Firewood and a chimney sweep before it gets cold, what should I be looking for?

First real cool night out here and I woke up at like 2 with the windows still cracked, so I figure that's the sign. Time to get my act together on the fireplace situation.

We've got an insert in the house off Hwy 25 and I honestly have no idea when it was last cleaned. Previous owners said "oh it works fine" which is not exactly a service record. So two things I'm trying to sort out before the real cold shows up:

1. Chimney sweep. Do people here book early or can you still get someone in November? And what's a fair price for a basic sweep and inspection? I don't need anything fancy, I just want somebody to tell me if it's safe to burn in.

2. Firewood. I've bought wood exactly once, in a different state, and I'm pretty sure it was green and just labeled seasoned, because it hissed and smoked and barely put out heat. Not doing that again. How do you actually tell a cord is dry before you pay for it? I've read to look for cracks on the ends of the splits, bark that's loose, and that two pieces knocked together should sound hollow and not dull and thuddy. Is that right? Is it worth buying a cheap moisture meter and just carrying it with me?

Also what did you all pay last year for a cord, delivered and stacked vs. just dumped in the driveway? And is it a full cord or a "rick" or a face cord, because I've heard those used kind of loosely around here and I don't want to pay full cord money for a third of one.

Mostly oak and hickory around the lake I'd guess, which is fine by me. I'll be hauling a lot of it up from the truck after my lake walks anyway, so at least it counts as exercise.

Any tips on what questions to ask the seller are welcome.

yeah the knock test is right. get a cheap moisture meter tho, like 20 bucks, and split a piece open and test the middle not the outside. under 20% is good. full cord is 4x4x8 stacked so if they say rick or face cord ask what the lenth is. I paid around 200 dumped last yr, stacked cost extra. book the sweap now, they fill up 🔥

Good call on splitting a piece open and testing the middle. I would've just checked the outside and felt real smart about it. I'll grab a meter this week, 20 bucks is nothing compared to hauling a load of wet wood up from the truck for nothing.

$200 dumped is about what I was bracing for, so that helps. If somebody quotes me way over that for "seasoned" I'll get suspicious. I'll make them tell me the length of the splits and the stack dimensions in actual feet, and if they say rick I'll ask "a rick of what?" Probably annoying but whatever.

Calling around for the sweep tomorrow then. Do you use the same person every year or shop around? I'm a little nervous about just picking a name off the internet for something that's literally about not burning my house down.

Ask around before you google, honestly. Neighbors and anybody with a good-looking woodpile already know who actually shows up and who doesn't. For the sweep I'd ask if they're CSIA certified and if they'll run a camera up the flue. With an insert that's where the stuff you can't see from the firebox hides. A good one will show you photos of what they found, too.

For the wood, ask when it was cut and split, not just if it's "seasoned." Six months to a year split is what you want, and if you can see the stack and it's been sitting off the ground and not under a tarp holding moisture in, that's a good sign. If they won't let you look at the pile before you pay, I'd walk. 🪵

Our dog hates the smell of the green stuff smoldering, so he's basically my moisture meter 😂

The "when was it cut and split" question is a good one, because I was going to ask if it was seasoned and they'd just say yes. Asking for a date is harder to fudge. And I like the idea of looking at the stack itself. Off the ground, not under a tarp. I'd have never thought about a tarp trapping moisture, I'd have figured covered meant better.

Camera in the flue makes sense too, since the insert is the part I can't see anything of. If somebody tells me "looks fine" and can't show me a photo of it, I'll take that as my cue to call the next guy. I'll ask about CSIA when I call. Not sure how many people out here are certified vs. just a guy with a brush and a truck, so we'll see what I get.

Gonna try the neighbor route first. There's a house a couple down from us off 25 that always has a stack going along the fence line, neat as anything, so I'll just walk over and ask who they use. Worst case I get told to mind my own business.

Ha, our dog doesn't have any opinions about smoke but she has a LOT about wet logs on the trail, so I guess that's her version. Dog meter plus the 20 dollar meter, I should be covered.