Clean Sweeps of Michigan's Blog

Burn Properly Seasoned Wood This Holiday Season

Enjoying time together in front of a roaring fire is a part of the holiday traditions for many families. This year, ensure you are getting the most out of your fireplace by burning only seasoned firewood. Enjoying time together in front of a roaring fire is a part of the holiday traditions for many families. This year, ensure you are getting the most out of your fireplace by burning only seasoned firewood.

What is seasoned wood?

Seasoned firewood is wood that has been cut into logs, stacked, and left exposed to the elements to dry. The seasoning process typically takes a minimum of six months. Seasoning wood can last for up to a year or longer. Importantly, the seasoning process removes moisture from the wood. Fresh cut firewood, also known as green wood, has a moisture content of as high as 50%. This much water in the wood makes it difficult to burn; green wood is hard to ignite, burns at a low temperature, produces more smoke, and can create more creosote in the flue.
Seasoning the wood can reduce the moisture content to between 10 and 20 percent. Seasoned wood is the best choice for use in indoor residential fireplaces; the low moisture content allows the wood to ignite faster, burn hotter, and create less creosote.

What wood is best for my fireplace?

Although seasoned wood is always the best choice for indoor fireplaces, there are a number of different types of firewood. While the kind of firewood you choose to use often comes down to personal preference. Trial and error can help you find the perfect wood for your home.

– Hardwoods. Hardwoods are dense, heavy woods with leaves that change colors with the seasons. Maple, oak, ash, and birch are all popular varieties of hardwoods. Hardwoods are often the most popular for use in indoor fireplaces; in addition to being inexpensive and readily available in most areas, hardwoods create fires that burn at high temperatures and produce little smoke. – Softwoods. Softwoods are made from trees with needle leaves that stay on year round, such as firs, evergreens, and pines. Softwoods are known for their fragrant smoke and their ability to ignite quickly; because of this, softwoods are often used as kindling or aromatics in larger fires. However, because they produce larger amounts of smoke and burn at lower temperatures, they may not be ideal as a primary wood source.

What not to burn

During the holidays, it can be tempting to use the fireplace as a way to dispose of wrapping paper, boxes, and other packing materials. However, burning these things in an indoor fire can quickly lead to disaster. Paper products can ignite quickly to create a burst of flame; while this can be useful when lighting a fire, adding large amounts of paper to a burn can quickly cause it to get out of control. Likewise, burning printed wrapping paper can release toxic chemicals from dyes and inks into the air.

This year, get the most out of your fireplace by choosing seasoned firewood. For more information on how firewood choice can affect your fireplace, contact Clean Sweeps of Michigan today.

Are You Starting A Fire Correctly?

Sitting in front of a roaring fire is one of the most comforting – and warm – places to be during cold winter weather. However, getting a fire started is often the most difficult part of the process.

Many their best efforts, many homeowners are incorrectly starting their fires. This not only causes frustration, but can also lead to fires that burn sluggishly, need constant stoking, or burn out prematurely.

The following tips will help you start a fire correctly. While it may be different from how you’ve started fires in the past, following these tips can help you spend less time building your fire and more time enjoying it with family and friends.

1. Get the right materials

Long before you think about lighting your fire, it is important to make sure you have the right materials. The type of firewood you use can not only affect how well your fires start, but can also create different amounts of smoke and heat. While different people may prefer different firewood varieties, seasoned firewood should be used whenever possible. Seasoned wood, which has been allowed to cure and dry for at least six months, has much lower moisture content than freshly cut wood. These allow it to burn hotter and produce less smoke and creosote.

In addition to finding the right firewood, homeowners also need kindling to help start the fire. Softwoods such as cedar, fir, or pine are able to ignite quickly and can burn until the larger logs catch fire. Small bundles of twigs and sticks can have the same effect. While newspaper can be used, it often burns too quickly to ignite larger logs; for this reason, using smaller pieces of wood is preferable.

2. Open the damper

When the fireplace is in use, the damper needs to be open – even when starting a fire or waiting for it to extinguish. Leaving the damper even partially closed can cause smoke and dangerous gasses such as carbon monoxide [http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Carbon-Monoxide-Information-Center/Carbon-Monoxide-Questions-and-Answers-/] to back up into the home.

If you’re having problems with smoke backing up into your home even when the damper is open, your home may be too airtight. Cracking a window even a few inches near the fireplace can help the fireplace vent better and prevent this from happening. Likewise, opening a window can have another unexpected benefit; letting more oxygen into your home can provide more “fuel to the fire,” creating a hotter and more efficient burn.

3. Try a top down fire

Building a top down fire can greatly impact how your fires burn, as well as how much you’ll need to stoke it. Place the largest logs on the bottom of the grate with the ends to the front and back; doing this creates better oxygen flow to the fire and keeps the fire from smoldering or burning sluggishly. Fill the fireplace with gradually smaller and smaller logs, topping the pile with kindling. As the smaller logs burn they ignite the logs underneath them, keeping the fire going and minimizing the need for stoking or rearranging logs.

Following these three fireplace tips can help you better start – and enjoy – your fires. For more information on getting the most out of your fireplace, contact Clean Sweeps of Michigan at 734-668-4780 today!