Hi all! First time user, long time fan.....

I have a fireplace here in my apartment - it's an older carriage house
and the fireplace was likely used for heat, not aesthetics. The opening
is about 2x2', there is a damper of course and there is also a hole in
the floor that is typically covered by a brick that allows the ashes to
drain down the chimney into my garage for easy removal. I am difficulty
in getting a decent fire of any sort ( I'm not building the fire for
heating, btw ). I can get the fire going easily but within several
minutes, it always is reduced to coals without a flame. Adjusting the
damper seems to have not effect except to fill the apartment with smoke
if I close it too much. Opening one or more windows also does not
change how the fire burns nor does the furnace fan have any effect.
Funny thing is, if I do not touch the fire for a couple of hours, it
will flame up, albeit not very aggresively. Here's where is gets
interesting, if I cover up the opening 2/3s the area or more with a
piece of plywood, it flames up almost instantly and stays buring like
you would expect a fire to. It appears to me that there is an airflow
problem - is it possible to get too much air? I am pretty sure this has
nothing to do with the wood or the way it is cut. Although, if I throw
a handeful of kindling on one of the burning logs, it will flame up and
hold a flame for perhaps 20 min before once again returning to a slow
flamesless burn. It just strikes me as odd that the wood will burn
exactly the way I want it to when I retrict the air going into the
fireplace. ANy suggestions would be greatly apreciated!
MajBach