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How to Properly Season and Store Firewood

One of the perks of owning a wood insert, fireplace, or stove is that wood is always available, especially if you have your own property from which to cut from. Even if you can’t cut your own wood, you can still find a local source of wood.

Type of Wood

The type of wood you choose for firewood will affect the type of fire you have. Hard woods like oak, maple, and beech have a longer, more consistent burn. Softer woods like pine, fir, and spruce burn faster. Choosing softer woods means you will run through twice as much wood to achieve the same kind of fire. Once you find the best trees for the job, it’s time to cut and split the wood.

Properly Seasoned Firewood

A live tree can contain up to 100% moisture when it’s cut and needs to be about 20% before it’s burned. Whether you cut your own wood or buy it, it should be adequately dried, or seasoned before it’s burned. This process can take about about six months, though especially hard woods can take longer. The way your firewood is stored can also help it dry properly.

Tips for Buying Firewood

• Visit the supplier before you pay. Make sure the wood is properly seasoned and that the stack is tight and measures correctly for the price you’re paying. For instance, a cord of wood is 128 cubic feet. If you’re purchasing your firewood, you want to get all you pay for.
• Buy local firewood. It is best to not transport wood across county and state lines due to to invasive species that are affecting forests. Also, buying local allows you to go and see the supplier and the wood before making your purchase.
• Ask if the wood is “ready to burn.” Be specific with your questions before making your purchase. This is also a good reason to go to the source yourself and check the wood for signs it is seasoned.

Tips for Storing Firewood

• Cover your firewood. It isn’t a requirement, but it does help the process. You can build a roof over your stack or even throw a tarp over it. Some homeowners prefer a woodshed, but it would have to be quite large to hold all of the winter’s wood while it seasons.
• Stack it. When wood is stacked properly it should allow free air flow to assist the drying process. You can even stack it with the bark side up to avoid water penetration in wet climates.
• Stack it on dry land. You can place a strip of pallets, gravel, or sand on the ground to allow runoff while your wood is drying, instead of allowing water to pool around your stack of firewood.
• Check it. You can check your wood periodically to determine if it’s ready for burning. It should be grayed in color, crack at the ends, and pull away from the bark. When wood is dry it should also produce a hollow sound when hit together.

A Tip From Beach Stove and Fireplace

Whether buying or cutting, NEVER BURN WET WOOD. It’s bad for the fireplace and it’s bad for you. It’s our goal to keep you safe. To find out more about firewood selection, air quality, and chimney safety, contact Beach Stove & Fireplace today!

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.