By Daniel Watkins, Noble Chimney Sweepers.
Most of the bad burns we get called about in January trace back to a decision made in October, and it was usually a storage decision rather than a buying decision. Good firewood stacked the wrong way turns into bad firewood by midwinter. Wet wood makes a cool, smoky fire, and a cool smoky fire is what lines a flue with creosote. Where the pile sits, how it is stacked, and how much of it comes inside at a time all matter more than homeowners expect.
Where the pile should sit
Away from the house, off the ground, and where the sun and wind can reach it. Twenty feet of separation from the exterior wall is a reasonable target. Wood stacked tight against siding holds moisture against the house, blocks airflow on the side of the stack that needs it most, and gives carpenter ants, termites, and mice a covered bridge straight to the sill plate.
Off the ground matters just as much. A stack sitting directly on soil or turf wicks water up through the bottom course all season. Pallets, treated runners, or a pair of pipes work fine. Four to six inches of air underneath is enough to keep the bottom row from rotting into the ground, which is where a surprising share of a pile is lost.
Pick the sunniest, breeziest spot available rather than the most convenient one. A pile tucked behind a garage on the north side of a lot in Mokena will still be reading wet in December.
How to stack it
Loosely, in single rows, with the split faces exposed and the bark side up. Single rows dry far faster than a wide block, because air moves through the whole stack instead of just the outer face. If you have room for two rows, leave a hand width of gap between them rather than pushing them together.
Cover the top and leave the sides open. This is the part people get backwards. A tarp wrapped all the way around a pile traps evaporating moisture inside and holds the wood at a high moisture content indefinitely, which is why a fully tarped stack can be wetter in spring than it was in fall. Cover roughly the top third, weight it down, and let the sides breathe.
Split before stacking, not after. Round, unsplit pieces dry slowly through the bark and can sit for two years without getting where they need to be. Splitting exposes end grain and face grain, which is where water actually leaves.
How dry is dry enough
Twenty percent moisture content or below, measured on a fresh split face. A moisture meter costs very little and settles the argument in a few seconds. Wood that reads above that number will hiss, blacken the glass, and burn cool no matter how good the chimney is.
Plan on giving fresh hardwood a full summer of drying at minimum, and better results at a year or more. That is the argument for setting up the stack properly in early fall for the season after this one, rather than hoping this winter works out. We wrote separately about how moisture content shows up in a fire, and the same rule applies here.
Firewood and the flue
The connection is direct. A cool, smoky fire sends unburned volatiles up a flue that is not hot enough to keep them moving, and they condense on the liner as creosote. Do that all winter with wet wood and a sweep finds a thick, layered deposit in spring. Do it with dry wood and a properly run fire and the same chimney comes back with a light, brushable coating.
Storage is also where the wrong fuel gets into the pile. Construction scrap, pressure treated offcuts, pallets with painted or stained boards, and driftwood all end up stacked with the good wood because they were free. Keep them out of the pile entirely so nobody grabs one on a cold night. The same is true of anything that arrived with the wood and started growing mold. If you want the full list of what should never go in a firebox, that belongs in its own conversation.
Bringing wood indoors
Bring in a day or two at a time, not a week. An indoor rack of firewood is a warm, sheltered place for whatever was living in the bark, and insects that were dormant outside wake up in a heated room. A small hearthside rack that gets emptied regularly avoids that entirely.
Keep the rack clear of the hearth opening and away from the face of a stove. Wood sitting within the clearance zone of a radiating appliance is a fire hazard on its own, and it is easy to creep closer as a pile shrinks and someone tops it up. Sweep the floor under the rack now and then, because the bark, dirt, and insects that fall off are the reason the area around a hearth gets grubby.
One more storage note: never stack firewood in front of a cleanout door, a furnace, a water heater, or a fresh air intake. Blocking combustion air is a quiet way to create a draft problem in a chimney that was working fine.
Getting the chimney ready at the same time
Good wood and a dirty flue is still a bad combination. Early fall is the right time for both jobs, which is why we book the sweep and the seasonal check together for most households. We are certified, bonded and insured, owner operated, and we have been doing this work for 14 years, so we can tell you from the deposit in your flue how last winter actually went, whatever the woodpile looks like.
See what a visit covers on our chimney sweeping page, browse everything we handle on our services page, and check the flat price before you book on our pricing page. For scheduling in and around town, start at our Mokena chimney sweep page.
Call Noble Chimney Sweepers at (708) 432-5747. We answer 7 days a week, 7 AM to 7 PM, and we quote the price up front before any work begins.
Frequently asked questions
How far from the house should firewood be stacked?
About twenty feet is a good target, and never tight against siding. Separation keeps moisture off the wall, lets air reach both sides of the stack, and removes the covered path that ants, termites, and mice use to reach the house.
Should a woodpile be covered with a tarp?
Cover the top only, roughly the top third, and leave the sides fully open. A tarp wrapped around the whole pile traps evaporating water inside and can leave the wood wetter in spring than it was in fall.
Does firewood have to be raised off the ground?
Yes. Wood sitting on soil or grass wicks water up through the bottom course and rots. Four to six inches of clearance on pallets, runners, or pipe is enough to keep the bottom row usable.
How long does firewood need to dry?
A full summer at minimum for most hardwood, and a year or more gives better results. Split it first, because unsplit rounds can sit for two seasons and still read wet on a meter.
What moisture reading should firewood have?
Twenty percent or below, taken on a freshly split face rather than the weathered outside. Anything higher hisses, darkens the glass, and burns too cool to keep a flue clear.
How much firewood should be kept inside?
A day or two at most. A large indoor stack warms up whatever insects were dormant in the bark, and it tends to drift closer to the appliance as people top it up. A small rack that empties often avoids both problems.
Is it safe to store firewood next to the fireplace?
Only outside the clearance zone of the appliance. Wood within the radiating distance of a firebox or stove face can ignite, and a pile that starts at a safe distance often ends up closer as it is refilled.
Can bad firewood storage actually cause creosote?
Yes, indirectly and reliably. Wet wood burns cool, and a cool fire lets unburned smoke condense on the liner instead of leaving the chimney. A winter of damp wood produces noticeably heavier buildup than a winter of dry wood in the same flue.
Published October 5, 2026