Choosing Firewood for Your Chiminea or Outdoor Fireplace

Nothing beats a relaxing evening in front of the warm glow of a campfire burning fresh firewood.

Campfires are a lot of fun, but local fire regulations often prevent you from starting a roaring fire on a patio in the suburbs.

Therefore, to generate heat for both warmth and cooking marshmallows, you should choose an outdoor fireplace or chiminea (or chimenia) in which to burn your firewood at home.

Good firewood choices for your fireplace or chiminea

The following is a list of suitable firewood for your outdoor fireplace or chiminea/chimenia. In general, you would do best choosing softwoods to start a fire, and choosing hardwood logs to keep a fire burning.

Scrap lumber – Scrap lumber, such as pieces of 2x4’s and 2x8’s, is often softwood like pine or spruce. The wood burns hot and fast, making it a good choice for kindling, but not a good choice for long-lasting fires in an outdoor fireplace or chiminea.

Pinion Pine – Pinion pine is popular firewood that people use in a chiminea. It’s common to the mountains and the Central United States, especially New Mexico. Pinion is a hardwood that burns slowly, making it perfect for use after a fire is started. It has a piney aroma like that associated with freshly cut Christmas trees. Best of all, burning Pinion Pine wards off mosquitoes! You can't go wrong in choosing Pinion Pine!

Red Cedar – Like Pinion, Red Cedar wards off mosquitoes. It also has a very nice aroma and burns slowly. Red Cedar tends to pop as it burns, so make sure you have a screen across your outdoor fireplace or chiminea to prevent hot cinders from escaping the fire.

Mesquite – Outdoor cooks love Mesquite firewood. Its unique aroma makes it perfect for cooking steaks and other meats on the grill. Mesquite burns VERY hot, so you don’t need to have many pieces on a fire at one time in order to keep warm. Use sparingly in a fireplace or chiminea.

Hickory – Like Mesquite, Hickory wood is often used in cooking, especially for smoking ham. Hickory is a hardwood common to the Eastern United States. As a firewood, it burns a long time, and it burns hot.

Ecologs – Ecologs are made from the sawdust from the floor of manufacturing companies. In general, Ecologs burn a long time with larger flames. They have no distinctive scent.

What to Avoid Burning in Your Outdoor Fireplace, Fire Pit or Chiminea

Avoid burning green wood or wet wood. A fire made of these types of firewood will either burn with a lot of annoying smoke, or will not burn at all.
Avoid choosing scrap lumber that has been painted or stained. The burning paint and chemicals are toxic.
Avoid using wood pellets, especially in a clay chiminea. They burn very hot and generate a lot of ash.
Avoid using charcoal in a chiminea or outdoor fireplace. Charcoal is for cooking, not warmth.
Avoid using lighter fluid of any type on your firewood. Just start your fires with kindling and patience.

An outdoor fireplace or chiminea is a fabulous addition to any patio or outdoor living area. Not only can you use them for warmth as intended, but you can also cook marshmallows or even hotdogs on a stick. Choosing a good mixture of firewood will keep the flames burning and the mosquitoes far away!

About The Author:

David Caban is a successful author and publisher of http://www.best-in-patio-furniture.com. A one-stop source of free information on patio furniture and outdoor décor for patios, decks and porches.

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