Kindling, or the small pieces of wood used to start a fire, can come from several sources and may be of various types. Starter pines, for example, burn hotter and are often easy to ignite, they are regularly used as kindling. Fire starter pine cones can be purchased or made at home following a prescribed formula.

Hardwoods, such as ash, oak, birch, beech, hickory, and hard maple, are optimum for wood burning purposes, including wood stoves and open fireplaces. Hard firewood burns well and emits high heat with little or no smoke. These woods are also easier to split than many other varieties. Availability of these hard wood may depend on location because some woods are native to particular areas while others are not. Hickory and oak, for example, are found in many areas of the United States, but birch and beech are more common in the Northeastern part of the country.

Some other types of firewood for the home include soft maple, black cherry, and yellow pine. These woods are a little more difficult to split and produce a greater amount of smoke. Basswood, poplar, and white pine are other common woods used as firewood with good results.

Even though elm and sweet gum trees may also be used as firewood, they do not burn as easily or as well as other firewood and are difficult to split.

Lumberjax Firewood specializes in firewood sales and delivery in Costa Mesa, Orange, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Diego County and Newport Beach, CA.

One of the great things about wood heating is that you are in control. There are steps you can take to conserve fuel and produce less smoke:

1. By buying your firewood early in the season and storing it under cover to dry for the summer, you’ll get more heat for every dollar you spend.
2. Make sure the wood is sized correctly for your stove, fireplace or furnace. Both the length and diameter influence the quality of burn and ease of use.
3. If you have access to them, burn softer woods like poplar, aspen and birch in the fall and spring and save the more valuable fuels like maple and oak for the coldest part of the winter.
4. If your wood burning appliance is more than ten years old, you might want to take a look at the new generation of wood heaters.The stoves and fireplaces that are certified as having low smoke emissions (usually by EPA) are also about 25% more efficient than the older models.

By choosing your firewood carefully, by storing it to dry properly, and by burning it in an up-to-date stove or fireplace, you can reduce by about half the amount of wood needed to heat your house. And you’ll be doing the environment a favor at the same time.

Lumberjax Firewood offers you top quality wood, we stock a wide variety to satisfy any need. And we know there’s nothing that brings a family together like a bright fireplace on a cool winter’s night!
 

Using firewood to heat your home either partially or entirely may be a desirable and economically attractive alternative to conventional heating systems. To make this decision, you must carefully evaluate your options and consider all of the costs associated with the various systems, as well as the lifestyle restrictions imposed by burning wood.

As with any heating system, it is critical that a wood burning system be installed properly so that it is completely safe. If you are considering adding a wood heat system, you should check with your local fire department for information on installation and maintenance of your system. Your insurance company should be notified, and they can provide you with a checklist of safety considerations. Most insurance companies have strict requirements for keeping a wood stove a set distance from a combustible surface, having safe venting systems, and installing smoke detectors. Some companies will also require an on-site inspection by a fire department or company official. These strict standards are not designed to be deterrents to the use of firewood, they should just be considered as safety features for your benefit.

As a homeowner, you should attempt to burn your wood in as safe and environmentally sound of a manner as possible. Using only clean, seasoned firewood of good quality will help. Burning your fire hot when possible will cut down on smoke and creosote in your chimney. The use of a catalytic stove allows the volatile gases emitted in the combustion process to burn at a much lower temperature, greatly reducing wood smoke and creosote, and also increasing heat output by 25 to 30%.

There are many different species of firewood available to homeowners. Different types of wood have different properties in terms of heat value, ease of burning, ease of splitting, etc. Ask for information to the experts at Lumberjax Firewood. We pride ourselves in helping you build the best fire for every occasion.  Contact us for more infomation about Home heating with Firewood - Costa Mesa, CA.

The following materials are necessary to build and maintain a good wood fire: 

- Newspaper (No colored or coated paper); 
_ Handful of finely split, dry kindling in a variety of sizes; and 
- Seasoned firewood split into a range of piece sizes.
 
The first step in building a fire is to find out where the combustion air enters the firebox. For most modern stoves and fireplaces with glass doors, much of the air enters the firebox through a narrow strip above and behind the glass panel. This “air wash” flows down across the glass to the front of the fire because it is cooler, denser and heavier than the combustion gases. Most stoves without a glass air wash system will have an air inlet near the bottom of the firebox, usually just inside the loading door. This is the location where you want to concentrate the paper and kindling and light the fire so that it gets plenty of air.

Most people burning firewood for home heat, do so to save money on heating cost and because of the other advantages such as the cozy and comfortable feeling of warm dry heat and the nice aroma.

Lumberjax Firewood sells well seasoned firewood at the best value in the industry.
 
 

Whatever wood species you use, it will burn more efficiently and be more convenient to use if it is properly seasoned. Here are some tips for firewood preparation:

1.    Very hard woods like oak and maple are not good fuel for the relatively mild weather in spring and fall because their high density makes controlling heat output more difficult.
2.    Softer woods are better when heat demand is low because they light easily, burn quickly and don’t leave a long lasting charcoal bed.
3.    Process firewood in early spring for it to be ready for burning that fall.
4.    Piece length should be at least 3″ shorter than the firebox.
5.    Shorter pieces are easier to handle and make fire maintenance easier; 14″ to 16″ is a good length.  
6.    Split the logs to a variety of sizes, from 3″ to 6″ at the largest cross sectional dimension.
7.    The larger the stove or furnace, the larger the pieces can be, but never larger than 8″ diameter.
8.    Tree tops and wind falls can be used for firewood down to less than 2″ diameter.
9.    Firewood shall not be kept in a pile on the ground for more than a couple of days. Wet wood on the ground quickly attracts bugs and mold.  
10.   Wood should be stacked in an open area exposed to sun and wind for the summer. 
11.   Stack wood on rails to keep it off the ground.  
12.   The triangular shape of split pieces wedge together as they are stacked and help to make the pile stable.
13.   The more quickly the surface of the pieces dries, the less chance there is of molding and bug infestation
14.   Cover just the tops of firewood stacks.
15.   Avoid stacking more than four feet high because tall piles become unstable.
16.   Shorter firewood pieces (12″ - 14″) make for narrow unstable stacks; use sticks propped against each side of the piles so wind doesn’t blow them over.
17.   When seasoned the wood can be moved to winter bulk storage where it should be fully sheltered from rain and snow.
18.   The ideal winter storage is close to, but not inside the house.
19.   Avoid storing large amounts of wood in the house because mold spores and moisture can affect indoor air quality.
20.   Bring in wood to warm up before burning, but only one or two week’s supply at a time.

Have Lumberjax Firewood deliver the firewood to your door and conveniently pack it away in your store room. We have variety of different kinds of woods available. Call us at f949-903-3553 for quick delivery. 

- It is far more important that the fuel be dry as compared to the species - The more moisture in your wood, the less heat you will get from it. It takes energy to burn the water out of wood. This is energy that should be used in warming your house. 
There are some indicators of dry wood:
Color - look for grayness
Bark - a sure sign that firewood is dry is bark that is falling off the wood
Checks - as wood dries it will begin to split on the ends
Touch - fresh cut wood may feel wet on the end

- Do not burn any construction scraps of treated or painted wood, especially treated wood
from decks or landscaping ties. The chemicals used can release dangerous amounts of arsenic and other very toxic compounds into your house.

- It is important to thoroughly air dry, or season firewood because dry wood burns cleaner, creates less creosote buildup in chimneys than green wood, and produces up to 25 percent more heat than green wood. 
Follow these procedures for best results:

  Split logs larger than 4 inches in diameter. Small pieces dry faster than large pieces.
  If possible, stack the wood in a sunny, airy location.
  Cover the top of the pile with tar paper or plastic to keep wood dry.
  Stack the wood above the ground on a base of bricks or treated lumber to allow
  air movement under the pile and to prevent wood decay.
  Keep the firewood stack away from the house to prevent spread of insects to the house.
  Wood properly stored for approximately six months will have lost as much
  moisture as is possible in outdoor air drying.

- If you have access to a variety of species, learn to manage your woodpile. Save the more dense fuel for the coldest months and use the “lighter” wood for kindling fires and during the spring or fall when you don’t need as much heat.
Since the denser (heavier) woodshave the highest energy values you should choose from the high-density group if they are available in your area. Density is only one consideration,  however, since some woods are difficult or almost impossible to split. Others are difficult to dry and store. Some have unpleasant odors, and some just don’t burn well.

All you need to do is determine how much firewood to order then set up a delivery schedule by contacting Lumberjax Firewood.
 

Knowing the general characteristics of the various species will allow you to determine the general value of the load.

Hard or high density woods: Live, White, and Red oak, Black locust, Dogwood, Apple, Honey locust, Black and Yellow birch, Rock elm, Sugar maple, American beech, White and Oregon ash, Yew, and Black walnut.

Medium density woods: Holly, Tamarack, Western larch, Juniper, Red maple, Cherry, American elm, Black gum, Sycamore, Gray birch, Sassafras, Magnolia, Red cedar, Bald cypress, Chestnut, and several pines: Pond, Nut, Loblolly, Shortleaf, Pitch, and Norway.

Soft or low density woods: Butternut, Cottonwood, Black willow, Hemlock, Redwood, Tulip and Balsam poplars, Black, White, and Sitka spruce, Red, Noble, and Balsam fir, and Ponderosa, Sugar and White pine.

Choose the wood you need and call Lumberjax Firewood to help you build the best fire for every occasion. We deliver and stack.

We maximize drying our wood by stacking our wood in open areas exposed to plenty of wind and sunshine. It is important because dry wood burns cleaner, creates less creosote buildup in chimneys and produces up to 25 percent more heat than green wood.
The following procedures will be useful for you to the have best results from your firewood:

- Split logs larger than 4 inches in diameter. Small pieces dry faster than large pieces.
- Stack the wood in a sunny, airy location.
- Keep wood dry by covering the top of the pile with tar paper or plastic
- Stack the wood above the ground on a base of bricks or treated lumber to allow air movement under the pile and to prevent wood decay.
- Keeping the firewood stack away from the house will prevent spread of insects to the house.
- Wood properly stored for approximately six months will have lost as much moisture as is possible in outdoor air drying.

Our wood is 100% guaranteed. Buy from a local, reputable, experienced wood professional that delivers it to Newport Beach.

Firewood sales & Delivery - Newport Beach, CA.

You can also find a face cord or rick of wood which is 4 feet high by 8 feet long and is as wide as the individual firewood pieces, but averages 16 inches wide. A 16-inch wide face cord is equal to one-third of a full cord.

The following tips can be helpful for you to determine fair market value of a load of wood:

- Avoid buying firewood that is not sold in cords or fractions of a cord.
- Insist that your wood be cut to burning length, split, uniformly stacked and not randomly scattered in a pile.

So, if you just use your fireplace for buy a half cord of firewood each spring and let it season until fall. If you supplement a heating system with a woodstove or fireplace insert, buy two cords. If you heat exclusively with firewood, you’ll need about 4 to 5 cords, depending on the severity of your winters.

Be sure to check for prices for firewood cords, half cords, quarter cords and smaller bundles so you can figure out which is the best deal for you!
Call Lumberjax Firewood for pricing or place an order on-line.