Is it OK to burn storm-fall or dead trees from my own property?
In Waynesville you'll go through more wood than almost anywhere we serve, so yes — burn your own storm-fall, but plan the supply. At nearly 2,650 feet the heating season runs about three weeks longer than Asheville's and nights sit 10 to 15 degrees colder, which means a bigger seasoned stack and closer attention to creosote all winter.
Size your woodpile for a Haywood winter
A longer, colder season means more cords burned, which means more wood to keep seasoned and ahead of you. The trap is running short and burning green to fill the gap — that's when you lose heat and cake the chimney at the worst possible time. Get a full year's worth bucked, split, and stacked by spring. Hazelwood's higher, damper air dries wood more slowly than the lower valley towns, so lean toward the long end of the six-to-twelve-month window and confirm under 20 percent with a moisture meter before any of it goes on the fire.
Those old Hazelwood fireboxes waste it
A lot of the older open masonry in Hazelwood pulls room heat straight up the flue, and at this elevation that's real comfort and money lost every night. An EPA wood insert or a freestanding stove captures far more of it — a Regency Cascades F1500 heats up to 1,500 square feet and burns overnight — turning your free storm-fall into steady heat. Haywood County permits the swap, and we meet the inspector.
Feed it clean
Burn only natural, untreated wood — nothing painted, stained, or pressure-treated. Keep pine and other softwood for kindling, since it seasons fast but throws more creosote than a steady diet should. And because you burn more wood here than most towns, the annual sweep matters more, not less. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Waynesville
We install and service fireplaces throughout Waynesville and the rest of Haywood County — just 35 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.