Keep Cozy This Winter With Nicely Seasoned Firewood

Over the past few weeks, I’ve written about keeping your various landscape plants comfortable this winter. Today, I have a suggestion for keeping yourself and your family comfortable.Nothing beats a nice, cozy, wood burning fire on a cold, winter night. The dancing flames, the crackling sound, the aroma… they all tell you that the cold weather is here. But you don’t have to be cold. Not if you have a wood burning fireplace or stove.At Birchcrest, we have plenty of firewood, and it’s all well seasoned hardwood. I recommend calling and having your winter supply delivered now, before winter sets in. That way, you can have it safely stored away before it gets soaked. Even more importantly, you can be sure you’re getting seasoned wood. All firewood dealers will begin running out of seasoned wood soon. Some will begin substituting green wood and softwoods.Seasoned hardwood burns clean and leaves very little soot and virtually no creosote on the inside of your flue or chimney. Hardwood burns slower than softwood and gives off more heat for greater comfort.Green wood contains more water than seasoned wood. Even if you can get the fire lit, all the water has to evaporate before the wood begins burning. That’s the hissing sound you hear when green wood is trying to burn. Besides its inefficiencies, green wood also gives off water vapor that can corrode the iron or steel parts in your fireplace or stove. As this vapor escapes up the flue or chimney, it can corrode sheetmetal flues and liners, even if it’s galvanized.Soft woods are loaded with creosote and water. As this material is drawn up the flue or chimney, creosote is deposited on the walls. A sufficient build-up can easily catch on fire. To be safe, you’ll need to have your chimney cleaned more often.There are some simple tests to determine if the wood you are buying is seasoned or green. Seasoned wood is a grayish color while unseasoned wood is tan. A second test is to hit a piece on a rock or something else that’s hard. Seasoned wood should bounce off and sound almost hollow while green wood will just make a thud.Our delivery includes dumping the wood in your driveway. For a slight bit more money, our crew can stack it in your garage or another accessible place. Don’t wait to order, though. Our seasoned hardwoods are going fast.