Last Updated on June 28, 2022 by rida
Did you know that the first definitive proof of fire control shows dates back almost two million years? Humans have been working with fire since the dawn of time! It’s been essential to our survival in multiple ways.
Fire allowed us to stay warm, to cook our food, to signal other humans, and to craft tools. Nowadays, fire is hardly essential for our day-to-day life. But, building a fire can be a welcome way to end the day.
Many people get firewood delivery for exactly this reason. An evening spent curled up by a home firepit is relaxing in every season. To help you start a new routine of firepits and smores, we put together this guide below.
Table of Contents
1. How to Build a Fire
Before we get into the benefits of firewood delivery, you should know how to build a fire. Every fire has three basic components: tinder, kindling, and firewood.
Tinder is small, burnable fluff. This can include twigs, dry leaves, pine needles, and newspaper. Kindling is are small sticks, less than an inch around. Any log or large piece of wood is firewood.
Between the three ingredients, you can have a warm, stable fire that starts quickly and stays burning for a long time.
Before building any fire, clean out any ashes or flammable debris. The base of your fire should be sand, gravel, or stone.
Check your surroundings for overhanging branches or nearby shrubbery, either clear them out or skip the fire. This is especially important if you’re camping, as you don’t want to start a forest fire!
There are three basic shapes that you can try for your first fire. Feel free to experiment with these shapes so you can find the best one for your fire pit.
Cone Shape
The most basic fire shape is a cone. Begin with a small pile of tinder in the center of your fire ring. Then, craft a small cone of kindling around the tinder.
Finally, frame the small cone with a few pieces of firewood. Once the fire picks up, add a few more logs to give it more fuel.
Log Cabin Shape
You can also build a fire like you would a log cabin. Start with two large pieces of firewood parallel to each other. then, place two more pieces perpendicular to them. This should form a square.
In the center of your square, create a small puff of tinder and add a bit of kindling too. Be sure not to pack it too tight, so that your fire will get plenty of airflow. Continue building upwards with layers of firewood, making your square smaller as you progress.
Then, finish the top off with a bit of tinder and kindling.
Pyramid Shape
Begin with a few logs, side by side your fire pit. Then, rotate 90 degrees and place the second layer of logs. Continue layering in this manner with slightly smaller logs each layer.
Spread a layer of kindling and tinder on top.
2. Light Your Fire
Regardless of what shape you choose for your fire, light your fire by igniting the tinder. Use a fire starter, waterproof matches, or a long lighter.
Ignite the tinder and blow gently into the bottom layers of the fire to provide oxygen to the budding flame. As your fire starts to take off, move any ignited pieces with embers to the center of the fire. The center should be the hottest part of the fire, and it should reduce to white-hot ash.
3. Split Your Firewood
Crafting a fire is about picking the right size wood. Logs that are too large will struggle to ignite, and logs that are too small will burn too quickly. Medium-sized logs will provide sustained burn.
You can easily split your firewood to get the right size. To do this, you’ll need a good heavy ax called a maul. You can also use a hatchet, but a heavier ax will work best as it will apply maximum force to the logs.
In addition, you’ll also need a chopping block. This can be a tree stump or a large, flat log.
And, don’t forget safety gear. This means boots, safety goggles, and thick clothing.
Start with your shoulders square and your feet shoulder-width apart. Position one hand under the head of the ax, and the other hand near the bottom of the ax. Swing towards the center of the log.
If your ax gets stuck, try again. You can also use a wedge to help target the split. Drive a wedge through the log with a sledgehammer for a perfect split.
4. Use Local Firewood
When building a fire, it’s important to use local firewood. Many campgrounds even provide firewood and ban bringing your own.
If you’re traveling for camping, don’t bring wood that you’ve purchased more than 50 miles away. The reason is, a lot of firewood includes stowaway insects. These insects can be invasive.
If you don’t use local firewood, you risk introducing a new, invasive species to the area. So, if you’re getting firewood delivery, make sure you’re looking for, “local firewood delivery near me.”
5. Use Kiln-Dried Firewood
Many experts say that if you’re building a fire, you have to use kiln-dried firewood. Kiln-dried firewood is wood that’s been artificially dried in a chamber called a kiln. The airflow, humidity, and temperature are all strictly controlled so that the wood has low moisture content.
Low-moisture content is the key to good firewood. It’s been studied! Firewood has to have a moisture level that’s less than 20% for a stable burn.
Most firewood that you find at your local stores isn’t kiln-dried and is too moist. This means that it won’t be very good for lighting fires. Kiln-drying provides wood that’s perfectly dry for your next fire.
Kiln-dried firewood creates hotter, more stable fires that are easier to start. Fires using wet wood must expend more energy to start, meaning that they emit more air pollution and harmful smoke. Kiln-dried wood creates a fire that’s less smoky and is better for the environment.
It’s even been projected that with a mere 10% increase in kiln-dried lumber, we could eliminate almost 15 million metric tons of CO2 emissions. This could lower the global temperature by 0.03 degrees C! This is an incredible outcome for such a small change.
In addition, if you store regular firewood in your shed, when you try to use it you’ll find tons of bugs, fungus, and mold growing on your logs. The kiln-drying process will kill any bugs, mildew, and mold that can hitch a ride on your firewood. This makes your wood better for storage.
So, if if you’re keen to start a firepit, kiln-dried wood is a must. If you’re in the UK, order your local, kiln-dried firewood delivery from https://www.buyfirewooddirect.co.uk/log-delivery/.
6. Reuse Your Drier Lint
It’s common knowledge that your drier lint is a fire hazard. That’s why the experts recommend cleaning out your drier’s lint filter after every load of laundry. They also say you should clean your vent pipe every three months.
This can eliminate fire risks in your laundry room. But, it also gives you a free source of tinder. Repurpose your drier lint for a free, highly flammable source of tinder for your firepit.
7. Stock up Ahead of Time
If it gets cold in your area, you know that winter can be unpredictable. Cold snaps and sudden snowfall will have you wishing you could snuggle up by a warm fire.
If you don’t have a stash of firewood on hand, you’ll find yourself regretting it. When it’s cold, the last thing you want to do is make a trip to the hardware store. And when you’re snowed in, you might not be able to go even if you wanted to.
For that reason, we suggest getting firewood delivered so you can stock up before you need it. You already know that you can store kiln-dried wood for a long time without ill effect, so make sure to buy more than you think you’ll need. You’ll thank yourself later!
8. Low Effort and Convenient
In the era of modern convenience, you can get almost everything delivered. Food, groceries, toilet paper, and firewood.
You can get regular firewood deliveries to stock up in a convenient and low-effort way. Whether you sell bundles of wood or use it for your firepit, delivery makes it easy to replenish your supplies.
In addition, in the wake of the pandemic, delivery is a COVID-safe and trustworthy way to get your supplies without going out.
9. Lower Your Electric Bill
Firewood is the most cost-effective fuel for homeowners. Getting firewood delivered can greatly lower your utility costs.
Firewood is six times more economic than electric heat. In addition, it’s five times more affordable than gas heat and four times more affordable than oil! So you can keep your house warm in winter without breaking the bank.
10. Fires Are Carbon Neutral
Recent news articles have been published about how close our world is to a tipping point in the climate. While fires do give off heat, burning firewood is carbon neutral. Therefore, they don’t contribute to global warming.
Leaving a piece of firewood to rot in the woods gives off carbon dioxide as a byproduct. The amount of carbon dioxide given off by a piece of firewood rotting is the same as burning it! So, why not harness that carbon dioxide for yourself and make use of your firepit?
In addition, if you use kiln-dried wood, you can be sure that your wood is chemical-free and won’t give off any harmful emissions.
11. Firepit Cooking
When you think of cooking over an open fire, you might think of smores and hotdogs. However, this is just the tip of the oyster when it comes to fire pit cooking.
You can create rich smokey flavors when you cook over a firepit. In under an hour, you can have a campfire egg and bean breakfast, beef chili, casserole, meat skewers, and more!
12. Use Your Outdoor Space Year-Round
Many people think that when winter comes, their patio becomes a useless space. However, you can use a fire pit to create a centerpiece for a warm winter nook.
With a fire, a few weatherproof couches, and thick blankets, you can stay warm and enjoy the outdoors even in fall and winter.
13. Ambience and Entertainment
A firepit is one of the best ways to set the mood. It can create a soft pale glow that creates an atmosphere that both feels and is warm and inviting.
To capitalize on this effect, you can surround the area with small fairy lights and tea lights. This will create the perfect ambiance for entertaining guests.
A fire pit is a great reason to have a party. Invite your friends and family over and make smores, and a fireplace dinner. Sipping cocktails around a fire pit is a charming way to spend both summer and winter nights.
14. Lower Your Blood Pressure
The prehistoric man gathered and socialized around campfires because they kept them safe and warm. They created a social hub that fended off predators and allowed them to cook together. Recent studies have shown that the human connection to fire is an evolved trait.
In the study, more than 200 adults were given a video of a fire along with the sounds. Their blood pressure was measured before, during, and after watching the video. Every participant experienced a greater sense of relaxation, lower blood pressure, and greater sociability.
The longer they watched the fire, the better the participants felt! If you get firewood delivered, you can regularly experience these mental health benefits for yourself.
15. Different Types of Wood
You can get almost any kind of wood delivered. Each has a slightly different smell and different properties. Try a few out and see which ones are your favorite.
Hickory is a crowd favorite because it has a charming aroma and, thanks to its density, a long burn time. With it, you can create a long-lasting fire with a lovely scent.
Birch is another popular choice because it is easy to start and gives off little pops and crackles, which is perfect for your ambiance.
Oak is the densest wood, and as a result, it has the longest, hottest fires. It’s a great choice for winter fires and for heating your home. However, it can be more difficult to ignite.
Other woods like cherry or apple are considered specialty woods. They’re less useful for keeping yourself warm, but they can add a unique taste to your cooking.
Order Your First Firewood Delivery Today
This article should have given you everything you need to know about firewood delivery. Now you should be able to start your fire, create the perfect firepit dinner party, and use firewood to warm your house and unwind after every day. Start getting firewood delivered and enjoy the wide variety of benefits for yourself!
If you enjoyed learning about the benefits of firewood delivery, we have lots of similar content on our blog. Check it out for more tips, tricks, and advice!
