Should I stock up on firewood before winter, and how early should I order it?
Yes — and in Swannanoa, plenty of neighbors are thinking about heat differently after the storm. Rebuilds and renovations across Grovemont and the Owen area have folks adding wood stoves and fireplaces they can count on when the grid goes down. Order green wood in spring so it's dry and dependable by winter.
New hearths in a rebuilding valley
Swannanoa's recovery from recent storm damage has driven real demand for new fireplace and stove installations in rebuilt and renovated homes — a lot of them chosen specifically because they keep working when the power doesn't. If you've just added a wood stove or insert, the woodpile is now part of your heating plan, not a decoration. Lay in seasoned wood the way you'd lay in any other winter supply, and order it early enough that it's genuinely dry when you first need it.
River-valley fog and damp
The Swannanoa River valley holds fog, pools cold air, and stays damp much of the year — conditions hard on masonry chimneys and just as hard on a poorly stored woodpile. Keep wood well off the ground, cut faces open to sun and breeze, top covered and sides open, so the valley moisture can't keep it wet. A stack sealed under a tarp or left in the low, damp ground never dries to where it burns clean.
Dry wood is the backup you actually want
A wood stove is only backup heat if the fuel is ready — cold, green wood is no help on the night the grid's down. Well-seasoned wood lights easily and throws real heat, and an EPA-certified unit especially depends on dry fuel to run right. Buy green in spring, give it the summer, and have the chimney checked before burning season. Call (828) 545-0525.
Fireplace help in Swannanoa
We install and service fireplaces throughout Swannanoa and the rest of Buncombe County — just 15 minutes east from our Asheville-area showroom.