All About Firewood
There are some great benefits to choosing wood heat ranging from ambiance to fuel availability and cost. Whether you have a fireplace, a furnace, or a pellet stove, it’s important to choose proper fuel. The wood you choose for your wood-burning fire will affect your heat output, efficiency, comfort, and more. It’s vital to choose good, aged, dry firewood.
Safety First
While you enjoy your crackling fire on a brisk winter’s night, it may be easy to forget about the chimney and it’s vital role in fire safety. Your chimney works to release byproducts and toxins from the home. By choosing proper firewood, you decrease the amount of pollution released into the home, and even the air around your home. You also decrease creosote buildup in the chimney, thereby decreasing fire risk.
Buying Firewood
If you are unable to cut and split your own firewood, it is important to choose your wood source wisely. You can often tell the quality of wood by sight, but you cannot always tell if it’s properly seasoned. Seasoned wood will be lighter, will turn gray, and will often begin splitting and cracking. Be sure you are able to see the wood product before you make your purchase. It’s best to do some research, get reviews from other homeowners, and plan ahead. Most individuals and companies sell wood year round, but may increase prices during wood-burning season. Save money by buying your wood during the off-season.
Storing Firewood
You may prefer to store firewood in a shed or in a stack outside. Both methods are fine for storage as long as the wood is left to dry for at least six months. When storing outside you can utilize the bark by using it as a moisture barrier. If you live in a wet climate that gets a lot of moisture, store the wood bark-side up in order to allow the rain to run off. If you live in a climate that gets a lot of snow or ground moisture you can also store the wood bark-side down. The firewood will dry best if it’s stored after splitting, so cutting logs and stacking them for storage will not guarantee properly seasoned firewood.
Quality Firewood
Just as trees differ in size, height, and strength, so does wood. Some woods, like pine, fur, spruce, and redwood are considered soft woods. Soft woods burn faster so you may find yourself filling the stove more often or purchasing more often. Oak, birch, and beech trees are considered hard woods. This wood takes longer to dry, but also takes longer to burn, offering a steady temperature, and cleaner burn. This means that the wood is burned completely with less byproduct.
By finding, storing, and burning wood properly you can lengthen the life of your fireplace, increase efficiency and heat output, as well as decrease the risk of fire.
You can take control of your family’s safety and comfort by choosing the right wood for your wood-burning fire, just as you’d choose the right fuel for your car. Hiring a professional to maintain your car is important, and so is hiring a professional to maintain your fireplace and chimney. Call Beach Stove and Fireplace to schedule your chimney maintenance today.