The crackling of burning wood, the cozy warmth and the cozy atmosphere – more and more people are choosing to heat with firewood. However, you can only really enjoy it if the firewood is dry and properly stored. There are several ways to do this that protect the firewood from moisture and look good at the same time.
Here are the best ideas for decorating the garden even more beautifully. (Scroll down to the article.)
Here are 9 great ideas for storing firewood and tips on what to consider:
1. In the canoe
Using an old canoe as a storage place for firewood is both decorative and practical. Different shelves, which can be easily inserted, enable good subdivision and additional storage of kindling. However, you should make sure that it is fixed a little distance from the house wall and, if necessary, remove the bottom of the canoe beforehand in order to ensure sufficient air circulation.
2. In pallets
Euro pallets are true all-rounders and are also suitable for storing firewood. They withstand the weather conditions outdoors, ensure good air circulation and are inexpensive.
3. On wall shelves
Wall shelves not only look good in the home, they are also great for storing firewood. The individual shelves ensure a nice and neat look.
4. In honeycombs
These hexagonal, honeycomb-like storage units can be wonderfully stacked on top of each other and also look cool.
5. In triangles
Firewood shelves don’t always have to be square. This use of triangular wooden shelters works well because the wood in them is neatly and tightly stacked and the shelf is also less likely to tip over.
6. Under a bench
If you have a fireplace, you can build benches like this around the fireplace so that the wood is within easy reach. With this you kill two birds with one stone.
7. On corrugated iron shelves
Corrugated iron is very suitable as a building material for firewood shelves. Round or square – such a shelf is easy to build and just looks great.
8. Simple but effective
This simple shelf is ideal for storing wood on the house wall and can be built without tools. All you need are some wooden beams and bricks with holes in them.
9. In concrete blocks
Another nice idea is a shelf made of concrete blocks, with which you can store your firewood in a space-saving way because you can stack it high up.
How to properly store firewood
Firewood should always be stored dry and airy, which is why a covered area outdoors that is easily accessible is ideal. Another important criterion for correct storage is whether it is firewood that is ready for the oven or fresh. Fresh wood should be stored for at least two years before it is used as firewood because it contains a lot of water and smokes and smokes if it is burned directly. A residual moisture of less than 20% is ideal and is only reached after at least one year of storage in the dry. Different storage locations or compartments can help to keep an overview. It should also be noted that firewood should not be stored for too long, otherwise it will lose its calorific value. As a rule, 4 years is a guideline.
Tight-fitting plastic films, which are supposed to protect the wood from rain, are not recommended for storage, as moisture forms under them, which can lead to the formation of mold. Storage in the basement is also problematic, as it is often too damp in it and the necessary air circulation is lacking to dry out the wood accordingly. The same applies to a closed shed.
A fireplace is not a campfire. Incorrect fuel can damage not only the combustion chamber but also the flue pipe. Firewood that is too moist can, for example, lead to brown stains on the outside of the chimney and cause a smell.
Correct stacking
Firewood is easiest to stack when all the logs are roughly the same size. Longitudinal logs at the beginning and end of the stack provide the necessary stability. The wood should also always be stored with the bark facing down and not stacked too tightly so that the logs do not start to rot. Regardless of which stacking shape you choose – it is important to store the wood with some space from the wall and floor. Boards or pieces of wood can serve as spacers in this case. The narrow end of your pile should also face the west side, i.e. the weather side, so that the firewood is not too exposed to the weather.
The best firewood
Hardwoods such as beech, maple, cherry, ash and oak are particularly suitable as firewood, but they are comparatively expensive. In the case of softer trees such as spruce, fir, pine and Douglas fir, you should make sure that they cause more flying sparks when they burn and are therefore unsuitable for open fires. Conifers are great for closed fireplaces because they give off a very pleasant scent and their resin creates the typical cozy crackling in the fire. However, because soft woods burn faster, you have to refill more often and accordingly more ash is produced, hardwoods are often more popular.
Additional tip: Although spruce does not burn very long, it develops very high temperatures and therefore has a cleaning effect on the fireplace.
The type of wood and the correct storage of the firewood decide when heating in the fireplace whether it burns nicely and crackles or smokes and smokes. If you follow the tips, nothing stands in the way of a cozy fireplace.
Here are great wooden ideas to recreate:
Sources: blessmyweeds, houzz, action wood
Thumbnails: pinterest / rustic-crafts