Do You Have a Fireplace? Remember to Use the Right Type of Wood

As the weather begins to cool, you may want to use your home's fireplace. You can build fires inside of the fireplace to generate heat, thus offsetting the need for central heating. With that said, you shouldn't burn just any type of wood. Burning the wrong type of wood in a fireplace can be hazardous to you and your family's health. What type of wood should you burn exactly?

Precut Logs

You should burn precut logs. Precut logs, of course, are cylindrical-shaped wood pieces. You can cut logs yourself using either an ax or a log splitter. Alternatively, you can purchase precut logs. Precut logs feature an appropriate size that makes them ideal for use in a fireplace. They aren't too big, nor are they too small.

Dry Wood

When choosing precut logs for your fireplace, make sure they are dry. Burning wet wood is never a good idea. Aside from being difficult to light -- you can't expect to light wet wood with just a match -- it will produce lots of emissions. All wood produces emissions when burned. Emissions consist of airborne pollutants in the form of smoke. Wet wood, though, produces far more emissions than dry wood. If you're going to use your fireplace, make sure the wood is dry.

Not Pressure-Treated

Another tip is to choose non-pressure-treated wood. Lumber is oftentimes pressure treated for preservation purposes. Pressure treating is a finishing process that involves the application of high-pressure chemicals. These chemicals essentially work their way into the wood's pores. If you burn pressure-treated wood, these chemicals will be released into the air. As a result, you should avoid burning any type of wood that has been pressure treated.

Other Fireplace Tips

In addition to using the right type of wood, there are a few other fireplace tips you should follow. When burning wood in your fireplace, for instance, make sure the damper is open. Fireplaces have a damper that acts like a valve. You can change it from open to close or vise versa. If the damper is closed, the chimney will be blocked. This means the emissions produced by the fire won't be able to leave your home.

Don't forget to clean out the ashes after using your fireplace. Unlike gas logs, wood logs produce ashes. If you don't clean them out, they'll build up while creating a mess inside of your fireplace.