By Kris Schmandt
 |
| coolsheddesigns.com |
Reasons for Firewood
There
are many reasons for using firewood as a source of heat and beauty. It
has a low cost or can even be free if you have your own source. It is a
renewable resource and, if properly harvested, can be helpful to forests
and property owners. While most people think of burning wood as dirty,
the new high efficiency woodstoves and outdoor wood furnaces are very
clean-burning, often reaching over an 80% efficiency rating. It doesn't
require electricity. On a cold, snowy night when the power goes out
there is nothing nicer than a hot fire to huddle around with your
family. The appliances used for burning wood are quite numerous these
days. From typical iron woodstoves to soapstone and enamel, there are
plenty of attractive choices for burning wood. There is, of course, my
favorite: an open fire inside an attractive fireplace. Nothing else
quite compares. A fire is beautiful, romantic, and - an added bonus -
puts off heat.
Firewood Acquisition
If
you don't have firewood on your property, sourcing good wood can be
something of a challenge. The best place to start is the classifieds in
your local paper. Also check the phone book. Where I live it's not
uncommon to see dump trucks full of firewood parked around town with a
for sale sign on them. Here's the trick. A lot of people selling
firewood cut, split, and load it in their truck to deliver to you. This
wood may be fine wood, but you should not burn it until it has been aged
properly for at least one year. A good firewood business will be
selling properly aged firewood that is ready to use.
Firewood Storage and Aging
Whether
you get well seasoned wood or will be aging it yourself, you need a
proper place to store it. Many people just stack their wood and cover it
with a tarp. This is one of the worst ways to store firewood. The tarp
traps moisture from the wood and the ground and acts like a sauna. This
keeps the wood from drying in a reasonable amount of time and can
promote rot. The best way to store firewood is in a shed. Something
simple will do, a roof and three sides works best. This allows for
plenty of air exchange and easy access to your stored wood. I recommend
installing some kind of a floor; even several inches of gravel with
plastic underneath works fine. The plastic will act as a vapor barrier
and keep moisture from beneath the logs while at the same time
discouraging critters and pests.
Green
wood should be loosely stacked in your firewood shed and left for a
season so that air can circulate. This will create dry, clean-burning
firewood. If you buy your wood already seasoned then keeping it in your
woodshed will insure that it doesn't pick up any moisture from the
ground or as a result of rain or snow.
Building and Situating Your Firewood Shed
If you do not already have a firewood shed
then building one is the cheapest and best method for getting the right
result. You can find woodshed plans online pretty easily. Get a package
that includes construction directions, several design choices, and a
materials list. This will make getting materials cheaper and easier.
Take your plans and materials list to several supply yards or box stores
and get a quote. Often they will compete with each other for your
business. Once you buy your materials, your supplier will likely be very
happy to answer any questions you might have during the building
process.
Firewood Shed Plans
When
planning the placement of your firewood shed make sure you think of
accessibility. On a cold, snowy night you don't want to have to trudge
all over the place to get wood. Consider the direction weather usually
comes from and face your opening away from it. Your shed won't do much
good if rain and snow is always blowing inside of it. Remember also that
whether you or someone else is delivering firewood, you will have to
move it from a vehicle to your storage shed. You have to situate your
firewood shed so that you can fill and empty it with ease. If you don't
feel that you can do both of these well, consider that filling is done
only once, whereas you will be getting firewood all winter long.
Summary
Properly
aged and stored firewood makes a clean and rewarding heat source. It is
renewable, efficient, cost effective, and beautiful. Plan your storage
facility well and you will find that you enjoy every aspect of your wood
heating experience. Even if you just burn a small amount of wood each
year for ambiance, having properly dried, easily accessible wood will
make building a fire easier and more enjoyable.
Source : ezinearticles.com
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar