Friday

tip-o-day

Fall is here. Time to start prepping for winter - you know gathering nuts... getting ready to hibernate. There are many things to get done in the fall around the house, gardens and lawn. So for the next couple/few weeks tip-o-day will focus on getting ready for the season change.

We like to acquire and stack our firewood at this time of year. That way you get it into a dry location to finish its final seasoning before you start burning. But remember, it’s not a good idea to store firewood in your basement, garage or even up against your house - even moreso at this time of year. Wood harbors all sort of insects... especially insects that either eat or bore into wood. Your house will be as tasty to them as the firewood. And fall is a very active insect time.

Stack your wood in a location away from the house. Keep your wood dry under a tarp or in a wood bin. If your wood is wet (or green) stack it in a cross hatch pattern to allow air to circulate and speed the seasoning process.

Once the temps fall below freezing you can bring small amounts of wood up near the house. We keep a small rack on our covered porch. This will hold a couple days supply, but stays cold enough that the insects don’t thaw out and start poking around.

Also remember, fireplaces actually draw heat out of your house. If are burning for an evening of ambiance this may not matter so much. But if getting toasty is your goal, invest in glass doors to retain and radiate heat. They even make them with small circulating fans to distribute heat out into the room, without allowing indoor air to be drawn back out and up your chimney.

Oh, one more thing... don't forget to use a hearth rug to catch stray sparks. That way, if you are say…lying naked in front of the fire with perhaps tall fluted glasses of champagne and a spark should jump out toward you – you can safely roll to one side or simply flick the spark onto the hearth rug with confidence. This can save not only your floors, but an entire glass of Veuve Clicquot.
Safety first.