As the days and nights get colder, the Montana Department of Labor and Industry’s Weights & Measures Bureau has some tips for those purchasing firewood to heat their homes this winter. “We want to make sure that Montanans are getting what they pay for when purchasing firewood,” said Labor Commissioner Keith Kelly.
Firewood is sold by a measurement called a cord (or by fractions of a cord), defined by State law as, “the amount of wood that is contained in a space of 128 cubic feet when the wood is ranked and well stowed. For the purpose of this regulation, ‘ranked and well stowed’ shall be construed to mean that pieces of wood are placed in a line or row, with individual pieces touching and parallel to each other, and stacked in a compact manner.”
To be sure you have the correct amount of wood, stack and measure it. The “standard” cord is typically described as a pile 4 feet wide, 4 feet high and 8 feet long, but a cord includes any configuration where length times width (or depth) times height equals 128 cubic feet.
Here are some things you can do to make sure you are getting what you pay for when buying firewood:
a. Get a receipt that shows the seller’s name, address, phone number and the price, amount, and kind of wood purchased;
b. Write down the license number of the delivery vehicle;
c. Ask the seller to stack the wood (you may have to pay extra for this service) or stack the wood yourself;
d. Measure the wood before using any; and
e. Take a picture of the stack if you doubt the quantity;
If you think you have been charged for more than you got; contact the seller before you burn any of the wood. If the problem cannot be resolved, contact the Weights & Measures office at 406-443-8065 before you burn any of the wood.
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