Firewood

At Reds we stock only premium seasoned firewood, kindling, and fatwood fire starter in amounts ranging from bundles to multiple cords. Firewood is available year-round for pickup or we can deliver to most surrounding suburbs; please call us for scheduling and pricing. Whether you need enough firewood for a summer camping trip, weekend barbecue, or to heat your home during the winter, Reds can light your fire year-round.

Here at Reds we have oak, cherry, hickory, maple, and birch as well as the piñion wood recommended by chiminea owners for its pleasant pine aroma that helps repel mosquitoes and other flying insects. We also carry pecan, apple, peach, hickory, and cherry smoking wood in both chunks and chips.

Folks often ask us, "What's the best type of wood?" There's no one answer. Woods burn differently because of differences in density and size (larger pieces ignite and release their energy more slowly than small pieces and are preferable for extended burning; smaller pieces are better for short, hot fires). Everyone seems to have a favorite firewood just as everyone has a different way of lighting and running a fire. The University of Illinois Extension has created a Web site titled "Firewood in Illinois" that provides basic information on what to consider when buying firewood, safety issues when burning wood, and types of wood burning equipment. Many links to other sites are provided here as well.

Stop in or call us today for firewood scheduling and pricing. And remember, we can deliver to most surrounding suburbs.

Storing Firewood

When you get your wood home, stack it in neat loose piles off the ground in a sunlit location away from buildings. Plastic sheeting or closer stacking of top pieces will protect firewood from rain and snow. Firewood put in a shady corner near buildings or surrounded by shrubs deteriorates faster than wood stored in an open, sunlit location, reducing the fuel value.

Don't treat firewood with pesticides. Storing firewood away from the house and bringing in only a day or two's worth at a time should prevent dormant or pupating insects from warming up and emerging to become pests inside your home.

Starting the Perfect Fire

Creating the perfect fire starts with using seasoned firewood from Reds. To start a safe fire, crumple paper on the grate within the fireplace and cover it with kindling or a manufactured firestarter. (Remove colored comic sections before rolling newspapers into starter logs; the colored inks contain lead and can produce toxic gases.) Open the fireplace damper fully and light the paper. Once the kindling or the firestarter is burning brightly, add dry, seasoned wood to the fire and close the firescreen. It's important to avoid overloading the fireplace so the firewood doesn't tumble out. A couple of logs will suffice.