Even if swinging an ax or wielding a maul and wedge appeals to your inner Paul Bunyan, commercial log splitters prove more efficient at splitting large quantities of firewood. For example, when comparison-shopping for a cord of wood near me, always include the value of your time, along with that of whoever assists you when cutting, splitting, and stacking your own firewood.
Unless you own or have access to a woodlot or slab wood from a local sawmill, a full cord of wood, defined as a stack measuring 4 feet by 4 feet by 8 feet, costs significantly greater than a pickup load. Given the measurements of a full cord, the best firewood cover should measure at least 4 feet by 8 feet, protecting the top of your woodpile, although not the sides.
Most pickups hold approximately a face cord, measuring 4 feet by 1 foot by 8 feet. A face cord might maintain your box of firewood for several days, depending on the moisture content and type of wood. Ideally, examine companies offering oak or birch firewood delivery with no more than 20 percent moisture, since seasoned hardwoods produce less smoke than softwoods such as fir, pine, or spruce.
If you live in an area where the winters can get quite a bit cold, and if you are a person who loves their basic creature comforts, then it is likely that you might have a fireplace at home. Maybe your home had a fireplace when you bought it, or maybe you installed one later, but there is no denying that having a fireplace at home does not only give you the heat you need during those cold months, and do it in style. A fireplace also creates a certain mood, a certain ambiance that cannot be had any other way. Sitting near a fireplace on a cold winter evening, spending some quiet moments either by yourself or with the people you love can be memorable, and you must be familiar with this experience. If you do use your fireplace on a regular basis, there is one thing that you would need to maintain a supply of at home — high quality firewood.
A fireplace is a luxury that is dear to many. In fact, people look for fireplaces, even when they are looking for a home to buy. Fireplaces are so popular that statistics indicate that about 46% of people looking to buy a home would even gladly pay extra for a house that already has a nice fireplace built in. The reason behind this popularity is the irreplaceable charm and mood that a fireplace, with the right usage and maintenance, can help create in your home on a daily basis. If you are thinking of buying a home with a fireplace, considering of installing one in your home, or simply want to get the most out of your fireplace that you already use regularly, the one thing that you need to know about more in detail is firewood. Without the right kind and quality of firewood, your fireplace is not likely to give you the performance and comfort that you want, and this is why knowing about firewood in detail is essential.
Before you try to source firewood for your fireplace and start looking into places that offer firewood for sale, consider a few things. Wood comes from trees, and just any kind of wood does not make good firewood. Unfortunately, a lot of places which offer firewood for sale might not adhere to the strict standards of quality that you might expect in your firewood. The process that goes into turning plain wood into firewood involves quite a few factors, and the first and most important of these is moisture content. Wood that has been freshly cut contains about 45% moisture, which is not ideal for firewood. This wood needs to dehumidified slowly and carefully over time to turn it into good quality firewood.
To achieve this, the wood needs to be put through a gentle heating and drying process, and the meticulousness and attention to detail used during this process determines, by and large, the quality of the firewood to be produced. Modified wool kilns usually offer the best results, drying out the wood slowly and naturally till the moisture content dips down below 30%. Ideally, when you are arranging for firewood delivery, you should be looking for wood with 20-25% of moisture content, which is the optimum level of moisture that firewood should have. Providers offering firewood for sale that can promise you this should be your top picks.
Apart from the moisture content, there are some other considerations as well. All woods do not burn the same way, and you should always be looking for woods that are known to burn in a clean and efficient manner, providing you with the most heat to volume ratio. Also, woods that are seasoned well perform better as firewood than green woods. Looking for firewood for sale can become so much easier if you just keep these important points in mind, things can become a lot easier for you. With the right firewood, your fireplace and continue giving you the ambiance and relaxation that you want, creating the right vibe every time. Overall, it is the best way to enjoy your fireplace with peace of mind.
