The Best Types of Wood to Use in Your Fireplace

The kind of firewood you choose to burn in your fireplace will have a big impact on how much warmth is created. It also has an impact on how much smoke is produced and how much creosote is added to your chimney.

Doodlebuggers Fireplace, Grill & Outdoor Store of Pensacola, FL, and Destin, FL, would like to share some helpful information about firewood and how to choose the best type.

Hardwoods vs Softwoods: Choosing Optimal Firewood for Your FireplaceHard vs. Soft

Generally, wood is categorized as either “hard” or “soft.” Of course, all wood is hard if you drop a log on your toe, but when it comes to burning in a fireplace, there’s a definite difference among the many varieties of wood.

One of the main differences is moisture content. Hardwoods like walnut, hickory, oak and maple, when properly dried (see below), contain much less natural moisture than pine, spruce, redwood, juniper and other softwoods. Because of their dryness and density, hardwoods burn hotter and longer and produce less smoke.

Proper firewood drying

The rule of thumb for firewood is to allow it to dry for at least six months after harvesting. The wood will still retain some moisture, but the majority of it will be dried out. Naturally, wood with a higher moisture content to begin with will retain more of that moisture after drying.

If you cut your own firewood, store it in a dry place away from rain for six months before using it. You can invest in a kiln oven to speed up the process. If you buy pre-cut logs, test them by knocking two of them together. Dry wood will sound hollow; damp wood will sound thick. Also, note that bark peels more easily off dry wood than damp wood.

How firewood moisture affects the fire and the chimney

Damp wood produces a lot of smoke. That’s why people who’ve been shipwrecked on a deserted island build a fire with wet driftwood – you can see the plume of smoke for miles.

Smoky firewood adds large amounts of creosote to the chimney flue, and this is never a good thing. A byproduct of smoke condensation, creosote is highly flammable and is the cause of most reported chimney fires.

As to burn times, hardwoods ignite faster and burn longer and more robustly. For heating and lovely visuals, hardwoods are your best bet.

Don’t burn these things

Only actual firewood harvested from trees should be burned in a fireplace. That means avoid burning:

• Pressed board and wall board
• Furniture pieces
• Any kind of material and fabric
• Plastics and metals
• Household garbage
• Anything with paint on it

Many non-firewood items give off toxic gases during combustion and may flare up, causing injury to people or pets near the fireplace. Additionally, some of these items burn with excess heat that your fireplace and chimney aren’t designed for.

Have your chimney inspected

Although you can reduce fireplace smoke by burning dry hardwoods, you can’t prevent all smoke. Smoke happens, and it ends up in the chimney and turns into flammable creosote.

An active chimney should be inspected once a year. Your inspector can determine the level of creosote buildup (as little as 1/8 of an inch can start a chimney fire) and clean it out by properly sweeping the chimney.

Doodlebuggers is here to keep your chimney clean and functional. We offer chimney inspections, sweeping, and repairs for chimneys and fireplaces. Call us to schedule an appointment or learn more!