Our first cool snap has come and gone – that was your warning to get ready for winter!
While we are preparing for winter…..is your wood cut and covered? With summer slowly fading away, any wood in outside storage should be dried and covered. I cannot tell you how many calls we get to come diagnose why a fireplace is smoking and we find the homeowner is either burning unseasoned wood or wood that has gotten wet from a rain. Green or wet wood must first burn off the moisture in it before it is able to heat the home – that is the sizzling you may hear once the fire gets going. On top of struggling to light, wet or green wood burns dirtier than seasoned dry wood and causes more creosote buildup and smoke.
To recap:
- Keep your wood covered and dry
- Burn only dry, seasoned wood
- Have your chimney inspected and swept annually!