Should I stock up on firewood before winter, and how early should I order it?
Yes — but in Canton, before you stack a winter's worth of wood, make sure the fireplace it feeds is sound. Recent Pigeon River flooding water-damaged hearths and gas connections across the valley, and a compromised firebox or flue is no place for a season of hot fires. Order green in spring, and have the chimney checked first.
In a flood-rebuilding valley, check before you burn
The Pigeon River flooding left a lot of Canton homes with water-damaged hearths and gas appliances, and the damage isn't always obvious from the living room. Rust, shifted masonry, or a soaked flue can turn an ordinary fire into a real hazard, so an inspection comes before the woodpile. Any gas connection that saw floodwater needs verifying by someone licensed, and we pull the permit and meet the inspector through Haywood County. Get the fireplace cleared first — then the wood you season is worth stacking.
Valley fog is hard on your hardware
Canton's valley floor holds morning fog and dampness that rusts dampers and chimney caps earlier than higher, drier ground does. That same damp air will keep a woodpile from ever drying if you store it wrong. Keep wood well off the ground, cut faces open to whatever sun and breeze you get, top covered and sides open. A pile that can breathe dries; one sealed under a tarp or sitting in the fog just rots and smokes.
Season it over the summer
Buy green wood in spring — cheaper, easier to find, and yours to dry — and stack it by the cord based on how hard you burn. Given a full Haywood summer of sun and air, hardwood drops to a clean, hot-burning moisture level by fall. And after an outage, dry wood is the heat you can count on when the power's still off. Call (828) 545-0525 to get your chimney inspected before the season.
Fireplace help in Canton
We install and service fireplaces throughout Canton and the rest of Haywood County — just 20 minutes west from our Asheville-area showroom.