If you heat your home with a wood-burning stove or are consistently using an outdoor fireplace, you know the importance of always having a good amount of firewood and keeping that firewood in the best condition possible. If you find that your firewood isn't burning as well or it is beginning to rot much sooner than it should, you may have some issues with the method in which you are stacking it. There truly is a science to properly stacking firewood for use as there are reactions occurring on a molecular level. If you are struggling to get the most out of your firewood, we have a few helpful tips and trick to stacking it properly.
When it comes to properly stacking your firewood to get the most out of it, spacing is one of the most important things to focus on. While it may look cleaner and conserve space to stack the wood very tightly together, this is not ideal for the condition of the firewood as the right amount of air will not be able to get to it. If you just dump the firewood in a large and unstructured pile, it will very poorly as it will absorb moisture and become wetter than you want.
By stacking the wood correctly, you will allow the right amount of air to access the pores and let it dry to burn easier and longer when you do throw it on the fire. One of the best methods for stacking the wood is to alternate between vertical and horizontal stacks each row. With this method, you avoid the wood setting into the cracks of other pieces, allowing the air to flow smoothly through the crevasses which will create the ideal drying process.
Preparing for inclement weather is always important to be aware of when preparing your stack, which is who you should provide some type of shelter for your woodpile as you wait to burn it. Investing in some type of shed with a tilted roof to allow for rain or snow runoff is ideal for keeping the wood dry. If that is too much for you, a plastic tarp will get the job done no problem.
Other successful methods of stacking firewood could be stacking it in a cylindrical pattern that slants at the top and is covered with some sort of shingling. This finished pile should resemble a water tower and is a great functional and aesthetic option to go for. By following some of these simple methods in your firewood stacking process, you will keep your firewood dryer and get the most out of it.