The Basics of Firewood Storage for Wood Fireplace Burning
Let your firewood breathe, but don’t let it get soaked with rain or snow. Cover the top. Let the sides breathe. Firewood stored outside must be covered on the top and free to breathe on the sides. Wrapping your wood in a tarp or plastic will cause the wood to retain moisture. Dry firewood under 20% moisture is essential to get the most heat and burn time from your fuel.
You can find out your wood’s moisture with a moisture meter. High levels of moisture in firewood causes more creosote. Creosote causes a dirty chimney and can lead to chimney fires. (Fireplace experts recommend getting your chimney swept every 2-3 cords of wood burned.)
There are plenty of correct ways to store your wood with the application of these basic firewood storage principles. We have seen everything from wood kilns made from pallets to specialized wood sheds to DIY cinder block wood racks on /r/woodstoving. (If you ever need help with your wood stove, this Reddit community is a great place to ask questions.)
Firewood seasoning lean-to (wood storage shed)
Store a majority of the firewood in a shed or lean-to. Consider ease of wood drop-off and loading when creating the structure, as an easy-accessible drop-off location is much more appealing to landscapers or arborists looking to get rid of extra wood. We highly recommend a lean-to with a large opening for easy access. Folks heating with a wood stove tend to use an average of 2-4 cords of wood per winter. We store at least in our lean-to at all times to make sure the wood is properly seasoned. Storing wood in a safe, dry place provides peace of mind. Seasoning more wood than you need for one season is always worth the investment if you have additional storage.
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