Built environment ~ Ermitaj Malin

Blackened stove glass? Prevent it with top-down fire lighting

14 February 20265 February 2026 by Rémy Pasti

Starting a wood fire may seem trivial. Yet the way you light it has a direct impact on stove efficiency, air quality, wood consumption, and the buildup of soot in both the flue and on your stove glass. Most people light their fires from the bottom: paper and kindling underneath, large logs on top. This … Read more

Stacking Firewood: The Subtle Art and Simple Physics of Stability

14 November 202512 November 2025 by Rémy Pasti

Ranger le bois de chauffage Stivuirea Lemnului de foc Stacking firewood

At Ermitaj, we’ve stacked many piles of firewood… And during the first couple of years, we saw quite a few collapse. We were all from the city; none of us had grown up with wood heating.Then a good friend, whose life has long revolved around fireplaces and stoves, explained the basic principles. Since then, every … Read more