Firewood can be a comfortable, economical and environmentally
responsible fuel for heating your home.
Stored solar energy in the form of firewood has been humankind's most available and commonly used fuel. In North America,
wood stoves, fireplace inserts and masonry heaters are a popular as primary or supplemental heat sources for homes. Rising
costs and the occasional outages of conventional home heating energy sources have led to increased use of wood as a heating
fuel. Many people just enjoy the comfort and ambiance of a real wood fire in the hearth on a cold winter evening.
Advances in the technology of wood stoves and fireplaces mean that you may now enjoy the glow of a cozy fire and efficiently
generate heat without creating alot of smoke. Masonry heaters, using technology perfected over the centuries in northern Europe,
are also finding favor in colder regions of North America as a method of providing constant level of heat in a living space
while consuming minimal amounts of wood and emitting very little smoke.
To get the most enjoyment
and warmth from your firewood, consider these suggestions.
What Type of Wood to Burn
Many articles
and books about burning firewood contain charts listing the "heating values" of various types of wood. Woodburners in
some regions have prejudices for or against one species of wood over another. You do not need to be overly concerned about
that!
Whatever natural wood is available in your area is okay to use. All wood, dried to
the same moisture content, contain (approximately) the same "heat value" per pound - from 5,500 to 8,500 BTU's
(British Thermal Unit). In general, dense hardwoods such as oak, hickory and maple offer the most heating value per volume
of wood. Softwoods, such as the various species of pine and fir tend to be lighter in weight per volume when dry, thus
offering less heat per volume of wood burned. However, people in extreme climates such as northern Canada and in the Rocky
Mountains have only pine to burn and manage to heat their homes quite well.
I always
tell people that the best firewood is free firewood and the second best is cheap firewood.
If
you have a choice, lighter woods can be used for fires when you "just want to take the chill off". Denser wood is
preferred for long burn times.
Besides density, wood varies in other ways that affect their
desirability as firewood. Ease of splitting, speed of drying and coaling qualities may be considerations if you have
a choice of different species to use.
Painted or chemically treated wood should not be burned,
they release toxic fumes!
Measure
Firewood is typically measured and sold by the cord,
which is128 cubic feet of tightly stacked wood.
Historically, a cord would be wood stacked 4'H x 4'W x 8'D
= 128 cubic feet. This not realistic, I can not get a log 4 feet long in my fireplace. The stacked wood would be closer to
4'H x 2W' x 16'D = still equals 128 cubic feet. As long as it all adds up to 128 cubic feet, it does not matter
how you stack it.
Many places do not sell wood by the cord! It will be sold as a "load". So be aware of what you are paying
for.
Preparation
The most important thing is that your wood be "seasoned", or dry to a moisture content around 20%.
The drier the wood, the easier it ignites and the cleaner it burns.
Store firewood away from your house to prevent insect intrusion.
Wood can not be considered "seasoned" or dry enough to use until it has
been cut, spilt and stacked for at least a year. Wood has to lose 80% of its moisture to be "seasoned" and this
takes time!
Your chimney Sweep
Your Chimney Sweep is a good source of information about availability of
firewood.
So have your chimney swept and inspected,
gather your wood, and enjoy the warmth and ambiance of your fire but above all, be safe!
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