5 Things to Consider Before Buying Firewood

Winter is a great season to enjoy some fresh air, and there are so many things that you can do with snow. You can make snowmen, build igloos, enjoy snowball fights, and a whole host of other fun activities. However, winter is cold and dark, and there is nothing worse than trudging through a snow-covered garden in the dark, carrying a log of wood.

Last winter, I struggled with a log of wood in my garden. It was so heavy that I felt it was about to break my back. I thought about buying a log of wood, as it would be cheaper than chopping the wood myself.

However, I did some research and found out there are other factors you need to consider before buying firewood, such as the wood quality, delivery, and its impact on the environment. In this article, I am going to discuss these factors and how they affect buying decisions.

Firewood can be sold and purchased at just about any time of year, while supplies are often plentiful. However, firewood is not a product that you should purchase without first performing some due diligence. You must have this type of education. In this blog post, we will take a look at some of the factors that you need to consider before buying firewood. Let's jump in!

1. How Much Space Do I Have To Store the Wood?

The amount of space that you have to store your firewood is an important consideration. You want to be able to easily access the wood when it is needed, and you don’t want to have to make multiple trips to your storage area.

Most firewood is sold in bundles of 16 to 20 logs. If you have the space to store these logs, then you can keep a full load of firewood on hand. However, most homeowners don’t have this much storage space, which is why most homeowners utilize a firewood rack.

A firewood rack is simply an outdoor storage shed that is designed for firewood storage. It is mounted to a wall or installed into a patio or deck. There are a wide variety of firewood racks on the market. Some look like outdoor sheds while others look more like outdoor storage units.

2. Determine What Kind of Wood Is Best for Your Fires

Many homeowners use wood-burning stoves or fireplaces to heat their homes, but choosing the best wood for your fire is key.

Wood-burning stoves and fireplaces burn a controlled fire and generate enough heat for many homeowners, but it’s important to use this heat source efficiently. Wood and firewood are burned to generate heat, and an efficient fire generates heat efficiently.

3. Only Burn Seasoned Wood

Wood is a renewable resource, which makes it great for the environment. However, if it is not used properly it can emit harmful gases when it is burned. These gases include carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, and hydrocarbons. These gases can cause respiratory issues and other health problems. Furthermore, they contribute to air pollution which can affect our climate negatively.

Seasoned wood is wood that has already been dried. It has actually been wet for a period of time, and then is dried out. This drying out process allows the wood to shrink, reducing the risk of fire.

By burning seasoned wood, you are reducing the amount of harmful gases that are released into the air. In addition, you are reducing the amount of energy needed to burn the wood.

4. Finders Keepers

When you buy firewood, you want to make sure that you are actually getting high-quality wood. Many of us buy firewood from a supplier and assume that we are getting the best quality of wood, but there are many factors that go into the quality of firewood.

The age of the wood is the most important factor to consider when you are buying firewood. When you buy older firewood, the wood has been rotting or decomposing and is becoming harmful to your health.

The older the wood is, the more pits, holes, and cracks you will find in the wood. This increases the risk of fire, as the fuel for a fire can be easily ignited by friction. The smoke that is produced by older wood is also usually high in tars, resins, and creosote, all of which can cause health problems.

5. Don’t buy by the truckload

Buying firewood by truckload might seem like a good idea, but it’s actually a rip off. The wood you buy by the truckload is cut to small size and is dry. But when you buy wood by truckload, you aren’t going to get dry wood.

The wood will be wet and may get moldy and it will not burn well. It causes more maintenance than hardwood. It might even cause some surface rust.

A better option would be to buy wood by the cord. When you buy the wood by the cord, you are getting a cord of wood that is 4’-6’ long and weighs 16-24 lbs. Each cord of wood is usually 16 feet long and 2 feet high with about 10” of wood. If you are from Norway you can buy the best wood in Oslo online.

At Nutshell

 Wooden logs that gave off lots of smoke were definitely the worst, but there were also some that burned very hot. The wood that burned the hottest was the cheapest and was covered with bark. The wood that burned the hottest and produced the most smoke had the least bark and was the most expensive. Even after reading the post, I still am not sure what type of wood to buy. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. Thank you for reading!