A television station in our area has an unusual broadcast each year on Christmas day. It's nothing more than a continuous recording of a stack of logs burning in an open fireplace. As we were flipping through the channels last Christmas we viewed a beautiful brick fireplace filled with flaming logs - simple, yet elegant. Holiday music accompanied the picture. One can be so easily mesmerized by a crackling fire, a bird chirping, a soft breeze or a wave gently breaking on the shore.
Even better than watching someone else's fire on television, however, is watching your own. And there are ways to ensure that your fires are enjoyable to watch, safe and best of all cost-effective.
On average, most folks who have fires burn between one-half and one-and-a-half cords of firewood each year. A cord is a tightly packed stack of wood that measures 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet.
A couple of tips that can help you to save money when purchasing firewood:
Purchase hardwoods. They burn longer, hotter and cleaner than soft woods.
If you can, eliminate delivery costs by loading and packing the wood yourself.
If you have the storage space in your yard you might want to purchase green wood and season (dry) it yourself. Wood that has been seasoned for a period of one to three years works well. However, burning efficiency improves as seasoning time increases.
TIP: Split logs become seasoned faster than whole ones.
If there is a forest near your home, you might be able to get a permit to cut your own firewood - practically for free. We have done this a couple of times and it is really exciting.
When you get the firewood home:
Store it in a covered area to prevent it from getting wet.
Stack it loosely so that air will easily pass through the pile.
Stack it away from your house. You can be sure that insects will immediately take up residence. Stacking the wood away from your house will prevent these unwanted critters from having easy and hidden access into your home.
CAUTION: It is important to remember to have your chimney cleaned and inspected annually or after burning one cord of wood, whichever comes first.
Burning firewood produces air pollution, just like cars and factories do. So, being responsible about what and how you burn can make a difference to your family, neighbors and the environment. Here are tips on how to enjoy a warmer and safer fire:
Never burn green firewood in your fireplace. It generates more creosote than cured firewood. Creosote sticks to the lining of your chimney. It is flammable and can become explosive if left unchecked.
Never burn treated lumber. It contains poisonous pesticides that become airborne when burned. This could be deadly.
Never burn trash, paper or cardboard in your fireplace. Their floating embers can cause a fire in your home, on your home or at a neighbor's home. Some trash can burn very hot and cause your fireplace to crack.
Never burn coal in your fireplace. It emits dangerous chemicals and it often can burn so hot that it can cause the bricks in your fireplace to crack.
Don't make a really large fire. Small hot fires produce maximum combustion and minimum pollution.
Don't use flammable liquids to start your fire. They are dangerous to use inside the home because they pose the threat of explosion. Also, many flammable liquids will cause the fire to smolder, thus contributing to pollution. Use scraps of paper and kindling for best results.
As soon as you've gotten your kindling going, twist together several pieces of paper in the shape of a hot dog. Light one end and hold the flaming paper as near the damper as possible. The small amount of hot air created will cause an air siphon in the chimney and help to prevent smoke from flowing into your home.
Use two large logs with a third smaller log placed between and atop them. The pyramid shaped stack will cause a natural draft that will produce a more efficient fire.
Finally, don't let embers and ash build up. They can prevent effective combustion by impairing the free flow of air.
