# How long does it take stacked wood to dry from rain?



## joefrompa

Hi all,

Getting ready for my first season. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be using truly seasoned wood this year. My supply is almost entirely log-length wood that sat on the ground for 1-3 years and is only being split as of September (I'll start burning in November). I'm giving it plenty of air in the stacking in the hopes it seasons faster.

Anyway, so far my stacks are unprotected from the elements. They are getting lots of rain. I understand there is no general consensus on whether or not this helps/hinders wood seasoning, but what I'm wondering is: How long does it typically take to dry wood once it's been rained on prior to burning it? For example: worst-case scenario would be it'd be in dry-air 45 degrees ambient.

In the future, I'll be tarping it or similarly covering the top. For now, I'm just wondering how much of a pain in the arse this makes it.

Thanks and I did search for this. However, searching on this forum for stuff like "Wood/dry/rain/how long" is like trying to find a needle in a 6-cord wood stack.

Joe


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## oldspark

I never cover my wood till late Oct. or so, I guess on a 45 degree day two to three days, on a windy 80 degree day I have had it dry completey in one day. That is after a heavy rain, light rains dry quicker, maybe a day to day and a half with the 45 degree day.


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## gpcollen1

You may have rain for a few days now so it will be good and wet.  If the wood is stacked, a good day of wind can dry that sucker right out.  It is no different than your lawn or a puddle - depends on the temp, amount of sun and the amount of wind.  I'd bet that it will take a few days given the weather we are looking at.  Depends on how much wind we get for sure.  Don't worry about it as you just have to wait for a fry pile in October or November to cover it.  No need to cover it yet...


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## mayhem

Really soaked and lousy drying conditions...a week to dry out a stack, max.  Its not the water thats the problem, its the sap.

Burn what you've got...if its really bad buy a couple bundles of kiln dried wood from the supermarket and mix in a piece here and there when you need it.  Also check out local lumberyards for pallet scraps.  Or just find some pallets and cut them up yourself.  

Keep an eye on your chimney cap for signs of creosote buildup and do your best to clean it off if it starts to become a problem.  Getting the fire good and hot once a day really helps keep the chimney clear for me...and I always wind up burning half seasoned wood (not by choice).


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## joefrompa

Thanks all. Good to know this isn't a concern at all. I didn't realize it was sap that seasoned out, I thought it was inherent moisture (Yes, I know that's what sap is...)....hehe.

My plan is to get the stove up to ~600 degrees once or twice a day. Realize this will most likely burn some wood faster, but I think my house is going to benefit from getting a roaring hearth going and then letting the good air-sealing & insulation retain the heat for a long slow burn.

I'm all about heating it up nice and hot to keep it clean running. I'm getting a Lopi Republic 1750, which is one of the cleanest burning stoves around too.

I wonder how many cords of wood I'll go through this winter....


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## firefighterjake

Lot of variables as to how long it would take to dry out once rained on . . . how tight the stacks are, wind, temps, direct sun vs. indirect sun, etc. In general I would guess it would take a day or two for the surface moisture to dry up.

For the record I think it's not a bad idea to top cover now . . . especially if you may begin using this wood . . . while the wood would probably be fine with the rain it's always easier to get dry wood to ignite when you want a fire on these damp, chilly Fall days.


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## joefrompa

It would be covered right now by $5, 5-mil tarps except my wife thinks blue tarps in the backyard looks tacky and she wants me to find clear ones.

Yeah, you heard me right....

I'm starting to think I should just cover them with something else. I have alot of asbestos wood shingles remaining from an old siding job. Maybe I'll layer some of those on top?


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## oldspark

joefrompa said:
			
		

> It would be covered right now by $5, 5-mil tarps except my wife thinks blue tarps in the backyard looks tacky and she wants me to find clear ones.
> 
> Yeah, you heard me right....
> 
> I'm starting to think I should just cover them with something else. I have alot of asbestos wood shingles remaining from an old siding job. Maybe I'll layer some of those on top?


 She thinks the blue tarps look tacky but the wood doesn't? :cheese:


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## joefrompa

No comment


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## elijah

It's funny, my wife loves the look of the stacked up wood.  Doesn't want me to cover it with my blue tarps either


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## Bspring

Try it and see but I can tell you that most of the wood around here that sat on the ground for 1-3 years would be way too wet to burn after a week. I think it would be over 30% even after a month at this time of year. Do you have CAT stove? If so that should be something to consider.


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## charly

I was cutting on 5 year old Oak Tops, probaly 60 or more in a field on my property. Left from logging some of my woods. After splitting the pieces open, and checking with my moisture meter, the wood is still at 35-39%,,, even though the wood looks like standing dead. The only thing I noticed is it looks to be drying quick once it's been split. Anyone else experience a good outcome of this drying quick once it has been split? Being the woods has been down for 5 plus years.


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## pyper

joefrompa said:
			
		

> It would be covered right now by $5, 5-mil tarps except my wife thinks blue tarps in the backyard looks tacky and she wants me to find clear ones.
> 
> Yeah, you heard me right....
> 
> I'm starting to think I should just cover them with something else. I have alot of asbestos wood shingles remaining from an old siding job. Maybe I'll layer some of those on top?



I had been covering mine with black plastic (just on top, to keep the rain out), but now I'm using some torn off metal roofing. 

New sheets of 5V roofing are about $20 for an 8' section.


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## Got Wood

I have this tarps that are forest green on one side and brown on the other. The brown really blends in well. Much better than the Blue tarps for eye appeal.

This summer I came across metal siding from an above ground pool that was painted brown, a little more than 4' wide. Works well for laying on top of my pallet width stacks. I do need to put weight on top to keep it from blowing off.


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## oldspark

xclimber said:
			
		

> I was gutting on 5 year old Oak Tops, probaly 60 or more in a field on my property. Left from logging some of my woods. After splitting the pieces open, and checking with my moisture meter, the wood is still at 35-39%,,, even though the wood looks like standing dead. The only thing I noticed is it looks to be drying quick once it's been split. Anyone else experience a good outcome of this drying quick once it has been split? Being the woods has been down for 5 plus years.


 I cut a lot of dead oak and yes it does dry out fairly quickly after being cut and split, but I have some bigger splits that have set in single rows all summer and are still at 35%, the smaller splits are at 18 to 20%, that was about 4 weeks ago. This oak was over 45% last spring when I cut it.


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## Bigg_Redd

joefrompa said:
			
		

> How long does it take stacked wood to dry from rain?



Keep track.  When it dries tell us.  That way we'll all know.


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## Backwoods Savage

joefrompa said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> 
> Getting ready for my first season. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be using truly seasoned wood this year. My supply is almost entirely log-length wood that sat on the ground for 1-3 years and is only being split as of September (I'll start burning in November). I'm giving it plenty of air in the stacking in the hopes it seasons faster.
> 
> Anyway, so far my stacks are unprotected from the elements. They are getting lots of rain. I understand there is no general consensus on whether or not this helps/hinders wood seasoning, but what I'm wondering is: How long does it typically take to dry wood once it's been rained on prior to burning it? For example: worst-case scenario would be it'd be in dry-air 45 degrees ambient.
> 
> In the future, I'll be tarping it or similarly covering the top. For now, I'm just wondering how much of a pain in the arse this makes it.
> 
> Thanks and I did search for this. However, searching on this forum for stuff like "Wood/dry/rain/how long" is like trying to find a needle in a 6-cord wood stack.
> 
> Joe



Joe, congratulations on this being your first year of burning wood. 

I do hope that wood is ready to burn and that it serves you well. On the stacks, lay down a couple saplings, poles, landscape timbers, pallets or something similar to keep the wood from touching the ground. That will help a lot plus allow air under the wood to help dry it. 

On the tarps, I don't blame your wife for not liking the blue tarps! I agree fully with her. I've used tarps in the past and the heavier tarps will do better but it is hard to beat something solid. The tarps will get wet and then freeze to the top of the wood pile. They will last one year and still do a poor job. We like to use old galvanized roofing as it works really nice. We have one stack covered with rubber roofing too but the solid galvanized works better and you can use it over and over and over. 

How long to dry the wood after a rain? Naturally it varies but if the sky clears and you have a wind, it is just a matter of a few hours. The wood is not a sponge so it just gets wet on the outside. Watch other things like maybe your porch or driveway. When they dry out the wood has too. I still like to cover the top of the wood pile before the snow flies. This year I'm ahead of schedule as all of our wood is now covered but I usually don't cover until late November or early December, depending upon how much snow we get and how early it comes.


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## charly

oldspark said:
			
		

> xclimber said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I was gutting on 5 year old Oak Tops, probaly 60 or more in a field on my property. Left from logging some of my woods. After splitting the pieces open, and checking with my moisture meter, the wood is still at 35-39%,,, even though the wood looks like standing dead. The only thing I noticed is it looks to be drying quick once it's been split. Anyone else experience a good outcome of this drying quick once it has been split? Being the woods has been down for 5 plus years.
> 
> 
> 
> I cut a lot of dead oak and yes it does dry out fairly quickly after being cut and split, but I have some bigger splits that have set in single rows all summer and are still at 35%, the smaller splits are at 18 to 20%, that was about 4 weeks ago. This oak was over 45% last spring when I cut it.
Click to expand...

Oldspark, I did just that on some the wood , split them into 2-3 inch wide pieces, just to get things moving a little more on some of the wood. I'd say better wet then punky. Be big waste of all the Oak sitting and waiting to meet Mr. Stihl  :snake:


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## Battenkiller

As others have said, it depends on many things.  If your wood gets soaked by a passing thundershower, it will dry out relatively quickly, in a matter of hours if it is hot and breezy out.  If a front moves in and it rains for a week, a lot of water will get soaked into the wood surface, and this could set you back several days.  Then there are the factors of relative humidity, temperature, and air movement to consider.  If the RH is up near 100% with no air movement, the wood will stay wet for a very long time.

One thing is certain, your wood won't dry out even a smidgen if the outer surface is wetter than the inside.  Water molecules follow a moisture gradient whose general direction is to go from an area of wetter wood to an area of drier wood.  If you're getting steady rain every day, the outside of the wood will never get dry enough to allow inner moisture to escape and it will start to move in the wrong direction - back into the wood.  This appeared to be the case here in the Northeast last year, when there were weeks at a time with rain almost every day.  Many folks here who cut and split in the spring and burn in the fall suffered by having bad wood when it came time to burn because it never had a chance to dry in the first place.  

One good thing is that, if your wood is already seasoned, it won't be harmed much even in a steady rain.  Most of the water runs off the wood before it can soak in very far.  Wood is said by many experts to be like a sponge, but it is an extremely slow acting sponge.  Unless it is in constant contact with water, once it's dry on the inside it stays fairly dry.  The thing is, the OP suggests that this wood isn't very dry at all.  I'd get it covered as soon as you stack it, just in case we get a lot of rain this fall.  Galvanized roofing in 2' width is fairly cheap and will last for many, many years.


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## golfandwoodnut

We just had a slow steady rain all day.  I just brought a couple of pieces of Oak in that were right on the top and threw them in the fire.  They lit up within a matter of a minute.  The wood dries from the inside out, not the outside in so rain is not a huge deal.  When the ice comes that is another issue, and with tarps the ice can freeze them solid and they can rip, atleast in my experience.  It  is nice to have a place with a roof or as Backwoods Savage has said cover them with something solid.  I know some guys, like Quads, that never cover their wood and never have a problem.  I believe the saying that "my wood laughs at the rain" has been used before.  The only wood that really has a problem is punky wood(wood that has gone soft), as it absorbs water.


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## nate379

Tried the tarps and they keep blowing off even with them nailed down and logs on top (gets windy here).  I think I'm going to get some sheets of plywood or OSB instead.


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## joefrompa

Alright, after reading through here I've got to say that there doesn't seem to be a NEED to cover the wood (except that snow/ice gathering could be very annoying). Even people who cover the wood respond that it dries out quickly from surface moisture accumulation, and some coverings are a real PITA. 

So at this point, I think I am going to join the crowd that doesn't cover. I haven't yet really heard an argument about why covering is beneficial, and it reduces air-flow to the pieces that are most likely to be first burned....

Joe


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## ChillyGator

I don't  cover until the first hard snow of the year.


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## CJRages

Put white oak splits on top of all your woodpiles... White Oak is naturally water-tight. 

Wiki-- 

"White Oaks have cellular structures called tyloses. Tyloses give the wood a closed cellular structure, which does not allow water to pass. Tyloses are cell ingrowths of living wood parenchyma into the cavities of xylem conducting cells. The white oaks, with tyloses, are used in making wine and whiskey barrels as well as outdoor furniture. Red Oaks  do not have the tyloses, thus white oak barrels are used in wine and whiskey production to prevent leaking, which would be the result of using red oaks. It has been used for construction, shipbuilding, cooperage, agricultural implements, and interior finish of houses.[2]"

This HAS to be part of why it takes sooooo long to season oak!

EDIT: sorry found another article that explains things better

http://micro.magnet.fsu.edu/trees/glossary.html

"If a wood's permeability is low because of tyloses, *it dries very slowly*. It is also very difficult to treat wood with preservatives for use as outside lumber if it has abundant tyloses. For production of barrels, heavily utilized in the wine or whiskey industry, white oak (high number of tyloses) with its very low permeability is preferred to red oak (low number of tyloses). When wood is examined in transverse section, tyloses usually *glisten*."

All that glistens is not gold.  :lol:


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## Bspring

Thanks, CJ. That's good info.


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## Got Wood

To the original poster from South Pa ... if your weather today is anything like it is here in NY you have a pretty good test bed to see how long it will dry out. You wont be getting much more rain than this and its supposed to be nice for a couple days afterwards.


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## charly

Got Wood said:
			
		

> To the original poster from South Pa ... if your weather today is anything like it is here in NY you have a pretty good test bed to see how long it will dry out. You wont be getting much more rain than this and its supposed to be nice for a couple days afterwards.


Talk about a down pour!


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## SolarAndWood

xclimber said:
			
		

> Got Wood said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To the original poster from South Pa ... if your weather today is anything like it is here in NY you have a pretty good test bed to see how long it will dry out. You wont be getting much more rain than this and its supposed to be nice for a couple days afterwards.
> 
> 
> 
> Talk about a down pour!
Click to expand...


You're not kidding.  We are about 6 hours in and its not showing any signs of slowing yet.  The heap should be wet enough by the end of this that I'll know the answer to this question with certainty over the next few days.


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## thewoodlands

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> xclimber said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Got Wood said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> To the original poster from South Pa ... if your weather today is anything like it is here in NY you have a pretty good test bed to see how long it will dry out. You wont be getting much more rain than this and its supposed to be nice for a couple days afterwards.
> 
> 
> 
> Talk about a down pour!
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> 
> You're not kidding.  We are about 6 hours in and its not showing any signs of slowing yet.  The heap should be wet enough by the end of this that I'll know the answer to this question with certainty over the next few days.
Click to expand...



Anyone getting high winds yet?


zap


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## SolarAndWood

Looks like we are going to get good and soggy under relatively light E winds and then it is going to clock to the north and blow later this afternoon.


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## charly

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> Looks like we are going to get good and soggy under relatively light E winds and then it is going to clock to the north and blow later this afternoon.


Usually gets windy as a front leaves or comes in, in this case on it's way out.


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## ChillyGator

Interesting thread since this past summer was one of the wetter summers we have had in years.  It didn't rain every day but at least once or twice a week through the whole summer....I never had to use the lawn sprinklers this year until this past month (very sandy soil that drains fast and in the heat of the summer would dry out crispy in a matter of a week or so).

I s/s right at 5 cords this year beginning in Jan/Feb (2.5 cords live Water Oak) thru April/May (2.5 cords Pecan).  All the stacks are out in an open field fstacked North/South to catch the prevailing westerly winds.  My Water Oak is now basically ready to burn with ALL the exterior bark seperated from the wood throughout the stacks, even the 3"-4" limbs that I did not split have lost their bark.  Both sides of the stacks are grey and i probably won't have to burn any of this until late December or early January since I have amost a 1/2 cord still in my dry shed at home.

The Pecan is a little behind since it was split later, it is mostly grey now but the splits that still had bark on the outside are still showing dampness if you pick them up and turn em over (bark side was down).  I could probably burn those on top down a little way but I imagine they will all be ready shortly after the first of the new year if I needed them which I won't.  I will burn some this year just to see how it burns compared to the oak since i've never burned the  Pecan before.  I want to confirm how well it performs before i start working on the following years wood as i have a choice of only going with Oak if I want to (the Pecan is laying on the ground already so it is hard not to take that easy wood).

This was my first drying season stacking wood in the field and it is working evern better than I imagined.  I was a little worried about not putting a cover on the  top when we started getting regular rain but it looks like it was not needed and may have even made things worse if I had gone that route.

If we start getting heavy snows this winter then I  may cover the stacks then  :cheese:


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## Battenkiller

Holy Cow!  My youngest lives in Wilmington, NC.  He's right in the purple area classified as "extreme" on the map legend.  Better call him and tell him to reel in his line, the bluefish will be back next week. :lol:


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## Battenkiller

GolfandWoodNut said:
			
		

> The wood dries from the inside out, not the outside in so rain is not a huge deal.



Wait, I just caught that.  Sorry, but that's simply not true.  The opposite is true, in fact.  Whether or not rain significantly affects the total drying time of firewood, the truth is that is can only dry when the outside is drier than the inside.

From "Dry Kiln Operator's Manual", an in-depth document put out by the U.S. Forest Service:



> *How Wood Dries*
> 
> Water in wood normally moves from higher to lower zones of moisture content. This fact supports the common statement that “wood dries from the outside in,” which means that the *surface of the wood must be drier than the interior if moisture is to be removed.*



You can download the entire document in PDF form from this site:

http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/products/publications/several_pubs.php?grouping_id=101&header_id=p

All you really need is "Chapter 01 Properties of Wood Related to Drying".  I know nobody believes anything that the government puts out.  We can build the world's first atomic bomb and land a man on the moon, but we don't know squat about wood drying.  Truth is, almost all of the facts and figures that are quoted _ad nauseum_ by folks here (myself included) from seemingly independent sources all got their data from the Forest Service.  Download it and read it, it's only 41 pages.  It won't change your life, but at least you'll understand how wood dries. :cheese:


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## BrotherBart

Yeah I think osmosis is still in control here.


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## SolarAndWood

We got 6 or 7 inches that finally ended this morning.  Was overcast until lunchtime.  It is dry already after an afternoon in the sun and wind.  The punk is a little damp but far from wet.


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## Dune

To cover or not to cover. How about common sense. If less water gets on it, less has to dry. If good drying time is wasted drying water that didn't need to be there, then the seasoning time is increased. Since you know your wood is not seasoned properly, do whatever you can to help it. Scrap plywood, new plywood, brown tarps, woodshed, whatever. Personaly I use a woodshed.


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## iceman

6-8 inches of rain so as of 6am I started the clock..... my guess is by 6pm the outer of my stacks will be dry. And another couple days till the interior will be dries out....



  I think location has more to do with drying wood..  wood sheds are great especially in the winter..  so people say wind some say sun...
But if wood can be fully exposed to sun its like baking,.... if it can be fully exposed to sun and wind its like those new convection ovens ...cooks faster and more even..... I wish someone would post a pic of the temp in the wood shed when its hot out so we could see if there was a difference....   I used traps and kept my top covered for 2 years with 4sides open and my wood still had some sizzle..   much more than what I would have ever imagined!  Now I leave it uncovered till the leaves start falling and get way better results ....


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## Battenkiller

Iceman, how do you get your wood to get direct sunlight?  Almost the entire content of any stack is sitting in the shade from the wood directly above it.  

Temperature is what is important, not sunlight.  Much more important is air movement and relative humidity.  If the wood is visibly wet, or the RH is up above 90%, very little drying can take place.  All that the sun can do to help is to increase the temp of the ends of the wood on the side facing the sun.  Clothes hanging on the line on an overcast day dry fast if the air is dry and there is a breeze.  Direct sunlight not required.  The entire evaporation process has been proven to be driven by lower relative humidity and good air circulation.  Temperature merely aids in the water movement inside the wood itself.

BTW, my new shed with its metal roof gets _plenty_ hot when the sun is on it.  Not much air movement in there, though, so I'd never consider drying wood in it.  Only good for storage of already dry wood IMO.


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## iceman

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> Iceman, how do you get your wood to get direct sunlight?  Almost the entire content of any stack is sitting in the shade from the wood directly above it.
> 
> Temperature is what is important, not sunlight.  Much more important is air movement and relative humidity.  If the wood is visibly wet, or the RH is up above 90%, very little drying can take place.  All that the sun can do to help is to increase the temp of the ends of the wood on the side facing the sun.  Clothes hanging on the line on an overcast day dry fast if the air is dry and there is a breeze.  Direct sunlight not required.  The entire evaporation process has been proven to be driven by lower relative humidity and good air circulation.  Temperature merely aids in the water movement inside the wood itself.
> 
> BTW, my new shed with its metal roof gets _plenty_ hot when the sun is on it.  Not much air movement in there, though, so I'd never consider drying wood in it.  Only good for storage of already dry wood IMO.




Yes you are right I said sun meaning getting really hot from direct, strong sunshine, the temp at the wood in the open should usually be higher than under a tree in the shade out of the direct sun...
The location part meaning here, in my part wind isn't as great as someone else... but someone in Arizona with hotter temps and yes lower humidity will  season as fast as someone who may have more air movement but not the same temp, or humidity... 
I agree with you, that wood sheds.. most , are better for storage rather than drying ....for the short term.... and even so I still would like one ...lol

On another note, I have seen people put wood in the oven for experimentation as well as dehumidifier.... but has anyone tried a fan on wood?  To compare how much it would speed up the seasoning process?


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## SolarAndWood

iceman said:
			
		

> I agree with you, that wood sheds.. most , are better for storage rather than drying



I tried to get around that when I designed the roof with a 9 ft cantilever off the back of the garage.  It is open to the south, east and west with prevailing winds out of the SW.  I thought I was pretty smart until I was going out to get wood when it was below zero and blowing 30 miles an hour.  There is a compromise to everything.  I end up moving it from the heap to this shed, then again to the shed on the sheltered side of the house before it gets burned.  Still looking for a better way.


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## iceman

SolarAndWood said:
			
		

> iceman said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I agree with you, that wood sheds.. most , are better for storage rather than drying
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I tried to get around that when I designed the roof with a 9 ft cantilever off the back of the garage.  It is open to the south, east and west with prevailing winds out of the SW.  I thought I was pretty smart until I was going out to get wood when it was below zero and blowing 30 miles an hour.  There is a compromise to everything.  I end up moving it from the heap to this shed, then again to the shed on the sheltered side of the house before it gets burned.  Still looking for a better way.
Click to expand...

!



Screw a tarp in around that and put some weight on the bottom and wham! you have a temp shelter tba is weather proof


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## SolarAndWood

lol, a tarp wouldn't last a week on that side of the house.


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## iceman

Well I was wrong the outsides of all my wood was dry by 12pm can't answer for stuff inside the stacks but have to think within a couple of days for sure .... it might not even be wet in there... there was an area that was still dry on the outside after all this rain...


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## thewoodlands

joefrompa said:
			
		

> Hi all,
> 
> Getting ready for my first season. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be using truly seasoned wood this year. My supply is almost entirely log-length wood that sat on the ground for 1-3 years and is only being split as of September (I'll start burning in November). I'm giving it plenty of air in the stacking in the hopes it seasons faster.
> 
> Anyway, so far my stacks are unprotected from the elements. They are getting lots of rain. I understand there is no general consensus on whether or not this helps/hinders wood seasoning, but what I'm wondering is: How long does it typically take to dry wood once it's been rained on prior to burning it? For example: worst-case scenario would be it'd be in dry-air 45 degrees ambient.
> 
> In the future, I'll be tarping it or similarly covering the top. For now, I'm just wondering how much of a pain in the arse this makes it.
> 
> Thanks and I did search for this. However, searching on this forum for stuff like "Wood/dry/rain/how long" is like trying to find a needle in a 6-cord wood stack.
> 
> Joe



We had some rain on Tuesday, Wednesday was a dry day so we put enough in for about one weeks worth of fires. Started to burn some tonight, stack temp 400 and stove top temp 500-600.

zap


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## golfandwoodnut

Logic does not always work.  Tarps hold in moisture as well as hold rain out.  Metal roofs can even shed condensation on a dry day. I turned some wood into mulch by covering the whole stack with a tarp.  It took years, but it sure destroyed the wood. When I say the wood dries from the inside out  I mean you are trying to get the moisture out, I am not really worried about the rain getting in.  As many have said the surface rain is gone in short order and can even be put in the fire wet.  The one poster made a good comment about white oak, I do notice that the white oak does not look like it even gets rained on.  Do not get me wrong it is nice to have a dry place to put the wood just before you burn it to avoid snow and ice, but I think during the normal drying process it is a whole lot easier, better looking and at least equally good at drying without being coverd.  In my opinion.


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## charly

I put all my wood on racks I built, in an extra older two car garage  the over head doors stay open all the time. I also leave the two side windows open. Should be a good drying place, as once the wood's in, it's never wet again. Built each rack 10ft long by 6 ft high. 20-24 inch length's of wood. I figured about almost a cord a rack, if my math is right.


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## Battenkiller

GolfandWoodNut said:
			
		

> When I say the wood dries from the inside out  I mean you are trying to get the moisture out, I am not really worried about the rain getting in.... I think during the normal drying process it is a whole lot easier, better looking and at least equally good at drying without being coverd.



OK, now I understand what you are driving at, and I totally agree.  I think there are just not enough rainy days in most seasons to set the total drying time back enough to worry about it.  If somebody built me a gigantic open pavilion to season my wood in, well I guess that's where I'd put it.  But it had better be in the same location I'd chose for my open stacks, exposed to lots of wind.


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## iceman

Battenkiller said:
			
		

> GolfandWoodNut said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> When I say the wood dries from the inside out  I mean you are trying to get the moisture out, I am not really worried about the rain getting in.... I think during the normal drying process it is a whole lot easier, better looking and at least equally good at drying without being coverd.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> OK, now I understand what you are driving at, and I totally agree.  I think there are just not enough rainy days in most seasons to set the total drying time back enough to worry about it.  If somebody built me a gigantic open pavilion to season my wood in, well I guess that's where I'd put it.  But it had better be in the same location I'd chose for my open stacks, exposed to lots of wind.
Click to expand...



That would be the perfect setup... sun and wind ... I wonder how long it would take to dry oak


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## Battenkiller

iceman said:
			
		

> That would be the perfect setup... sun and wind ... I wonder how long it would take to dry oak



Probably still 2 years.  :lol: 


I just went down to my shop to check on the wood that got wet during my flood three days ago.  There were some thin (7/16") oak boards that were standing on end in about an inch of water for hours before I woke up and discovered the flooded basement.  I moved all of the wood to a dry spot and continued with my pumping.  These were sitting on the edge of my table saw with the wet end out.  Below are two photos showing what I got when I checked them for MC.  I pushed the probes in as hard as I dared to get a true reading for the inside.  I chose these particular boards (from a 50-year old dresser) because they were thin enough to not have to re-split to get the inner MC.

The dry end measured 13% MC and the wet end measured 25% MC.  All of my wood showed similar results.  

Until the flood, all of this wood was measuring about 10-12%, but after three days at nearly 100% relative humidity in the soaking wet basement, even the dry parts had picked up a couple percentage points in MC.  This demonstrates what I was saying about rain entering oak end grain and raising the MC.  When the damage was first discovered, the wood was actually swollen, indicating that it was way up above the fiber saturation point of about 30%MC.  I couldn't get a reading on the HF meter at all, it was pegged above the top of the range (42%MC).

So after three days, there was still a 12% difference in the MC of red oak that had its ends soaked for only a few hours.  You can expect wood that has been rained on for several days to throw a hissing fit until it gets dry again.


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