Time to stock up on wood!
I don't know about you, but one of the things my wife and I immediately feel in love with in our home was the wood burning fireplace! We were so excited when we walked into our living room to see a full sized, fully functional, and ready to use fire maker! Our excitement subsided a little bit when we got the $1,300 dollar bill to repair the cracked firebox the old owners left us, but Priddy Clean was fast, honest, and reliable, and also threw in a very thorough flue cleaning as well. Even though it was the beginning of Summer, we were already waiting for the colder weather as we knew we'd be taking good advantage!
And it has certainly gotten considerably colder the past few nights, so we'll be lighting up soon! And while the European birch from Whole Foods is so very nicely packed and so finely chopped, at $9.99 a bag, it will get costly - quickly. We burn ALOT of wood. I mean, what's the point of having a fireplace if you only light it when friends are over?! We will light one maybe 3 or 4 times a week, and in the middle of winter I will wake up early and keep one going for hours on the weekends. The smell, the crackling sound of popping hardwood, the heat, it is all so cozy!
If you're like us, and ready to light up this winter, here are a few tips you might want to keep in mind:
1) Keep your flue clean! While a wood burning fire has tons of benefits, a dirty flue can be a hazard and can lead to fire. There are a few different ways to ensure you've got a clean flue. First, you can bring in a chimney sweep to fully examine the flue and the chimney. As I mentioned above, we were very pleased with Priddy Clean. Second, after you've verified that your flue and chimney are operational, there are few "self-cleaning" enviro logs that you can use to ensure that it stays clean. Here are some of the "self-cleaning" logs that I use every 6th of 7th fire just to be sure that my fireplace is clean and can keep on burning without issues.
2) Get 'GOOD' Firewood. For the longest time I thought that all wood was the same. If it burns it burns it what I used to tell myself. Well, that logic is very flawed and can't be further from the truth. Certain woods burn longer and cleaner than others, and certain species of tree really shouldn't be burned all all. I did a little research on the topic a years back and it turns out that highly resinous varieties are actually some of the poorest for your fireplace. You want to be sticking to "hardwoods" --- oak, poplar, and maples are the best for a hot, slow burning, and clean fire. And you want to make sure that your wood is either "seasoned" or "kiln-dried." Seasoned wood refers to wood that has been cut and set to dry for at least 12 months. It will have very little moisture content and will burn well. Kiln dried wood is supposedly a little bit better as it has been put through a kiln to eliminate all unnecessary moisture as well as killing off any bacteria, fungus, or organism that might be on the wood itself. But the cost for kiln dried wood might get a little prohibitive unless you are buying in very high quantities. Since I keep mine in the garage, I am not all that concerned if there is a spider or some fungus on it ---- it is going in the fire after all.
3) Find a Local Supplier. A quick Google or Craigslist search yields that there are TONS of different vendors. Find 1 and stick with them. We purchased a Full Cord of "seasoned" wood and a 1/2 cord of "kiln dried" from the Potomac Garden Center. Their prices were reasonable and they delivered and stacked for a small fee.
4) Burn baby burn! Have fun and stay safe! And enjoy walking through the community with the incredible aroma of a fresh fire. Oh, I can't wait!
- Yianni