Don’t try to burn wood in your fire-place on andirons that are too high. Firewood will burn better and provide more heat when burned on andirons with 3″ legs. These are low enough that the hot coals that fall through the andirons can still preheat the firewood that’s sitting on top of them. Also, the lower you keep your fire, the more heat will go into the room before it escapes up the chimney. And low andirons make it easier to place wood in a fireplace.
To start a draft going in a fireplace, light a crumpled piece of newspaper and hold it at the top of the fireplace for a few seconds before lighting the log fire. That will start to warm the air in the chimney, creating an updraft.
If wood in your fireplace burns too quickly and all your heat goes up the chimney, your draft is too great. You can compensate for this by closing the damper slightly.
If your fireplace doesn’t have a damper, you can help regulate the draft as you build your fire. Pile ashes on the floor of the fireplace, as well as under and on the sides of the logs. You might also consider hiring someone to install a damper.
If you burn newspaper logs, soaking the paper in water before rolling it lets you roll the paper into a tighter log, which will burn more slowly. If the logs burn too slowly for you, soak only about 4″ of each end and don’t roll them so tight. Use only black-and-white newsprint for this; colored inks used for comic pages and most magazines can emit poisonous fumes when burned.

Sometimes You Shouldn’t Clean Up
Don’t make the common mistake of removing the ashes from your fireplace too often. Let them build up to 1″ to 2″ from the base of the andirons. This will allow enough draft room between the wood and the hot coals that will fall on top of the ashes, but it will also insulate the bottom of the hot coals, thereby throwing more heat up against the wood. And it will protect the bricks on the floor of your fireplace from cracking when directly exposed to hot fires.

Sometimes You Should
At the other extreme, don’t allow ashes to fill the space under the grate completely while a hot fire is burning on top. Air needs to circulate under the grate to keep the underside cool, or the grate will burn out.

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