#1: Dump out the ash!

While you don’t need to dump all the ash out of your Solo Stove after every burn, starting with an empty ash pan guarantees you’ll have amazing airflow inside your fire pit. It’s a step that’s easy to skip, but it’s just as easy to do and makes all the difference.

You can dump out the ash by simply tipping over your fire pit. If you aren’t able to tip over your fire pit, a Shop Vac will do the trick. Make sure to take your fire pit out towards the edge of your yard or campsite, though. Ash can be messy. If you don’t have a place to dump your ash, you can dump it into an outdoor trash bag. (There are plenty of uses for your ash around the house! Check out this blog to learn more.)

#2: Start small

Start your fire with a lighter, fire starter(s), and some dry kindling. You can use small twigs or chunkwood, but we like to use a hatchet to split up our Juniper Firewood for kindling. Don’t rush into adding larger logs until after you have a nice ember bed smoldering. The ember bed helps the double walls inside your Solo Stove heat up, letting you get that secondary burn which helps eliminate smoke even faster.

#3: Use the best firewood

The best firewood for your Solo Stove is super dry hardwood. Dry firewood guarantees your fire will start up easy and burn beautifully.

#4: Don’t use too much wood

Keep your firewood below the secondary burns holes and don’t let it rest on the flame ring. This allows our Signature Airflow Design™ to bring oxygen to all parts of the wood, creating a super-efficient combustion.

#5: Mix it up!

If your fire starts to die down at any point, feel free to use some fire pit tools to mix up the wood to bring fresh oxygen to the fire. With the unique angle of our Fire Pit Tools, you can do this without even leaving your seat.

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Building a fire is truly a primal experience. Part of the fun lies in the experimentation. Show off your own tips, tricks, and beautiful flames on social using @solostove and #solostove!

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