How much is 3m3 ?
If you’re not familiar with the term cubic metres (m3) it can be difficult to picture just how much wood you’ll get if you order 3m3 or 6m3 .
m3 is the abbreviation for a cubic metre. So a 3m3 load is equivalent to a thrown pile of firewood 3 metres long, 1 metre tall and 1 metre deep.
For those of you more familiar with the old cord measurement, a cord is officially 3.6 cubic metres so our 3m3 load is a little less than a cord of firewood.
How much firewood do I need?
This is one of our most frequently asked questions and also one of the most difficult to answer! Obviously this depends on a number of factors -house size? Insulation? Orientation –does the house capture the sun? Are you home all day or just in the evenings? Are you burning softwoods or hardwoods? – but generally speaking, most families burn 12-18m3 (cubic metres) per year. If you have the storage space we would always suggest you buy the larger amount as, properly stored, firewood does not ‘go off’ and it can be difficult to find dry wood later in the season (be wary of anyone who tells you their wood is ‘dry’ in late winter –it often isn’t!)
Can I pay off my firewood?
Yes. We offer a prepay lay-by scheme to help spread the cost of purchasing firewood throughout the year. Find out more details on our Firewood Lay-By page.
Do you do WINZ quotes?
Yes.
If you require a WINZ quote simply phone or email us your full name, address and the type and quantity of wood you would like and we will send the quote back to you to forward on to your WINZ contact. Once WINZ accepts your request they will pay us direct and we’ll be in contact with you to arrange delivery.
Contact us to get a quote.
What’s the difference between the types of firewood?
Firewoods are ranked on their density. This can be best described as the ‘tightness’ of the fibres in the block.
Soft woods such as Poplar and Willow are very porous and light. They give a great roaring flame and can be excellent at starting a fire but they don’t last long and you may end up constantly re-fuelling your fire. If you have a small, well insulated house, a short intense fire may be all you need to be comfortable but most people find the softwoods inadequate. Being porous, they are also very prone to weather damage. They can act like a sponge and soak up the rain if left out in the weather. This means a weather proof shed with good ventilation is a must.
Plantation pine would be thought of as soft/medium density wood. It lights easily and gives off a reasonable heat. It needs to be stored out of the weather once seasoned. It is readily available and is easily managed. We sell more pine than any other firewood.
Old man pine (pine that is more than 45yrs old) is a medium density wood. Because of its maturity, the fibres are denser and it produces more heat than plantation pine but as it often has resins that will soot up your chimney, we don’t generally stock it.
Oregon (Douglas Fir, Red cedar…) is a commonly burnt medium density wood with a good heat output. It is the most versatile of the firewoods. It can be used as kindling right through to ‘night’ blocks –the ones that mean you don’t have to get up off the couch every ad break! It will strike on embers, leaves very little ash, does not soot up your chimney, is light and clean to carry and it smells great! Oregon is one of our personal favourites.
Wattle is a hardwood so it burns longer and hotter than the softer woods. You may need to also purchase a softwood (eg: pine) to get your fire up and really going before adding wattle blocks, but we think you’ll be happy with the heat output it offers.
Bluegum is a common hardwood in this region. It has very tight fibres and generally needs two years to season. However the heat it gives off is well worth the wait. It is normal to use blue gum on an already lit fire as it needs the heat to combust. (If you have tried bluegum before and been disappointed the chances are that you were burning blue gum that hadn’t been seasoned sufficiently). Because of its tight fibres we have found it doesn’t absorb moisture from the environment, although it is still wise to store it in a shed once it is seasoned.
Despite their higher purchase price, hardwoods provide more heat than softer woods, and therefore often end up costing you less in the long run.
Many of our clients purchase some medium density firewood (eg: pine or oregon) and some hardwood (eg: bluegum) to give easy lighting and good heat output.
What’s the best way to store my firewood?
When it comes to effective storage ideally you want three things:
- Protection from the rain
- Open to the sun
- In a position that allows free air movement around the wood (a garage is not ideal as there is not enough air movement)
Will Clearwater firewood blocks fit in our logburner?
There’s nothing quite so disappointing as buying firewood only to discover that it won’t fit in your logburner!
We cut our product to fit a standard log burner. Our firewood processing machine rings the logs into approximately 300mm lengths (foot long) then splits them into smaller blocks from there. You will, therefore, receive a variety of block sizes as we give you starter, every day and night blocks, but they should all fit in a standard log burner.
If you have a smaller firebox, like a wee rad or a coal range, we supply firewood to suit you as well. Check out our coal range firewood or, if that still doesn’t suit we can do a custom cut (You’ll need to pre-order this before February if you want dry firewood for winter). Call us to discuss your requirements.
We also do larger cuts for feature fires. Again, these will need to be pre-ordered well before winter.
Do you deliver?
Yes, we do. We have a tandem tipping trailer, which holds 6m3 (2 bins of 3m3).
We will do our best to tip the load where you want it but be aware this may be restricted by buildings, verandahs, over head-suspended lights/cables, ground conditions etc.
Free delivery to Geraldine, Woodbury, Peel Forest and Orari townships and between our yard and the Carew-Peel Forest School and the Rangitata Tearooms.
If you live outside these areas there may be a travel charge. For example, approximately $20 for deliveries to Winchester, $50 to Temuka or Mayfield; $150 to Ashburton or Timaru; or $160 to Methven or Fairlie.
For an accurate delivery charge contact us .
Is our wood dry?
First let us clarify what ‘dry’ wood is. When people say ‘dry firewood’ what they really mean is ‘seasoned firewood.’ Seasoned firewood has had the sap dried out of it. Depending on the type of wood this can take up to 2 years to achieve. Environment Canterbury considers any wood with a moisture content of less than 25% to be dry.
We sell green (unseasoned), semi-dry (partly seasoned) and dry (seasoned) firewood and which one is suitable for you depends on when you want to burn it.
All our firewood is open-air dried and stored so there will always be a small percentage of any load of seasoned wood that has absorbed water from the ground –but we’re truthful about that. All that means is that, if you pick up a block that feels heavier than the rest it is probably been one that’s been on the base of the pile, and you’ll need to put it to the side until the water has dried out of it. The rest of the load (if you’ve bought a seasoned/dry load) should be good for immediate burning.
Dry? Semi-dry? Green?
Which option is best for you? Basically it depends on how soon you want to burn it.
For immediate burning you’ll need to purchase dry firewood. Store it under cover and out of the weather.
For burning in 3-6 month’s time semi-dry firewood will be suitable. Semi-dry wood is only partly seasoned and still has a moisture content of 25-35%, so it will need to be stored in a well-ventilated place, preferably exposed to the sun and wind, to complete the seasoning process. This is a good option if you are purchasing your firewood in December-March.
For burning in 6+ months time green firewood is a good option -and it saves you money! Green firewood is unseasoned. If you have the storage space to season your firewood on site and you’re a year ahead of yourself, green is a great option.
When should I get my firewood?
Always remember it’s wise to plan ahead! Where possible it’s always best to have wood on hand six to twelve months before you need to burn it, but if you’re looking to buy wood for burning for the upcoming winter, we recommend you have your wood stacked away before Easter. Any later than this and you risk soft woods, such as pine, reabsorbing moisture from the atmosphere and you risk rain soaking your wood. While rain wet wood is still ‘seasoned’ you’ll need to wait for it to dry out before it’s suitable to use –which won’t be much help if you’re cold and longing to light your fire!
And, if you’re prone to forget to order your firewood early enough get in contact and order it now!
What about Environment Canterbury’s Clean Air Plan?
We support Environment Canterbury in wanting to clean up the air around South Canterbury. We want to see the right to have a fire in our homes kept, but it is obvious that if Cantabrians keep burning the way they have been we are quickly going to lose that right. That’s why it’s so important you burn untreated, seasoned firewood. Not only will it keep our air clean, but it will burn hot and efficiently –a win-win scenario. And of course, buying from a Good Wood merchant will ensure that you get good wood!
Still have questions?
Contact us and we’ll do our best to answer them.