Bricks and Sticks: Firewood Facts
Your first question before committing to any firewood is," is it seasoned?" Wood should have been cut and stacked for at least one year. This period allows the moisture content to diminish by air-drying. Newly cut wood is heavy and features a sappy appearance on the ends. As wood dries, the bark begins to separate from the core of the tree, look for loose bark, indicating seasoned wood. Green wood with high moisture content can mean trouble for your fireplace chimney. Green wood when burned emits heavy amounts of creosote, which can accumulate in fireplace flues and chimneys, creating a fire hazard.
Fireplace wood should be cut in the standard length of sixteen inches. Firewood is sold in a variety of amounts and delivery methods. Typically you'l1 be quoted prices for full or face cords, and stacked or dumped. Full cords measure four-by-four-by-eight feet, are stacked but un-split. Face cords refer only to the face of a four-by-eight foot stack, only one log or sixteen inches deep. You'll pay extra for firewood that is split and stacked. Splitting and stacking wood requires considerable time and energy.
As a long-term fireplace fan, I recommend buying only as much wood as you need for one season. After a couple of years, firewood can begin to decay and begin to absorb moisture again. Spend the money on a firewood rack to keep your wood off the ground and allow for air circulation. Nothing beats the glow of a real fire.
Related Tags: real estate, home, selling, advice, news, buying, mark nash, wood, fireplaces, heating, firewood, cords, stoves
Mark Nash is the author of five real estate books, new for 2007; Real Estate A-Z for Buying & Selling a Home. William J. Sittig, Chief of the Science, Technology and Business Division of The Library of Congress has invited Mark to make a presentation on 1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home to the members, public and staff of the Library on March 21, 2007. Nash has been featured on Bloomberg Video-on-Demand, CBS The Early Show, CNN, and The Today Show. He is a syndicated columnist for RealtyTimes.com and reviews books for MyShelf.com and The Midwest Review of Books.To subscribe to his free monthly ezine; Agent to Agent visit: http://www.AgenttoAgentezine.com.
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