opening the stove door, adding wood or touching any part of the stove, to avoid burns⁶.
6. A stove pipe thermometer. Charnwood recommends one for correct firing, available from your supplier or from Charnwood⁵.
7. A fire guard. Children should be taught about fire dangers and not allowed near hot surfaces or the stove door, and a protective guard suited to the stove's design should be used⁶.
8. A carbon monoxide alarm. The Energy Saving Trust advises making sure you have a working carbon monoxide alarm wherever you burn solid fuel². Fuel-burning appliances include ovens, stoves, cookers, fires, wood burners, heaters and boilers⁷.
9. An ash bucket and a metal shovel. Ash stays hot for a long time. Charnwood sells a special ash carrier to make ash removal easier, available from your supplier or from Charnwood⁵.
10. A torch and spare batteries. Keep a torch plus extra batteries, or a wind-up torch, among your emergency supplies¹⁰.
11. A fire extinguisher you know how to use. Denbighshire's emergency supplies list includes a fire extinguisher that every family member knows how to use¹⁰.
12. Heavy duty gloves. Denbighshire's emergency supplies list includes heavy duty gloves¹⁰.

Lighting the stove without a flare-up

The lighting method matters as much as the kit. Charnwood's manual sets out a simple sequence: two small logs, a stack of 6 to 8 softwood kindling sticks on top, and paper or a firelighter in the centre⁵. Light it, close the door as directed, and stay with the stove during the lighting period, because the manual says not to leave it unattended and not to leave the door open except as directed, to avoid excessive smoke⁵.

A few habits make the difference between a clean burn and a smoky one:

• Use the right fuel for the appliance. Using coal in a wood stove can damage it¹².
• Do not burn wet, treated, painted or glued wood⁸.
• Do not stack logs or combustible materials against the stove. The fire service has been called to fires caused by logs stored against the hot outer surface of wood burners⁶.
• Place the stove on a fire-resistant base. Direct placement onto a hardwood floor or carpet increases the risk of fire because of the heat in the fire box⁶.
• Keep permanent ventilation clear and have the appliance serviced and the chimney swept regularly².

If the stove is not burning correctly, contact the company or shop that sold it to you, or the British Solid Fuel Appliance Manufacturers' Association for advice⁶. A stove pipe thermometer helps you see whether you are firing it in the right range⁵.

Getting help from Charnwood, your installer or a Premier Dealer

Charnwood is a British stove maker, and its appliances are common enough that one Denbighshire housing report from May 2025 counted 107 Charnwood solid fuel appliances among 185 solid fuel properties in the council's stock¹³. That scale means spares and advice are usually available, but the route to them is specific.

Your first call is the company or shop that sold you the stove, or your installer. The fire service advises contacting the seller or the British Solid Fuel Appliance Manufacturers' Association if a wood burner is not burning correctly⁶. Charnwood's own manual tells you to order spare parts through your supplier, and to specify the colour when ordering any item marked with a hash symbol, including hinges, fire door assemblies, oven door assemblies, access door assemblies, legs sets, store stands, flue collars, heat shields, rear shelf kits and flame guards⁵. A stove pipe thermometer can be bought from your supplier or from Charnwood⁵.

If the chimney is in poor condition, Charnwood's manual says to seek expert advice on lining, and any lining must be suitable for solid fuel⁵. A prefabricated block chimney or a twin-walled insulated stainless steel flue to BSEN 15287-1:2007 can be used if there is no existing chimney⁵.

Older Charnwood stoves discontinued under Ecodesign rules

Any new stove placed on the market in the UK must now be Ecodesign compliant¹⁴. That rule retired a generation of older models, including several Charnwood stoves that households still own and use.

If you own one of these, it remains usable, but support and spares come through your supplier rather than as a current model⁵. The Ecodesign rules also affect what you can burn. In a smoke control area, you can only burn unauthorised fuels such as wood on Defra exempt appliances, and you can only burn controlled fuels in Ecodesign stoves if they also appear on the list of Defra approved appliances¹⁶. If you want to burn immediately, look for the Ready to Burn logo as a guarantee of good quality dry wood¹⁴.

Where the official guidance on lighting and burning wood comes from

Advice on wood burners comes from several bodies, and they mostly agree. The fire and rescue services in England and Wales publish safety pages on chimneys, open fires and wood-burning stoves⁶. Defra publishes guidance on open fires and wood-burning stoves, including a practical leaflet issued in April 2023 on reducing smoke and health impacts¹⁶. The Forestry Commission's Biomass Energy Centre published version 1.2 of its Wood as Fuel guide in October 2009, replacing the 1985 Keighley guide¹⁷. The Health and Safety Executive for Northern Ireland covers carbon monoxide from fuel-burning appliances⁷, and NHS Inform covers indoor air pollution in Scotland¹⁸. Always follow the manufacturer's instructions for boilers, stoves, gas fires and solid fuel room heaters¹⁹.

Where guidance conflicts, follow the more cautious line. On countryside fires, one official report notes that Fire England advises using barbecues in "designated areas of the countryside and follow safety" while the Forestry Commission states, "Follow the Countryside Code and never light open fires, such as campfires or barbecues, in the countryside"²⁰. For a household stove, the practical rule is simpler: burn only dry, suitable fuel, keep the stove and flue maintained, and keep a carbon monoxide alarm working².

Candles and tea lights are a separate risk, and Scottish Fire and Rescue has published guidance on using them safely during a power cut²¹. If you use them, place them on a fixed, heat-resistant surface away from curtains and soft furnishings, on a non-flammable surface such as a plate or tile, in a proper holder where possible²². Never use a lighter, match or lit rolled-up paper to light a bioethanol fire; use a manual or electric taper¹⁹.