Local chimney and fireplace service for Whisper Lakes

The word seasoned on a bundle of firewood tells you less than the wood itself does. Whisper Lakes is a community in Orange County, and if you buy wood for the fireplace at home there, a few checks at the woodpile save smoke in the room and deposits in the chimney. Dry, split, well-seasoned wood is the only kind EPA's Burn Wise guidance says to burn, and it says to season wood for at least six months.

Properly seasoned wood is darker, weighs less and sounds hollow when two pieces are knocked together. Wet or green wood spends its energy driving the water out, makes more smoke and leaves more deposits in the flue as that smoke cools. Storage matters as much as the purchase. The same guidance says to keep wood outdoors, off the ground and with only the top covered, because covering the sides traps moisture in.

A tarp wrapped around the whole stack or a pile sitting on bare soil works against drying. Wood from a fallen limb or a tree service is green when it is cut and needs time before it goes on the fire. Wood with paint, glue or treatment on it should not be burned at all, however dry it is.

NFPA 211 calls for a yearly chimney inspection for soundness, deposits and clearances, and the kind of wood you burn shows up plainly in what that inspection finds. Each visit covers the chimney itself, a sweep when the flue needs one and a look at the firebox and damper. Whisper Lakes homeowners get the inspection free from our family-owned company, a written estimate with no hidden fees and 10% off work booked within 72 hours after it.