Winter readiness for a wood-heated home is four short lists. Run them in order, ideally in early autumn while prices and delivery windows are still friendly (the timing guide).
List 1: Fuel
- Bulk load ordered: size it with the winter guide — ironbark for primary heating, mixed hardwood for value
- Kindling stocked: a bag every 2–3 weeks of nightly fires — 10kg nets
- Firelighters stocked: 36-pack minimum, 72 if you’re serious
- Stacked right: off the ground, top-covered, breathing — the storage rules
List 2: Appliance
- Chimney swept — annual, before first fire (the creosote guide)
- Door seals and glass checked — replace seals that leak; clean glass with stove cleaner
- Damper/draft verified — the candle test from the first-fire checklist
- Tools present: poker, brush, shovel on a proper stand
List 3: Safety
- Smoke alarms tested — every floor, fresh batteries
- Extinction plan: metal ash bucket, extinguisher in date, family knows both
- Screens in place for open fires — kids & pets guide
- Clearances audited: a metre of nothing-flammable around every fire
List 4: Backup & Comfort
- Plan B heat source for chimney-maintenance days
- Airflow — ceiling fans on winter mode push warm air down
- The reward layer: a sling cradle of fuel by the fire and nowhere to be
Run the four lists and winter becomes the season you’re most ready for. Everything ships from the shop — and members get early-bird fuel pricing through the Ember Club.