Firewood shelves
Where should I place a firewood rack outdoors?
The location should be chosen so that your firewood shelf faces south. To the east is also ok. It is important that your wood gets as much sun as possible and as little rain as possible. Also wind, so a drafty corner in the garden is perfect.
What are the differences in durability between wooden and metal firewood shelves?
- A firewood shelf made of pine or larch can last 10 - 15 years, depending on care. However, it will not look nice after fewer years.
- For Corton steel, the rusty steel, it depends very much on the use and the thickness of the material. It is said that the life span is about 10 - 15 years if the material thickness is 1 mm. But if there is a permanent contact with soil, water or plants, this steel will rust about 5 times faster if it is not sealed. Therefore, firewood shelves made of unsealed Corton steel, when placed outdoors, are expected to last 3 - 5 years.
- Powder coated shelves: These have a very high rust protection factor, but have a disadvantage. If not very cleanly worked, you do not see when it begins to bloom (rust) under the powder coating. Only when it is long too late do you see the damaged areas. By then, the corrosion process has often progressed to such an extent that no measures can be taken to prevent it.
- Galvanized and powder-coated firewood racks have a service life of up to 75 years and still look good after many years.
Conclusion: Hot-dip galvanizing is thus the best process to protect your firewood rack from rust.
Galvanizing makes the metal impact resistant and any imperfections will migrate back to. If the shelf or metal is then still powder coated, they have achieved the best quality. This is given with our shelves.
How should I store the wood in the firewood shelf?
When you store the wood in the shelf you should always stack it with the bark down, this will prevent the rotting of the wood. Furthermore, you should leave as many gaps as possible so that it dries better. So it doesn't have to be perfectly stacked.
Can I cover my firewood to keep it dry?
In the fall, you should cover it to protect it from rain, and later from snow.
However, never cover it completely with a plastic tarp. Air must always get to your wood. Without air circulation covered wood can begin to mold, because the moisture can not escape. The most suitable is a small canopy, which protects from rain.
How far should the firewood rack be from the house wall?
Wood should never be stored directly against the house wall. There should always be a gap of 10 - to 20cm so that air can circulate and no mold develops. Think here also of the substance of the house.
Is a firewood rack subject to approval?
Usually not, but in Hesse you have to notify us in writing if you want to build a firewood rack with a volume of 10m3 or more. In most other federal states, however, this is only necessary from 40m3.
Solid cubic meter and bulk cubic meter simply explained:
1 solid cubic meter = 1.4 cubic meters = approx. 2.3 bulk cubic meters
0.7 solid cubic meters = 1 cubic meter = approx. 1.6 bulk cubic meters
Approx. 0.4 solid cubic meter = approx. 0.7 cubic meter = 1 bulk cubic meter
The differences depend on the air spaces. With the solid cubic meter it is assumed that there are no interspaces. 1 solid cubic meter corresponds to exactly 1 cubic meter of pure wood mass. With the cubic meter there are small air gaps (neatly stacked as in the firewood shelf) and with the bulk cubic meter the air gaps are largest because one assumes loose fill.
