How much does firewood cost per cord, and how many cords do you burn in a winter?
In Brevard, the cord-price question comes with a wrinkle nobody warns you about: 80-plus inches of rain a year makes properly seasoned wood hard to keep dry, so buy from a supplier who actually seasons his wood and store it right once it's yours. On volume, downtown homes and cabins here typically burn anywhere from one to three cords a winter depending on whether it's ambiance or real heat.
Rainfall is Brevard's defining fireplace fact
Transylvania County takes 80-plus inches a year, enough to rust dampers, spall brick, and re-soak any woodpile left open to the weather, with the wet season running hard from March through June. A cord that sat in the rain all summer will hiss, smoke, and coat your flue with creosote instead of heating the room, so covered storage isn't optional here, it's the difference between the wood working and the wood wasting. Raise it up on pallets, keep a roof over the top, and leave the sides open so mountain air can move through.
The moisture reaches the chimney too
It doesn't stop at the pile. Crawl spaces and chimney chases around Brevard are especially prone to moisture damage, and a damp masonry flue drafts weakly, which makes even good wood burn badly. Before you lay in a season's worth of cordwood, have the chimney and damper checked, particularly on the older cabins where the wet climate has been working on the mortar for decades. A quick look now saves a smoky, hard-lighting winter later.
Propane country makes wood a hedge
Much of Brevard runs on propane once you leave downtown, so a wood stove or insert is a real hedge against a cold-snap fuel bill. An EPA-certified unit burns 70% efficient or better and shrugs off a slightly imperfect cord far better than an open hearth does. If you add one, we pull the Transylvania County permit and handle venting and any gas line as one licensed job, 40 minutes southwest of our showroom. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Brevard
We install and service fireplaces throughout Brevard and the rest of Transylvania County — just 40 minutes southwest from our Asheville-area showroom.
Related questions
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- Does using an open wood-burning fireplace actually increase my heating bill?