Tending a wood-burning fireplace provides enjoyment as you watch a vivid glow and a warmer flame grow. Tending a fire is relatively simple, but there are some tools that can help you to tend your fire more safely and easily.
Equip Your Fireplace With a Tool Set
The easiest way to make sure you have all the tools you need to tend your fire is to invest in a fireplace tool set, also known as irons. Many tool sets will vary in components, there are four tools that nearly every fireplace tool set will contain. These include:
- A poker. The metal poker allows you to stoke the fire and rearrange logs, as needed to burn a fire more vigorously.
- Long tongs. In addition to the poker, the tongs are used to rearrange logs as needed. The tongs can be used to lift and move logs while the poker can only shift logs gently.
- An ash shovel. The ash shovel is used after the fire has burned out to clear away ashes.
- An ash broom. The ash broom can be used to clear away stray ashes on the hearth. The bristles of an ash broom are generally heat resistant, but they cannot withstand the full force of the fire. As a result full contact between ash broom and flames or hot embers should be avoided.
Most tool sets come in a variety of styles and finishes, and can add a fantastic decorative element to your hearth, in addition to function. More traditional iron sets are made of brass, but for a more modern look, iron has become a popular choice. The styling of tool sets range from the simple to the ornate.
Other Tools to Consider
An iron tool set provides nearly everything you need to safely and easily tend your fire, you may be some other accessories you might want to consider to help you care for your hearth. Additional accessories include:
- A wood holder. A wood holder provides you with a place to neatly stack wood while it awaits the fire.
- An ash bucket. The ash bucket gives you a safe place to store ashes as you remove them from the firebox. Embers may burn for days after the fire is extinguished. You should move these embers to an ash bucket with a tight lid as a safety precaution.
- Bellows. With a good set of bellows you can blow air into your fire, fanning the flames to ignite the wood and build your fire to a pleasant blaze.
It can be helpful to consider all the tools you might want for your hearth, as purchasing them together can allow you to purchase a matching set of tools and accessories. If you need to outfit your fireplace with tools to tend your fire more easily, visit the Tri-County Hearth & Patio Center showroom! We have a full selection of useful and stylish tools to make your hearth more functional and more attractive.