Firewood Rack: 2022 Quick Guide

A firewood rack can be a lifesaver! If you love to use your fireplace or fire pit, whether for warmth and ambiance or for cooking or for both, then you go through a lot of firewood, that’s for sure. You want an option for storing your firewood which is both functional and neat but also looks good. Firewood racks are available online from numerous vendors as well as at most home supply hardware shops. I strongly recommend SpitJack.com which has a large selection of firewood carts and racks as well as fire pit and fireplace cooking equipment.

There are several things to consider when designing or buying a firewood rack:

• Size – How much firewood do you go through? If you’re like me, a small bundle from the grocery store is gone in no time, so its nice to be able to store a larger quantity of wood in a firewood rack so that you aren’t running to the wood yard every day. Carefully consider what size firewood rack you need before buying one or building one. Make sure you have one big enough to hold the wood you need for at least a week and make sure it will fit where you need it.Pre-made firewood racks often come in sizes that correspond to measurements of firewood sales such as a firewood cord. They usually come in quarter cord, half cord and full cord sizes, occasionally smaller too. While a half cord firewood rack might be perfect for your porch or side of the house, it is certainly too big for inside next to the fire. So decide where you want to put your rack and plan ahead.
  
  
• Protection from the Elements – A firewood rack needs to protect your seasoned (dried) firewood from the elements. In particular, you need to protect wood from water which can absorb into the wood, making it harder to light and burn less hot. The important thing to remember is that water can get at your wood from the top or the bottom so you ideally need your wood to be surrounded by air to insulate it and allow airflow.Large pre-made firewood racks are generally made of metal with metal bars at the bottom to support the wood off the ground so that it does not get wet. They have metal sides to hold your firewood in. Many often include a plastic or cloth tarp cover which covers the top half of the firewood rack, protecting the wood from rain.
• Easy Accessibility – Again, you want a large enough firewood rack to hold the wood you will need, but also want it close enough to your firepit or fireplace so that it is functional and easy to get to. One option is to have a large half cord or cork rack outside as well as a smaller indoor rack next to your fireplace or in your yard near your fire pit. This way you can have easy access to firewood which can be replenished from the large supply as you use it.

A Bit More Info on Types of Firewood Racks:

• Fireplace or Firepit Adjacent – You can get, or make, a firewood rack which sits right next to where you need the wood, such as next to your fireplace. There are several options here, from a simple box, to a cloth hanging bag, to a cast iron or copper metal frame. The key here is you want a firewood rack which is simple, close to your fire and looks good. If this rack will be indoors, then you do not have to worry about exposure to water.
  
  
• Outdoor Firewood Storage – An outdoor fireplace rack is typically a large U-shaped metal rack which holds the wood off the ground, supports it and shields it from rain. They are typically stored on a porch, by the side of the house or in a back shed or garage.You can improvise a homemade rack by laying long metal bars on the ground (such as 2 or 3 fence posts side by side) and stacking your wood on top of this. If your firewood touches the ground, it can absorb water from the ground and it can also get bugs such as termites! Avoid this by using metal to separate your wood at least several inches from the ground so that there is good airflow around your wood pile. You should also cover the wood with a water-repellant tarp or cloth to protect from rain.
• Firewood Seasoning (drying) – Most of us that live in the city buy our firewood from a firewood sales specialist who supplies pre-seasoned wood. Seasoned firewood is dried out (often up to a year or more) so that it lights easier and burns hotter. Wet or “green” wood is not as good for building a fire. However, if you have access to fresh wood which has just been chopped, you can use your firewood rack to season your wood yourself.The same principles apply to other wood storage, but it is even more important to keep your wood well insulated from ground water, termites and rain. You can use your regular storage rack but make sure the wood is not touching the ground and that there is as much airflow around your wood as possible. The airflow will help to dry out the wood faster. Ideally, fresh wood should sit in this condition for a year to be fully seasoned. However, after several months, most wood is okay to burn but may be a bit harder to light and will not give off as much heat. Remember, when you burn wood, the energy of the fire goes first to burning off the water in the wood! Only the energy that is left after this is what is given off as heat.

If you are looking for an online supplier of firewood racks and other firewood related equipment, I strongly recommend SpitJack.com. They have a huge selection of firewood and fire cooking accessories.