How To Stack And Store Firewood: Proper Ways to Store Your Firewood

Last Updated on March 29, 2022 by woodcutter

After the hard and tiresome work of cutting firewood, the next thing to do is to stack the wood into a neat pile properly. Staking firewood properly is pretty rewarding. Well-stack of firewood is attractive to the eye in indoors, and above all, it keep wood dry pretty well.

To keep yourself from freezing during the cold winter months, you probably need good well seasoned firewood for your fireplace. The most determining factor of how well your fire burns is how dry your logs are. You probably want a fire that doesn’t require a lot of effort and attention to keep it burning or one that does not produce a lot of smoke.

Stacking up and storing your firewood pile properly ensures your safety and property by keeping snakes, rodents, or spiders crawling into your home from your stack of wood. Firewood can easily catch fire, so firewood’s proper storage can protect you and your property from fire. Check out the firewood storage tips below to learn how to stack and store firewood.

Consider location

It is essential first to choose a spot where you want to stack your firewood before anything else. This is because firewood is a fire hazard, and you do not wish to stack it anywhere unsafe. Your home can seem like the most convenient place to store your wood indoors, but it is problematic, especially in fire-prone areas. You do not want to lose any of your property to be destroyed by fire, insects, pests so it is wise to stack your dry wood from your home.

You also do not want to stack wood directly against your home or property, as you will have called in termites that can cause havoc to your property. Wood stacked against your property can also result in mildew formation or rot, causing your valued property to discolor and wear out. A safe distance to stack your firewood is approximately at least five feet away from your home. If you live in an s area, you might want to consider stacking your wood about 30 feet from your home. It may seem far, but safety comes first.

You also need to choose a place where the ground is dry and even a position not prone to floods. Also considering enough air flow to keep the wood dry for wood stove. When choosing the perfect location to store amounts of firewood, consider a place far from your dog runs. You also should make sure your firewood stack is far from where your children play. You do not want to take risks as your firewood can fall over your child or pets. If appropriately stacked, it is rare, though, for your wood stack to topple over.

The other solid reason why it is a good idea to keep your firewood stack away from dog runs and play areas is that firewood is a habitat for snakes, rodents, or spiders, which are a danger to both your children and pets. You should not store your firewood in places like your garage since pests, spiders, snakes, mice, or rodents can crawl into your home. Check out how to deal with them!

Stack on a firewood racks.

A firewood racks can make your firewood stacking work easy. A firewood rack is a convenient structure that enables you to organize your logs better. It also ensures that your wood is off the ground, which is great to ensure that your wood does not rot.

Consider sunlight and wind.

The goal of stacking and storing wood is to ensure that when the cold hits or any other need to use firewood arises, you get the best fire. When choosing the location to stack your firewood, you should choose a place where your wood will get exposed to sunlight. This is also important as it speeds up the drying process of your wood. Shade-stored firewood takes ages to dry.

When stacking your firewood, make sure the cut ends of your wood are exposed to light. This will ensure that your wood dries well. Exposure to wind can also speed up the drying process of your firewood. Your pile should be oriented so that its length runs perpendicular to where the prevailing wind comes from.

How do you stack and store firewood outside?

Rain or snow can be a challenge if your wood is exposed to it. When you have stacked your firewood, you do not want water or snow on it. Firewood that has been exposed to water does not burn well. Therefore, it is important to blanket your firewood with a tarp or plastic sheeting to keep water off your stacked wood.

Though a tarp is unsightly, it is cheap and effective when it comes to protecting your woodpile from water or snow. For you to get the most out of it, the tarp is supposed to be adequately put on top of the stacked wood, ensuring water will not reach its way into the firewood. You should not cover the firewood stack completely, as this may result in moisture building up in your firewood. You are supposed to cover only the top rows of your firewood pile.

If not put securely, your tarp can be blown away by the wind, so it is important to put something to keep the tarp in place. You can put bricks or any heavy object on the tarp to keep it in place.

Make sure your stack is stable.

To ensure safety, you ought to stack your firewood properly. The base of your firewood should be stable. To ensure the stability of your firewood stack does not stack firewood too high. Building a stable firewood stack is important as you would not like your wood to topple over. You wouldn’t want your pile of wood to fall over children or pets, so you should construct a stable firewood stack.

Note: The recommended height for your firewood stack is 4 feet or less. Furthermore, make sure you don’t place your wood directly on the ground as it causes wood to retain moisture causing it to rot.

Stack your wood to allow for airflow

For your wood to season properly, you should know how to stack and store wood properly. Stacking firewood tightly may seem nice as it saves space; however, it can cause problems like critter infestations, snake bites, fungus, and mold. The other reason why you should stack your wood loosely is to allow moisture to dry out. Furthermore, it is essential to leave some space between the logs to allow air to circulate.

In Short, What is the best ways to stack firewood?

What to consider when stacking up and storing firewood

• Place or site where you want to make your firewood stack
• Ensure exposure to sunlight and wind
• Elevate your firewood stack
• Allow for airflow
• Height of firewood stack
• Stack stability
• Nearby structures

Advantages of stacking and storing your firewood properly.

• Proper stacking and storing of firewood are good if you want to speed up your firewood’s drying process.
• Also, a pile that is not stacked in an orderly fashion can be unsightly, and you would not want that on a landscape. A tidy pile can make a whole lot of difference in the overall appearance of any landscape.
• The other advantage of stacking your firewood well by choosing a perfect site away from your home is that it prevents uninvited guests like spiders, snakes, scorpions, or even snakes from crawling into your home.
• It also saves you money since wood is a fire hazard. Keeping your firewood stack far from your home decreases the chance of your home or property catching fire, especially in fire-prone areas.
• Stacking your firewood properly also ensures the safety of both your little ones and pets.

How to stack and store firewood- what to do and what not to do

• If your home is located on a slope, you should place your woodpile on top of the slope. And this a great measure to prevent your wood from retaining moisture. You want your firewood well seasoned after all.
• Avoid placing your firewood stack in shady areas. Instead, opt for a place where your wood is exposed to lots of sunlight and wind.
• Do not stack your wood against your home or cabin.
• Do not stack logs too tightly together to allow for airflow.
• Avoid stacking your wood directly on the soil to allow for airflow beneath your firewood.

Final Verdict

You don’t have to go through the trouble of continually blowing your fire to keep it lit or dealing with a terrible cloud of smoke, which results from wood that has not dried well. You deserve better. Conquering those cold winters is possible if your firewood is well seasoned. With proper stacking and storage of your firewood, you can have the best fires in your fireplace and fire pits.

Proper stacking of your firewood also ensures both you and your property’s safety. If not stored correctly, firewood can cause problems like destroying your property by fire, snake bites, and critter infestation. Do yourself some good starting now by stacking your firewood properly. Feel free to share this detailed firewood storage tips to your fellow gardeners.