Not sure how to store firewood outside the right way? We’ve got you covered. You might have invested in one of the best chainsaws to cut logs to size and the highest quality wood you can find, but your preparations could all be for nothing if dampness and rot take hold. If firewood is a necessity for heating your home, then you need to know these simple steps for how to store firewood outside.
The biggest challenge in understanding how to store firewood outside is keeping the logs as dry as possible. These steps will keep your logs dry so that they burn clean and store well.
How to store firewood outside
1. Avoid letting the logs touch the ground
Elevate firewood from the ground to ensure it is properly ventilated and doesn’t soak up moisture from the ground. Our expert, Nick Greenway, suggests using wooden pallets to stack logs on as they are cheap and can often be found for free.
2. Stack logs tightly together
As a key part of how to store firewood outside is avoiding introducing any moisture to the wood, you should keep your log pile watertight by tightly stacking them together. This means that only the outer layer gets wet when rain or snow falls and the center will not be exposed to mildew or mold.
Firewood expert, Nick Greenway, tells us: “Firewood should be stacked in a sunny location that's exposed to the wind. The warm summer temperatures and breeze are perfect for seasoning firewood. Also, the firewood should be raised off the ground to prevent the wood from soaking up ground moisture. Pallets work great for elevating the wood and you can normally get them for free!”
3. Keep a gap between firewood and surfaces
A popular choice of location for log storage is against a wall, the advantage being that your firewood is provided some cover from the elements. Just don’t forget to leave a gap of a couple of inches between the wood and the wall, as this will promote airflow around the wood to dry it out and stop dampness from the wall from seeping back into the wood.
4. Choose the location that sees the most sunlight
Nick educates others on the ins and outs of not only how to store firewood outside, but how to cut, split and treat firewood on his website firewood-for-life.com. He advises choosing a sunny location with exposure to the wind to season the firewood. Seasoning wood means allowing all of the internal moisture to dry out of the logs. This helps them to burn well, meaning they give off hot, clean flames.
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