Buying Firewood in Chicago’s North Shore

Chimney Monkey no longer sells or delivers firewood. We still get asked about it constantly, so here is the advice our sweeps give customers — because the wood you burn has more to do with the state of your chimney than almost anything else.

What kind of wood burns best in a fireplace?

Dense hardwoods give the most heat per cord and the cleanest burn, so oak, hickory, ash, maple and beech are the usual first choices. Softwoods such as pine, spruce and fir light quickly but are resinous, burn out fast and leave more deposits behind, which makes them better as kindling than as a main fuel. Never burn painted, stained or pressure-treated lumber, pallets, driftwood or construction offcuts.

How do you know a supplier is really selling seasoned wood?

Ask when the wood was split rather than when the tree came down, because drying only starts once the log is opened up. Properly seasoned firewood sits below roughly 20 percent moisture, shows cracks across the end grain, has faded to a gray-brown, and makes a sharp hollow crack when two pieces are knocked together. Wood advertised as seasoned in autumn but split in late summer will not be ready to burn.

What should you ask before ordering a firewood delivery?

Insist on the volume in cubic feet or as a stated fraction of a full cord, never a truckload or a load, since those terms mean nothing. Confirm whether the price includes delivery and stacking, ask exactly where the driver will tip the wood, and get the species in writing. A supplier who will let you see the stack before it is loaded is usually a supplier worth using.

When is the best time to buy firewood?

Buy in spring or early summer for the following winter. Prices are generally lower outside the heating season and, more importantly, wood bought early has months of warm weather to finish drying in your own stack rather than arriving damp in December.

How much firewood do you actually need?

For occasional weekend and holiday fires, a third to a half of a full cord usually covers a season. If a fireplace or wood stove is your main source of heat, plan on several cords. A full cord is 128 cubic feet, a stack 4 feet high by 4 feet deep by 8 feet long — our guide to cord sizes breaks down how that compares to a face cord.

Does the wood you burn affect your chimney?

Considerably. Damp or resinous wood smouldering at low temperature is the fastest way to line a flue with creosote, the tarry residue behind most chimney fires. Dry hardwood burned hot leaves far less behind. Whatever ends up in your firebox, NFPA 211 calls for a chimney inspection every year.

Book a chimney sweep or a chimney inspection anywhere across Chicago’s North Shore. Call 847 994 4388.