It seems that it gets harder and harder to start a fire some evenings. Is there something we can do to make it easier to light a fire?

Hello Sparky, To add to the comment Grace posted earlier. It can possibly be a cold starting flue or it can be from a number of other things. Mortar joint gaps between the flue tile, a blockage of some sort, possibly a change in the home which causes the house to be tighter than it has been in the past causing a negative pressure and pulling the smoke downward. Hard to say until we are able to perform an onsite evauation.

Cold-starting chimneys can be hard to light. Make a paper torch to warm up the flue, by holding it up past the damper. The fire should light easier afterwards.