Any tips to buy cheap firewood?

[hereonceagain]

We are In cali. Fire logs are fairly costly! Any cheap ideas to stock up?

[thewop]

Call a tree removal service? Maybe checkout craigslist for someone getting rid of some for free.

[mrsemilys]

I agree with Craigslist. Here there are tons of posts for free firewood....all you have to do it haul it away.

[Deleted]

Yeah. People here sell firewood all the time for a "you haul, you can have it fee."

Then again, I live in the land of trees. And trees tipping over from wind, so someone alway has one to get rid of.

[hereonceagain]

So if i use Craigslist, do I need to worry about what type of firewood it is? I read something about how some woods could be hazardous. I would never be able to identify the type of wood.

[TBM]

I think there are a lot of things to consider before buying firewood. I remember seeing a list somewhere online about what to look for (dry wood rather than green, varieties that burn better/longer....stuff like that). I seem to remember them warning that cheap doesn't usually mean better, since a lot of the cheap wood is not dense and doesn't burn long, so you really aren't saving any money since you have to burn more, or is too green to use.

[who22]

I generally lurk but for firewood you'll want to primarily look for hardwoods. Woods such as oak, beech, maple, birch, and ash burn best. Fruitwoods such as apple also burn really well and give off a sweet scent. Those are great for fireplaces. Pine is the only thing that I'd avoid because of the sap. All woods generate creosote but pine generates more because of the sap.

[Susie]

Buy it in bulk, by the cord or face cord.

Nov 12, 2012 16:41:04 GMT -5 who22 said:

I generally lurk but for firewood you'll want to primarily look for hardwoods. Woods such as oak, beech, maple, birch, and ash burn best. Fruitwoods such as apple also burn really well and give off a sweet scent. Those are great for fireplaces. Pine is the only thing that I'd avoid because of the sap. All woods generate creosote but pine generates more because of the sap.

Agreed, plus pine snaps a lot, sending off sparks.

[simpsongal]

We bought a good amount from a guy that hauls it in from the country. It was $160 for half a cord? The pile is like 6 feet wide and 4 feet high.
I was nervous about buying unseasoned, termite infested wood.

Good luck!

[AmyRI]

As PPs have said, avoid soft/sappy woods (like pine). Look for hardwoods. Even on craigslist, a reputable seller will tell you that it's all hardwood and we haven't had anyone lie about the type of wood we got.

Also ask how long it's been split. You want "seasoned" wood - preferably for a year so it's nice and dry. A lot of people around me will cut down a tree but not split it until they're ready to sell the wood, but that results in the wood still being green and wet. So that's why we ask how long it's been split, not just seasoned.

If you buy "green" (Freshly cut/split) wood now, you can usually get it for cheap and it will be ready to burn next year.

Also, stack it and measure it out to make sure that you get what you paid for. People try to short us all the time by as much as 1/4 of a cord, and around here $200 a cord is a good price so those 1/4 cord shortages add up!

[TBM]

I am not sure where you live in CA, but where we are, the avocado growers sell firewood. I haven't bought it, but people tell me that it is a good price.