Best Firewood and Mulch

FAQ

A face cord of firewood is 4 feet high by 8 feet long by 16 inches deep.
There are approximately 220-240 pieces in a face cord of firewood.
A full cord of firewood = 3 face cords of firewood.
If you burn 1-2 fires per week, a face cord of firewood should last the season. If you burn more than that you can double or triple the face cords.

Example - 1/2 Face Cord

Example - Full Face Cord

How should I store and stack my firewood

Stack your firewood with a supporting base 2-3 inches off the ground.
The greater the amount of area exposed to the air the more rapid the drying process.
Store you firewood outdoors under partial protection covering top half of stack with tarp leaving bottom open for airflow. If you choose to store inside garage etc make sure wood is dry from any elements.

How much firewood should be stored indoors?

A two to three day supply.
Cold wood brought in from outside will cool the fire too much.

How do I keep my chimney working well?

The chimney is very important to an efficient burning heat source in your home and for optimal results it should be cleaned annually.

How long should wood sit before it is ready to be burned?

The sap in seasoned wood has dried up. Unseasoned, or green wood, won’t burn well (if at all) because it is too wet. If the wood is extremely heavy and has sap oozing out of it, it’s too early to burn. Wood takes from six months to a year to season; most wood being sold now was cut last spring. To tell whether wood is seasoned, knock two logs together. Well-seasoned logs make a sharp ringing sound. Well-seasoned logs will be cracked on the ends, not be reddish or golden in color and not have a woody smell.

What is the best way to build a fire in a fireplace?

A fire constructed with perfect form and bone-dry materials will still fizzle out if you don’t understand the role of the flue. The flue is the channel inside the chimney or stovepipe that circulates air and creates a draft, thus feeding the necessary oxygen to the fire.

The flue is kind of a valve or doorway that opens or shuts off the air flow though the chimney, known as the damper. A handle opens and closes it, and that’s usually located in the fireplace near the bottom of the chimney. For wood stoves, there’s usually a handle located on the side of the stove, towards the top and at the back. Take a flashlight and familiarize yourself with the operation of your damper– and the position of it’s handle or chain when it’s closed or open. This will prevent the unnecessary smoke-outs and beeping smoke detectors that inevitable follow careless damper operation. Once you know the operation of your flue and damper, it’s time to build a fire.

There are three steps to building a fire and certain materials that you need. The three steps are preparing the materials, setting up the fire (building a fire), and lighting and maintaining the fire. The necessities for building a successful fire are 4 to 7 sheets of newspaper, two to three handfuls of dry kindling about an inch thick and 12-18 inches long, 4 to 5 logs of firewood that have been split and seasoned, long wooden matches or a butane lighter, and a fireplace screen. Place the sheets of newspaper in the center of your fireplace grate. Place the kindling on top of and around the newspaper, leaving enough room for the newspaper to receive oxygen.

Then place two of the big logs on either side of the newspaper and kindling structure. Then just use your matches to light the newspaper and the kindling should start right up. Keep an eye on it to make sure it doesn’t go out and make sure that the big logs start burning. When that happens just relax and enjoy your blaze.