Protecting Your Firewood from the Elements
The most important factor for the best firewood is for it to be seasoned, or dried, sufficiently. You can find firewood dealers who only sell seasoned wood, but you must store it properly to keep the wood dry. At Hudson Chimney, we are often asked by our customers for the best ways to store firewood, so we thought we would share some firewood storing tips with you to help you protect your wood fuel from the elements.
Always store your firewood off the ground.
When you stack your firewood directly on the ground, you are allowing it to absorb moisture from the ground. Even if your wood was seasoned, it will be too wet to burn if it is stored on the ground. If you do not have a storage shed, you can place your stacks of firewood on top of pallets, drain-able gravel, or a tarp.
Cover the top of your stacks of firewood.
To protect your firewood from getting wet from rain, you should place a tarp on top of the wood. Leave the sides of the stacks uncovered so that moisture will not get trapped inside and absorbed into the wood. With the sides open, air will be able to circulate and further the drying process.
Stack your wood properly.
Never stack firewood higher than four feet high. You do not want your stacks to be wobbly, unsteady, and in danger of falling over. Give each stack a few inches of breathing room to allow air to circulate, but you do want to place the stacks close enough together to discourage children and animals from climbing around them.
Build a storage shed.
According to Inman, creating a firewood storage shed is not that difficult. All you need is a raised floor, a sloped roof, and open sides so that the air can circulate and that you can easily get the wood when needed. You will want to build a big enough shed to store a year’s supply of firewood.
Create a smaller storage area inside your home.
If you have a garage or basement, you can store up to a week’s worth of firewood inside your home. This can be very convenient because you will only need to go outside to gather firewood once a week. If you do not have a garage or basement, you can get creative by using a decorative metal tub in your home to store a small supply of firewood.
If you would like more firewood tips, contact us at Hudson Chimney. We are happy to help you enjoy warm and cozy wood fires this winter.