What You Should Know About the Wood in Wood-burning Fireplaces
Type of Wood
First, not all trees or types of wood are good for use in wood-burning fireplaces. Trees with lots of sap, like the Maple, are definitely out, even if it is cut during the months when the sap is not heavily flowing. Soft woods are also not fireplace friendly. Hard woods are by far the best type to use for fireplaces. Some good choices would be Elm (rock, red, and white), Hickory (shagbark and butternut), Oak (red), Beech, and Ash (white).
How to Get the Wood
Aside from knowing what type of wood to use, a person has to know how to get it. If you live in the country on land abundant with the right type of trees, and own a chainsaw, you are set. However, if you do not have the resources at hand, then you will need to purchase the wood and then haul it home yourself or pay to have it hauled, unless you have a friend who owns a pick-up truck or trailer, who will haul it for you, for the price of a tank of gas and a six-pack. The best place to find wood for sale is in the advertisement section of your local newspaper or tacked on public bulletin boards at the nearest Lowe’s, Home Depot, Feed n Seed, or laundry mat.
NOTE: You may want to take along a buddy, who is fairly knowledgeable about trees, so that you are not sold a less than desirable type of wood.
How Much Wood do you Need?
Wood is normally sold by the cord, although sometimes you may see it as being sold by the truckload, which means a regular sized pick-up truck. A cord of wood is a stack of logs four feet high by four feet wide and approximately eight feet long. Most people who sell wood by the cord will have the wood displayed in just this fashion, and not in one huge pile behind a barn or shed. Depending on the type of wood, one cord has about the same heating equivalent as 250 gallons of heating oil.
How to Place Wood in a Fireplace to Build a Fire
There is a knack to placing wood in a fireplace in order to produce a steady heat while using the least amount of wood. First, make sure there is approximately two to three inches of ashes or sand in the floor of the fireplace. Place a large log (approximately eight inches in diameter), known as the back log, against the back of the fireplace, and place a smaller log on top of it. Place a smaller log (approximately six inches in diameter), in the front directly behind the andirons. Both the back and front log should be lying deep in the ashes or sand so that only the tops and fronts will burn. Next add kindling (small wood pieces), in between the two logs and then finish by lying small logs (approximately four inches in diameter), on top of the kindling. With the fire in the middle, the larger back log reflects the heat of the fire outward, while the smaller front log holds the fire in and prevents air getting underneath the fire.
Enjoy Your Fire
You are now ready to light the wood and enjoy a cozy fire. As the back and front log burns down, replace them, being sure they are placed deep in the ashes. Add smaller logs and kindling for a hotter fire, and for less heat, dump a shovel full of ashes on the fire.
Fireplace Safety
Never leave a fire unattended and be sure the fire is completely covered with ashes before going to bed. Use a fireplace screen and keep small children away from the fireplace. Ensure that the chimney is clear and free of any obstructions. Have your fireplace and chimney serviced and cleaned yearly.
Source: US Fire Administration, fireplacemall.com
