Post by : Admin
06-Feb-2020
The phrase you are what you eat could be the best way to describe how your firewood affects your chimney’s health!
What you put in it will have an impact on the longevity of your chimney. Creosote build-up, tar, ash and soot—the firewood you burn needs to keep you nice and warm without creating a mess. Here are your options are!
There are two categories to choose from for firewood: hardwood and softwood.
With hardwood, the wood is usually denser, burns longer and produces better heat. Hardwood is also a lot less sticky and produces fewer tar deposits in the flue of the chimney. Softwood, however, is lighter in weight, ignites faster, and works well as a kindle or for creating fires outdoors.
Easily available for a good price per cord, oak wood is dense and can burn for a long time. Best when used with a combination of other wood logs, oak wood is the best choice if you want to keep a fire going through the night.
A little more expensive than oak, birch wood is nonetheless a useful firewood option if you want something that catches fire quickly. Species such as white, yellow and black, all can be used as a mix. But if you want to be sure it doesn’t all burn away a bit too quickly, mixing oak will help keep that fire burning.
A moderately expensive option but less than birch, ash wood offers a steady flame and stronger heat output. This wood is ideal if you don’t want to mix other woods; ash burns well as a standalone and is a favorite amongst most fireplace owners for wood burning.
Cedar’s a great softwood choice if you love the classic cedar smell. More expensive than oak or birch per cord, cedar is nevertheless a nice choice if you want a long-lasting source of heat with little flame. Also, if you love the loud crackling sound of a classic fireplace, cedar’s an ideal choice for you.
The hardest softwoods of them all, even harder than most hardwoods, larch wood burns very hot and can be mixed with other hardwoods as well. A good choice if you need hardwood for a stove, larch creates a lot of smoke, but it’s low-maintenance so just remember to close the glass door and you should be good to go.
A fast-burner with a good flame that lights easy, pinewood needs regular refueling if you want to keep the fire big and bright. The only choice for outdoor use, thanks to its resin and sap content, other woods can also be added to the mix.
It’s time to get in touch with Creative Masonry &Chimney!
A leading service in Connecticut that offers chimney, fireplace and masonry repair, maintenance and installation services in various cities including Burlington and New Hartford, we can clear out your fireplace and chimney of all build-up so you can create a roaring fire, but this time with the right firewood.