Plenty of people enjoy watching flickering flames and listening to the crackling of burning wood as they keep themselves warm on cold winter nights. Others love outdoor barbecues, or roasting marshmallows and hotdogs. Sooner or later, though, they will have to clean the ashes. With a US Stove Company AV15 Ash Vacuum, the task is infinitely easier, not to mention the absence of floating ashes that could find their way into your nose and lungs.

Equipped with a 2.0 horsepower motor, the AV15 is the most powerful ash vacuum in the industry, assuring you of a truly clean and ash-free stove or fireplace more quickly than lesser machines. It comes with a 3.25-foot hose made of flexible aluminum, which means it will not easily tear even when stretched, bent, or coiled to its limits. A metal nozzle measuring 7.8 inches is attached to the hose. For accessing crevices, a plastic crevice tool can be attached to the metal nozzle. It has a tapering tip that allows it to be inserted into tight spaces.

Ashes are drawn into a large canister with a capacity of 6.5 gallons. It is painted with a special coating to keep rust or corrosion at bay. It is also capable of storing both cold and warm ash so you do not have to wait too long to clean up your fireplace.

Chunks of partially unburned pieces of wood are separated from fine ash with a Dacron pre-filter bag and a cartridge filter that is housed inside a metal mesh filter cage. Both can be cleaned so you do not need to replace them after each vacuuming.

The US Stove Company AV15 Ash Vacuum comes with an 8-foot power cord giving the machine a long reach. The cord, along with the hose, can be wrapped around the handle of the vacuum to keep them neat and organized.

Burning logs in your fireplace for warmth on cold winter nights can be very relaxing and even romantic. At least until a downdraft forces smoke back into the room, or when you need to get up to add more logs into the fire, or when you have to clean scattered wood chips and remove ashes from the hearth. With a Monessen KVDY24/18D3 Duzy III Gas Log Kit, you can enjoy an Old World style heating without its attendant hassles.

The Monessen Duzy III is a vented gas log set made of premium refractory cement with a stainless steel burner. The logs are very realistic it will take a truly close look to realize that it is actually made of cement. They are set on a bar grate made of welded heavy-duty steel. Within the logs is a burner that can be fuelled either with propane or natural gas. A Piezo matchless ignition system makes kindling the fire quick and easy.

With a BTU input rating of 50,000 from either propane or natural gas, the gas log can provide sufficient heat to keep you warm and toasty while watching the stars from your patio on cold nights.

The gas log is designed to be installed in fireplaces intended for burning solid fuel equipped with a working flue, which must be constructed with non-combustible materials. It is 24 inches wide, thus it requires that the fireplace be at least 26 inches wide at the front and 18 inches wide at the back. Depth should be 13.5 inches while height is 18 inches.

With the Monessen KVDY24-18D3 Duzy III Gas Log Kit, you get the best of both worlds –an Old World ambience with modern conveniences.

Basking in front of your outdoor fireplace or roasting marshmallows for your s’mores are fun things. It can, however, be rather inconvenient if you have to get up from your lounging chair and walk through snow just to get more firewood. It is better to keep a pile of logs near the fireplace. And it is even better if you keep the pile looking neat and orderly with an Eclume Vertical Arched Rack.

The log rack is made entirely of sturdy flat iron bars with a thickness of ¼ inch. With their hammered, distressed finish, they exude an old world appeal. To protect their patina, the iron bars are coated with an industrial grade sealant that keeps rust, corrosion, and even minor scratches at bay.

A base measuring 12.5 by 13.5 inches lies at the bottom of the rack, providing support for the vertical columns. These columns, fastened to the base with buttonhead screws, consist of a pair of iron bars shaped like an inverted U. The resulting arches at the top provide the log rack with aesthetic appeal.

Given the size of the base of the Enclume Vertical Arched Rack, its real estate requirement is only a shade bigger than a square foot. With the thickness of the iron bars, you are assured that it is strong enough to accommodate a good number of cut logs. It stands 29.5 inches which means that it can hold enough logs to keep your fireplace burning for hours on end. You will have plenty of time to sit in comfort in front of your fireplace, and your kids can have plenty of s’mores to enjoy.

Assembly is easy as there are only four screws to fasten. The Allen wrench needed to do the job is even included. You can start stacking your logs near the fireplace within a few minutes of the rack’s delivery.

Andirons are very important in building a robust flame in your fireplace. They raise the logs from the hearth inside your fireplace thus allowing the circulation of air around them. With a more intense flame, your room is warmed more quickly. In addition to this very functional role that they play, they can also be very decorative greatly enhancing the look of your fireplace. Indeed, as early as the 16th Century, artisans have been making ornamental andirons. Their descendants today continue to create and craft them. Among their works is the Regency Model WMF024 Hand-Forged Andirons.

The Regency WMF024 is made of iron and is topped with a three-petaled fleur-de-lis that is reminiscent of the armorial emblem of the Kings of France. The emblem is propped by a central column, the middle shank of which is twisted. Two thinner round rods flank the main column, while beside each of these are heftier supports made of rectangular bars. The top of the rods and the rectangular bars are crowned with a curled flat iron which provides additional anchor to the fleur-de-lis.

All these elaborate ironwork stand on an arched iron base whose legs are spaced at 8 inches. From the top of the arch, a shank extends up to 19 inches, which is long enough to hold a load of logs so you can enjoy your fire longer before you need to thrown in additional firewood. Along with the base, the andiron stands 24 inches, which also helps carry a taller pile of logs.

The Regency Model WMF024 Hand-Forged Andirons come in two finishes –natural rust and sheer metal. With the natural rust finish, the andiron is allowed to oxidize thus giving it a warm reddish brown hue. It can look like amber or nutmeg with black highlights. It is then sealed to maintain this look. Sheer metal, on the other hand, has a natural silver tone. The bare iron is given a clear coat before any rust develops.

There is something nostalgic, and even romantic, about wood-burning fireplaces. You can watch flickering flames and listen to crackling fire as you warm yourself and relax after a day’s work, perhaps alone with a good book or a glass of Bordeaux, or cuddling your significant other. All that can be spoiled, however, if you have to get up and walk to the backyard every time the wood burns out to fetch more fuel. You can prevent that from happening with the Landmann USA Model 82427 Log Caddy.

With a heavy-duty tubular steel frame, the Landmann log caddy is designed to carry a whole day’s worth of logs in only one go, thus eliminating the back-breaking task of having to carry armloads of logs repeatedly. Equipped with pneumatic wheels, it is basically a hand truck with a modified design. Instead of having a base with an open front, the log caddy’s extends upwards allowing it to securely carry more logs.

There are no panels attached to the tubular frame, which helps keep the weight of the caddy to a minimum. This makes it easy to tip and push or drag it from where the logs are cut and split to the fireplace. And with the large pneumatic tires helping along, it is also easy to maneuver. It can easily negotiate rough terrain, thresholds, and even steps, but not deep snow. Elderly ladies can do this even when loaded with 150 pounds of firewood. They can simply park the caddy right beside the fireplace. With a canvass cover than comes with it, the wood pieces are protected from dampness.

The width of the Landmann USA Model 82427 Log Caddy is 18 inches. Since it does not include panels, your wood should be cut at longer than 18 inches. It is 21.5 inches deep, while the rear frame is almost 42 inches high.

Warming yourself on cold winter nights in front of a wood-burning fireplace with its crackling and dancing fire is indeed a very cozy and relaxing experience –until the morning after when you have to clean the hearth of the residue of the burnt logs. You need not allow cleaning up to become unpleasant though. With the Northline Express Cheetah II Ash Vacuum, cleaning the fireplace for even more warm and comfortable days and nights is a breeze.

The ash vacuum consists of a black cylinder with a capacity of three gallons. It is constructed out of heavy-duty steel. Resting at the top of the cylinder is a powerful one-horsepower motor with an electric power draw down of 6 Amps. With this power, it can easily generate the pressure to drag the ashes into the enclosed cylinder.

Attached to the 1¼-inch diameter opening at the side of the vacuum is a five-foot long hose. This is resistant to flames and will not be affected by sparks that are unintentionally drawn in, but continuous exposure to fire or embers is not recommended.

The Cheetah II can handle both cold and warm ashes from your fireplace or wood burning and pellet stoves. It incorporates a dual filtering system, the first of which is a fire retardant that prevents embers and sparks from getting sucked into the second filter or cylinder, as this could damage the vacuum’s internal parts. It is the second filter that keeps the ashes and other sub-micron particles such as dust trapped inside the vacuum.

The Northline Express MU305 Cheetah II Ash Vacuum stands 20 inches high and weighs 16 pounds. It is fitted with a carrying handle for ease of transfer.

Fireplace screens were probably born when someone’s house caught, or at least nearly caught, fire because of the embers floating out of the fireplace. Owing to the natural oils in wood or their dryness, they crackle and pop when burning expelling sparks that could sometimes shoot out of the firebox and land on flammable materials. For this reason, it is often prudent, if not necessary, to have a protective barrier such as the Pilgrim’s Napa Forge Vienna Fireplace Screen in front of your traditional wood-burning fireplace.

The Vienna screen is functional and convenient to use. It effectively keeps embers and ashes inside the firebox by blocking the opening of the fireplace. With the two doors incorporated into it, however, you need not move the entire screen aside if you need to stoke the fire or add more logs. Each of the doors measure 13 inches wide, giving you a 26-inch wide access to the fire. It consists of three panels with the doors in the center.

Not content with its protective functions, Pilgrim went on to build the Vienna screen into a work of art. As its name implies, it is an art that evokes images of the furniture that adorned the Romanesque and Baroque buildings of the 12th and late 16th Centuries in Austria. The screen is richly and tastefully decorated with wrought iron design in scrolls and curlicues.

The top of the frame of the three panels reach a height of 30 inches. This is at the middle of the frame and it slopes downwards gently on both sides, with the slope easing up close to the ends. The top of the frame and the upper section of the doors are embellished with large scrolls, while vertical bars designed as twisted ropes brace the screen. The bottom of all panels are likewise decorated with scrolls and curlicues.

There are two available finishes for the Pilgrim’s Napa Forge Vienna Fireplace Screen –brushed pewter and brushed bronze.

Warming yourself on a wintry night with real logs burning in a traditional fireplace has its own charm and magic although sometimes it may be difficult to kindle them. This is especially true if the logs are not thoroughly dried and seasoned. You can, of course, use fire gels or pieces of old newspapers to help you start the fire but often these contain chemicals and may emit foul odor. A better way to do this is to use fatwood.

Fatwood comes from the heartwood of pine trees, particularly from the stump after the tree is cut and from the joints where branches meet the trunk. It is rich in flammable resin for which reason it is often used for kindling fireplace logs. In fact, it can be lighted even when wet as well as in the presence of strong wind. Fire from the fatwood also burns hot enabling it to ignite larger pieces of wood. Since it is completely natural and does not contain chemicals, it emits a pleasant smell.

A Colonial 5MM-FWC-01 Fatwood Caddy is a perfect container for your storage of fatwood. Made of wrought iron and powdercoated in black, the caddy makes an attractive accessory sitting in front of your fireplace keeping the fatwood handy. The powdercoat also keeps rust and corrosion at bay.

The design is actually simple. It consists of an elongated metal base that is arched on its long side to hold the fatwood. Two rounded handles that are joined at the top for carrying double as feet with their spaced lower ends.

The caddy itself weighs 10 lbs but it comes with 4 lbs of fatwood. If you run out, a refill of 8 lbs is available. Dimensions are 8.75″ long, 6.75″ wide, and 8.5″ high.

The image of a man splitting fire logs with a maul, or sometimes with an ax, is often seen as an embodiment of machismo. What is usually not mentioned are the sore muscles, blistered palms, and aching backs that almost inevitably follow after such labor.

There is a better, and far easier, way to split your logs –Pow ‘R’ kraft Model 65556 4-Ton Electric Log Splitter. And it does the job in less than half the time compared to using the good old maul. The log splitter is powered by a 1.75 horsepower motor that runs on electric power. This means that you do not have to contend with fumes and noise that come from gas- or diesel-powered machines. It also means that you can use it in your garage, basement, or even right next to your fireplace on the patio.

A hydraulic pressure of 2,320 PSI enables the machine to generate a splitting force of 4-tons or 8,000 pounds. With this force, it can easily handle 10-inch diameter and 20-inch long logs. The machine incorporates a “ZHB” control system to insure operator safety. It does not run unless both hands are engaged, one pressing the push button switch while the other holds the hydraulic control lever, thus preventing your hands from wandering into hazardous areas on the machine. The log is then pushed smoothly but strongly into a wedge. Once cutting is complete, you can release the switch and hydraulic control. This automatically returns the log pusher to its original position.

For ease of moving the 97-pound log splitter, it is fitted with a pair of wheels on one end. A stand is available if you wish to have the machine installed on a waist-level position. This way, you won’t have to bend down while running it.

The machine itself without the stand is 21 inches long and 20 inches high. It is 11 inches wide.

Traditional fireplaces and fire pits that burn real logs instead of aluminum fakes are often preferred by purists who just can’t enjoy warmth without the sound of crackling fire, the smell of burning wood, and the flickering flames. Igniting logs, however, can sometimes be difficult especially if they are not sufficiently seasoned and dried. In these instances, it may be necessary to use a fire starter.

Rutland Safe Lite Fire Starter Squares are one of the newer products that help light your fire. These are made out of wood fiber and waste, recycled newsprint, and paraffin that are compressed into squares. It is the paraffin content that facilitates its burning even when wet. Just shake off excess water from its surface and you are ready to go.

In spite of its readiness to burn, it does not flare-up. Instead, it emits a steady flame that burns for as long as 8 – 10 minutes, enough time to set your logs on fire. You can grill barbecues or roast marshmallows for your s’mores on Safe Lite-ignited fire wood as it is non-toxic and will not flavor your food.

In addition to fireplaces and fire pits, Rutland Safe Lite Fire Starter Squares can also be used when lighting campfires, charcoal grills, wood stoves, and even pellet stoves. All you need to do is pile charcoal or wood above the squares, leaving room for airflow, and touch a lighted match to them. One square is often sufficient but to evenly distribute the fire, you can use additional pieces. For pellet stoves, you can put a square in the burn pot and pour pellets above it. Ignite the fire starter square, and when the pellets are burning, turn on the stove’s automatic feeder.