There are many reasons for using firewood as a source of heat and beauty. It has a low cost or can even be free if you have your source. It is a renewable resource and, if properly harvested, can be helpful to forests and property owners.
While most people think of burning wood as dirty, the new high-efficiency wood stoves and outdoor wood furnaces are very clean-burning, often reaching over an 80% efficiency rating. It doesn’t require electricity.
On a cold, snowy night when the power goes out, there is nothing nicer than a fire to huddle around with your family. The appliances used for burning wood are quite numerous these days.
From typical iron wood stoves to soapstone and enamel, there are plenty of attractive choices for burning wood. There is, of course, my favorite: an open fire inside an attractive fireplace. Nothing else quite compares. Fire is beautiful, romantic, and – a bonus – puts off heat.
Firewood Acquisition
If you don’t have firewood on your property, sourcing good wood can be something of a challenge. The best place to start is the classifieds in your local paper. Also, check the phone book. Where I live it’s not uncommon to see dump trucks full of firewood parked around town with a for sale sign on them.
Here’s the trick. A lot of people sell firewood cut, split, and load it in their truck to deliver to you. This wood may be fine, but you should not burn it until it has been aged properly for at least one year. A good firewood business will be selling properly aged firewood that is ready to use.
You can easily acquire the free firewood Sydney by calling the tree professionals. They will offer good quality tree services, trim and prune trees. Finally, they will cut the logs into firewood.
Firewood Storage and Aging
Whether you get well-seasoned wood or will be aging it yourself, you need a proper place to store it. Many people just stack their wood and cover it with a tarp. This is one of the worst ways to store firewood. The tarp traps moisture from the wood and the ground and acts as a sauna.
This keeps the wood from drying in a reasonable amount of time and can promote rot. The best way to store firewood is in a shed. Something simple will do, a roof and three sides work best. This allows for plenty of air exchange and easy access to your stored wood.
I recommend installing some kind of a floor; even several inches of gravel with plastic underneath works fine. The plastic will act as a vapor barrier and keep moisture from beneath the logs while at the same time discouraging critters and pests.
Firewood storage is one of the most important aspects of using firewood, and the easiest way to do this is by using a firewood rack. Using firewood is a great way to conserve energy, cut down on your heating costs, and keep you and your family warm.
However, proper firewood storage techniques are frequently ignored. This leads to quite undesirable consequences, including:
- Rodent infestation, including rats, mice, raccoons, and beavers
- Insect and termite influx
- Mold and fungus growth
- Moist or wet wood
- Rotted firewood supply
- Less heat efficient firewood
- More smoky firewood
Wood is easier to split when it is green and if it dries out after being cut, it can be harder to split. After the firewood has been cut and split, the firewood must be seasoned. Seasoning is the process of drying out the wood.
The most important part of seasoning is storage. Firewood stored on the ground can lead to added moisture which will not allow it to dry. This can also rot the wood.
A firewood rack is made with a certain elevation so that the bottom and the rest of the rack are exposed to a dry surface. This allows the wood to dry out easily and prevents the bottom from rotting and spreading.
Firewood Rack
The firewood rack should be placed away from the home by at least 20 feet. Keeping the wood off the ground will prevent vermin and rodents from making the wood their home. However, insects and termites may still be drawn to the wood during seasoning.
Keeping your firewood rack away from any building will prevent the insects and termites from infesting the structure. Although most of the seasoning occurs through the cut ends than the split sides, firewood should still be stacked so that air can travel around the logs.
During seasoning, firewood should be left uncovered as much as possible to allow airflow. Covering the wood will lead to moisture being trapped in and possible mold and fungus growth.
It is recommended to cover the top layer of the firewood rack during rain or snow while wood is seasoning. This is usually enough to prevent the firewood from getting wet. Once the firewood is seasoned, it may be covered to keep out rain and moisture.
