# The value of covering wood piles



## richg (Jan 16, 2013)

Gang,

I hope you are rockin as we gear up for a nasty cold spell in the northeast. Over the past few months I've been burning wood from the same batch and have distinctly different results. The wood is three year old ash and white oak; half of it was moved under my sun porch 05/2012 (no rain exposure), and the other half sat exposed to good sun and wind but uncovered. Well, the half that was uncovered burns like concrete, even when I bring it inside a week before burning and let it dehumidify and warm up. The wood that was put under my sun room burns like a Roman Candle and is heating the house like no tomorrow. Your results may vary, but the upshot of this is that I'm going to buy sheets of metal roofing to keep rain off the stacks.


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## ScotO (Jan 16, 2013)

I've always been a firm believer in top-covering your woodstacks.....
In our area, it just makes sense.  It's monsoon season from late August to late October anymore, if I didn't top-cover I'd be up chit creek with no paddle......


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## fire_man (Jan 16, 2013)

Finally - a post that gives a real- world experience showing the value of top covering. I totally agree, top covering is the way to go.

All this bunk I hear about "it's only the internal cellular moisture that matters" - and "let it dry a week" - never worked for me.

Thanks for the "concrete" proof!


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## ScotO (Jan 16, 2013)

fire_man said:


> Finally - a post that shows a real- world experience showing the value of top covering. I totally agree, top covering is the way to go.
> 
> All this bunk I hear about "it's only the internal cellular moisture that matters" - and "let it dry a week" - never worked for me.


 Some guys in certain climates can get away without covering, but not here.  I have half of my 25 cord covered, the other half is not.  The wood that is NOT covered won't burn worth chit......tried a piece of honey locust that's been C/S/S for almost three years and I can tell you that for a fact.  But the covered stuff, burns like nobody's business.....


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## fire_man (Jan 16, 2013)

amen


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## wood thing (Jan 16, 2013)

Don't forget to get it off the ground as well.  Use some old pallets or rails.  This helps as much as the cover.  Good luck & happy burning.


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## legrandice (Jan 16, 2013)

good to hear this comparison.  Growing up we never covered our wood piles. Just threw the wood into our smoke dragon stoves and burned it hot.  Now that my parents have one cat stove and a PE summit...they cover their piles.  It makes a huge difference for them.


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## RORY12553 (Jan 16, 2013)

I have to fix the roof on my wood shed so i covered the stacks under there and what a difference. Try to leave wood outside I don't like to much in the house due to bugs etc so I usually only bring in enough for 2 days tops so it is important it is dry outside!


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## midwestcoast (Jan 16, 2013)

I am having similar results this year with 2+ year old Red Elm.  Sizzle & Fizzle    The Mulberry that is mixed in with it is burning okay, not perfect.  I'm hoping things get better as I get deeper into the stack.  Need a friggin woodshed.


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## husky345 vermont resolute (Jan 16, 2013)

richg said:


> Gang,
> 
> I hope you are rockin as we gear up for a nasty cold spell in the northeast. Over the past few months I've been burning wood from the same batch and have distinctly different results. The wood is three year old ash and white oak; half of it was moved under my sun porch 05/2012 (no rain exposure), and the other half sat exposed to good sun and wind but uncovered. Well, the half that was uncovered burns like concrete, even when I bring it inside a week before burning and let it dehumidify and warm up. The wood that was put under my sun room burns like a Roman Candle and is heating the house like no tomorrow. Your results may vary, but the upshot of this is that I'm going to buy sheets of metal roofing to keep rain off the stacks.


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## husky345 vermont resolute (Jan 16, 2013)

i hear ya rich i trully believe in covering my stack as well. This year was the first year i tried and all i can say is what a difference. Just using tarps now but im gonna get me some metal roofing or something of the like. keep up the good work rich. My pile is 90% ash. Pretty hard to beat ash with its ease of splitting , endless dying trees due to eab, not to mention the amazing btus it puts out.


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## rideau (Jan 16, 2013)

Until the snow comes, I cover my stacks on rainy days, remove the covers on sunny days.  Onc snow comes, they stay covered.  Too much of a pain to deal with the covers then.  Works well.


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## fabsroman (Jan 16, 2013)

Yeah, I don't have that problem. The majority of my stacks are out in the weather year round, with 1.5 cords stacked under the deck. I burn what is stacked under the deck first and move wood to those racks as each one runs out (i.e., there are two racks under the deck by the back door). I then have a half rack that I keep inside by the furnace. I really have not had a problem with stuff lighting and burning.

Before I realized that I needed to have the damper set so the chimney would give -.03 WC draft instead of -.3 WC, everything burned like a Roman Candle. Now, with the draft set properly, I get a nice controlled burn that keeps a ton more heat in the firebox (i.e., a lot less going up the chimney) and my burn times are a lot longer. I think I finally have this wood burning furnace figured out, and even have my wife firing it up now. I was sick as a dog this morning and the house was at 70 degrees. She said she was going to put the furnace on, but would need me to throw larger logs on it later in the day. Man, she had that thing cooking. Guess that is what happens when you marry a woman that lived in Florida for 10 years.


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## Hickorynut (Jan 16, 2013)

I have had red oak start to rot under the bark after about 3 years not covered.  Other woods will too.  So I cover after about two years using 6 mil black plastic 5 ft. wide with about 1 1/2 ft stapled on one side, then up and over the top and stapled down on the other side.  Standard operating procedure.  The 6 mil black plastic seems to last several years in the hot sun without ripping and leaking too.


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## bogydave (Jan 17, 2013)

Covering the top of a wood stack "is not" over-rated !
When wood gets wet close to burn season, it may not dry out till spring 

IMO; In most climates, top covered wood is drier wood


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## fabsroman (Jan 17, 2013)

Hickorynut said:


> I have had red oak start to rot under the bark after about 3 years not covered. Other woods will too. So I cover after about two years using 6 mil black plastic 5 ft. wide with about 1 1/2 ft stapled on one side, then up and over the top and stapled down on the other side. Standard operating procedure. The 6 mil black plastic seems to last several years in the hot sun without ripping and leaking too.


 
Yeah, hoping to have a huge shed by the time any of my wood hits the 3 year point. That should take care of any long term issue. Once the wood hits 20% moisture content, into the shed it will be going.


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## Wood Duck (Jan 17, 2013)

I don't cover my stacks and I find that most of the wood burns great, but there are always a few pieces that aren't as dry as most. I think it is because water drains through the stack in a particular way that causes a few splits to get wetter than average. Most of the wet splits just dry out, but some are a little punky or maybe have a shape that holds water and causes them to end up soggy.


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## firefighterjake (Jan 17, 2013)

I don't bother with top covering and just let the snow build up on top . . . BUT . . . after Year 1 of being outside I bring the wood into the woodshed which is pretty well ventilated for another year or so before burning it in Year 3.


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## Waulie (Jan 17, 2013)

I'm definitely down with the top cover.  I don't care if the water is inside my firewood or on the outside of my firewood.  It's still water. 

If you take two identicle stacks of wood, top cover one, and leave the other uncovered.  There is no question the top covered one will absolutely be drier and last way longer than the other in the vast majority of climates.


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## ohlongarm (Jan 17, 2013)

richg said:


> Gang,
> 
> I hope you are rockin as we gear up for a nasty cold spell in the northeast. Over the past few months I've been burning wood from the same batch and have distinctly different results. The wood is three year old ash and white oak; half of it was moved under my sun porch 05/2012 (no rain exposure), and the other half sat exposed to good sun and wind but uncovered. Well, the half that was uncovered burns like concrete, even when I bring it inside a week before burning and let it dehumidify and warm up. The wood that was put under my sun room burns like a Roman Candle and is heating the house like no tomorrow. Your results may vary, but the upshot of this is that I'm going to buy sheets of metal roofing to keep rain off the stacks.


 Top covering amen,I've got wood covered top only since 2004 burns like a ***** ape.Would not ever NOT top cover my stacks.When fall comes I move into the woodshed what I need for winter works 100%.


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## Brewmonster (Jan 17, 2013)

Nice to see such consensus on this oft-debated subject! Many times I've read,"I don't cover my wood and it burns just fine." (Sorry, Wood Duck, I agree with you about just about everything, but not this.) To which I say, "did you ever compare it to wood that HAD been top-covered?" I bet not. If your wood is "punky," "soggy," growing mushrooms, shedding bark because the cambium layer is rotten, etc., etc., then it is NOT dry.

All my wood is stacked on pallets and then covered with pallets turned 90 degrees to give some overhang on the sides. Five-foot wide recycled billboard material over all (hangs about six inches over) and I've got what I call a "simulated woodshed." Air on top. sides, and bottom, no rain penetration. You cannot tell me that wood that gets rained on two or three times a week (as here) will dry anywhere near as fast. My wood never stops drying; uncovered wood cannot get any drier on the inside until all that surface water evaporates. Like anything else, water diffuses from an area of greater concentration towards an area of lower concentration; if it's wet on the outside, interior moisture will not move in that direction. Instead, the water on the outside will diffuse inward.

"Seasoning" is a BS term and I think we should eliminate it from our vocabulary. Wood that sits out in the rain may be "seasoned" but it sure ain't dry.


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## TimJ (Jan 17, 2013)

Wood that sits out in the rain sure ain't dry but it sure is 2 days later when the sun comes out.


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## Brewmonster (Jan 17, 2013)

Sorry, TimJ, I just don't believe it. Everything else in the world gets soggy when rained on and I don't think wood is a magical exception. The time that you're waiting for the sun and wind to bring your wood back to its before-the-rain condition is time when no drying is happening. Why not just cover and make steady progress rather than having every rain storm set you back?


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## TimJ (Jan 17, 2013)

Brew, you are right. If you are bringing wood to the stove direct from your stack you will be bringing in wet wood. That is why most have a staging area for wood before it hits the stove ( examples are the porch, wood shed, rack etc. that allows the wood a couple days to dry ( which it does )


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## Foragefarmer (Jan 17, 2013)

It has been raining here for 4 days straight. Just turning to snow. I hate to think what my wood would be like if I didn't have a covered stone patio and a barn to keep everything covered. I know I would cover my stacks if I had to keep them outside.

Given the fact that I burn a lot of variously aged standing dead. Punky wood also = fewer BTU's in my book.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 17, 2013)

Brewmonster said:


> Sorry, TimJ, I just don't believe it. Everything else in the world gets soggy when rained on and I don't think wood is a magical exception. The time that you're waiting for the sun and wind to bring your wood back to its before-the-rain condition is time when no drying is happening. Why not just cover and make steady progress rather than having every rain storm set you back?


 
NJ is a whole different ball game than Indiana. Think about quads up in MN (haven't heard from him lately). He burns all oak and never covers his wood.

It had been a long, long time since I've left any wood uncovered until burned. I have some now that has never been covered. Probably won't get to it for a couple years yet but might try some next year just for kicks. Normally we split and stack in the spring and then top cover before the snow flies in November or December.



Top covered with galvanized roofing.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 17, 2013)

It is a pretty well accepted fact that the eastern states do need to cover right after splitting. As you move west, we do not get nearly as much rain as the eastern states. We have a son living in PA and it is amazing to us just how much rain falls out there. Most of the time when it rains here, it rains for that day or at most, 2 days. That is usually followed by some strong NW wind that is really dry and indeed, less than 24 hours after a big rain, our wood will be dry. Wood is not a sponge unless it is punky. So it takes a lot of water to soak into stacked wood....but it can happen. So it is not costly and does not take much time to top cover the wood. However, I shudder every time I hear of someone covering wood when it rains then uncovering. Then covering again. That would get tiring very fast! Just top cover it and leave it. Let the wind do the drying.


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## eclecticcottage (Jan 17, 2013)

We might be building some racks, if we do, we'll might put a roof on them.  Not sure though.  It needs to be pretty secure, we get a lot of wind up here.  This morning it was between 20-25 mph steady and 50 mph gusts aren't all that uncommon.  Beat the snot out of my hanging plants over the summer, took down my buntings more than a few times.  Blew windows out in the screen room a few times.  In other words, whatever we use, it can't just be tarps bungied down or roofing with a few splits on top.


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## TimJ (Jan 17, 2013)

Got home today and the sun was out......... 40 degrees and kinda nice. Rain and gloom the previous days. All my uncovered wood was practically bone dry.


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## Brewmonster (Jan 17, 2013)

_We might be building some racks, if we do, we'll might put a roof on them. Not sure though. It needs to be pretty secure, we get a lot of wind up here. This morning it was between 20-25 mph steady and 50 mph gusts aren't all that uncommon. Beat the snot out of my hanging plants over the summer, took down my buntings more than a few times. Blew windows out in the screen room a few times. In other words, whatever we use, it can't just be tarps bungied down or roofing with a few splits on top. _

I hear you. That's why I use the occasional nylon cord stretched over my stacks with the ends tied to the pallets on the bottom. Really helps to solidify everything and prevent stacks from flopping over. Hurricane Sandy huffed and puffed but did not blow my stacks down!


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## cptoneleg (Jan 17, 2013)

Every yr we discuss same thing,  you can cover all you want not me not going to cover 20 + cords of wood css all over my place, sometime before Sept I put about 5 to 6  cords of dry wood in shed ( I burn about 4 a season)  Don't give a hoot how many times it rains or snows on the outside stuff. So my wood mostly Oak sits outside in single rows 3 yrs. and some of it 1 yr in shed.

Now before I had a woodshed I would cover what I was going to burn, what a pain.

Been reading this thread a couple of days wasn't going to say squat, same old thing some cover some don't .


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## basod (Jan 17, 2013)

Wish I had taken the camera up to the oak stack yesterday.
Covered 16' of stuff I thought I might use  this year and the other 16' is saturated
3yr seasoned&saturated oak doesn't burn


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## oldspark (Jan 17, 2013)

Yawn, amazing how these new wood burners know every thing and some of us who have burned for over 30 years dont.


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## firefighterjake (Jan 17, 2013)

I am the master of my own domain . . . we are still talking about covering or not covering wood . . . right?


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## Gasifier (Jan 17, 2013)

I sometimes cover the tops of my stacks with clear plastic. But one way or the other the wood goes in under the porch only after a period of time has gone by with no rain for at least a week. If it rains, I wait until at least that long has gone by before bringing it in under cover in the fall.


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## Waulie (Jan 17, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Yawn, amazing how these new wood burners know every thing and some of us who have burned for over 30 years dont.


 
I can't imagine who you are refering too, nor do I care.  What's amazing is that you think because someone doesn't have 5000 posts on this website, they are new wood burners that don't know anything about burning wood.


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## oldspark (Jan 17, 2013)

I cant believe that you think that I think just because someone does not have 5000 posts they are new wood burners, I go by the nature of the questions.


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## Waulie (Jan 17, 2013)

Well, there were only two questions is this entire thread.  As to Jakes question... I think so.

The rest were fellow wood burners' observations.  Stick around tough, by post 10,000 you might've learned something.


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## NH_Wood (Jan 17, 2013)

I think one of the big pros of top covering comes when you have a lot of wood on hand. I'm at about 25 cord or so, and I'm not a fan of leaving that much wood in the rain for so long - especially since I stack in 'cubes' on pallets. The centers get wet and stay wet long enough to start to punk. I top cover with squares of rubber roofing - and the wood is as good as it gets. Sometimes though, I'll have a few spots where rain will run down the stacks - in a few spots, there will be rot and punk under the bark (especially on oak). It's so easy to toss a square of the roofing on the pallet and then a few heavy splits to hold in down - and the benefits seem great. Cheers!


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## oldspark (Jan 17, 2013)

Waulie said:


> Well, there were only two questions is this entire thread. As to Jakes question... I think so.
> 
> The rest were fellow wood burners' observations. Stick around tough, by post 10,000 you might've learned something.


 Read the thread once more and no need to get smart about it, the thread sounds like some people are trying to burn wood that is setting out side and has been rained or snowed on. Do you want me to pick out those statements or can you figure it out your self?


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## oldspark (Jan 17, 2013)

I have burnt wood for over 30 years and have no back up just wood and live in NW iowa, what is your story dude?


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## fabsroman (Jan 17, 2013)

Brewmonster said:


> Sorry, TimJ, I just don't believe it. Everything else in the world gets soggy when rained on and I don't think wood is a magical exception. The time that you're waiting for the sun and wind to bring your wood back to its before-the-rain condition is time when no drying is happening. Why not just cover and make steady progress rather than having every rain storm set you back?


 
Maybe that explains my weight gain. Been out in the rain too much lately. It must have soaked in and not had time to evaporate.

I really find it hard to believe that wood can actually soak up moisture so quick that the wind and rain cannot dry it out. Wonder why trees even need roots in that case. Ah, maybe for nutrients from the soil.

There has been all of one case where I threw a wet log into the fire right after it stopped raining, and there I could hear the hissing. Not with any of he other wood that had a day or two to dry out. Went out this morning to bring wood into the house to burn over the next week, and even though it had just stopped raining the night before I could already see that some of the wood in the stacks was dry. Am I to believe that the wood was dry on the exterior because the water was absorbed by the wood, or that gravity pulled the water down and off the wood. For the most part, water follows the path of least resistance, and I just find it hard to believe the burrowing into a log to any significant depth whatsoever is the path of least resistance, unless the wood actually acts like a sponge.

Does wood actually act like a sponge?

Maybe somebody should be a scientific test. Put a covered piece of wood out and an uncovered one. Let both season for a year. Then, 5days after a rain split both of them and see what the moisture content is. For a better control, maybe use 10 pieces of wood from the same tree.


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## Waulie (Jan 17, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Read the thread once more and no need to get smart about it, the thread sounds like some people are trying to burn wood that is setting out side and has been rained or snowed on. Do you want me to pick out those statements or can you figure it out your self?


 
I guess that's why there was a discussion about it. Different people do different things. There is not likely to be a whole lot of earth shattering news here. After all, we're talking about burning wood. I know this topic has been discussed before, but if all you have to say is



> Yawn, amazing how these new wood burners know every thing and some of us who have burned for over 30 years dont.


 
why say anything at all? Kind of an odd way to "join" a discussion.

Edit:  I suppose it's entirely possible I just took your statement the wrong way.  I have had a rough day.  If so, my bad.  Really.


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## oldspark (Jan 17, 2013)

No problem, my fault, to me it sounded like some of the people in the thread were saying us old timers who did not cover our wood did not know what we were doing. Maybe its time for a beer, sorry it was an odd way to join a discussion. I'll keep working on those 10,000 posts.


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## billb3 (Jan 17, 2013)

I have a small stack of red  oak that the cover blew off a long time ago and I never got back to it. It looks fine but it has absolutely NO round wood in it. If I leave round wood out in the rain it rots and grows huge fungi, especially cherry. If I don't keep a cover on birch there's no sense even saving it. Just a roof, nothing on the sides.


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## Waulie (Jan 17, 2013)

oldspark said:


> No problem, my fault, to me it sounded like some of the people in the thread were saying us old timers who did not cover our wood did not know what we were doing. Maybe its time for a beer, sorry it was an odd way to join a discussion. I'll keep working on those 10,000 posts.


 
You've got me beat on the way to 10,000, but I might just be ahead of you on the beer!


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## fabsroman (Jan 18, 2013)

Alright, after it having rained for 5 days and having stopped about 16 hours before I had to start a burn, I went outside and made kindling out of a log and then brought the kindling and some logs inside to sit for about 3 hours. It was tough sledding getting the fire started with that kindling, but it was not impossible. Once I got it lit, it was cooking pretty good. The large logs that I threw in took a little longer to ignite right away. Now, 7 hours after bringing the stuff inside, and 4 hours of the furnace running with a nice bed of hot coals from the first load, the rain exposed logs light right up.

I am really going to have to think about doing a scientific experiment with this to see if it makes a difference.


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## Brewmonster (Jan 18, 2013)

_Maybe somebody should be a scientific test. Put a covered piece of wood out and an uncovered one. Let both season for a year. Then, 5days after a rain split both of them and see what the moisture content is. For a better control, maybe use 10 pieces of wood from the same tree. _

That sounds like a great idea, though, if I read his post correctly, basod may be describing something very similar, above.

My point was not so much about wood soaking up rain water and getting saturated all the way through. I don't know how much that happens. My concern is that the drying process depends on water vapor moving from an area of greater to lesser concentration. If your fresh cut wood is at 35% MC, say, there's no way that internal water vapor is going to be moving outwards towards that soaking wet outermost millimeter. You'll have to wait a couple of days for the surface to dry and then you've lost precious drying time. In my climate that could effectively double the time it takes to get to my desired MC.

Sorry if I've offended any "old-timers." I've heated with four stoves in three houses over nine winters. My current stove is EPA-certified and the first thing I learned about it is that it doesn't heat for squat unless I feed it _dry_ wood. I put a lot of work into gathering, splitting, and stacking quality firewood and I'm not going to skip what I consider to be the final, equally important step. I've got 12 cords under cover now and, yes, that takes some doing, but no way am I going back to what I experienced that first winter with the EPA stove, standing in front of it and yelling, "Where's the damned heat?"


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2013)

This has been discussed at length many times and people have done it both ways for years, now we reinvent the wheel.
If you stack in cubes or multiple rows I can see where you should cover the top because wood does as well and the wood will stay wet longer, single rows dry out much sooner so no need for top cover unless you need to burn it right away.
Used to have a wood burner in the basement in my old house and I would bring in sopping wet wood (snow, rain) and in three days it was dry as a bone and lit right up.


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## Constrictor (Jan 18, 2013)

I think the only value in top covering is if you need that particular wood in the next 7 days.


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## fire_man (Jan 18, 2013)

TimJ said:


> Wood that sits out in the rain sure ain't dry but it sure is 2 days later when the sun comes out.


 

Wrong. loose bark traps moisture.


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## fire_man (Jan 18, 2013)

Constrictor said:


> I think the only value in top covering is if you need that particular wood in the next 7 days.


Wrong again - been there, done that, still does't burn right after 7 days.
It must be a climate thing.


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## Constrictor (Jan 18, 2013)

fire_man said:


> Wrong again - been there, done that, still does't burn right after 7 days.
> It must be a climate thing.


 I am not "wrong" that is my opinion based on years of doing just so.


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## fire_man (Jan 18, 2013)

Constrictor said:


> I am not "wrong" that is my opinion based on years of doing just so.


 Wrong again.

I said it's a climate thing - so you are right for your climate, I am right for mine.


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## Stegman (Jan 18, 2013)

I think I've done a 180 on this. I used to think that it was unnecessary while in seasoning mode, when it's stacked out in the yard to dry long before you're planning to burn it. But my feeling now is simply that covering it can't hurt.

I have a bunch of old rubber roofing strips I bought from a guy last year, and they're better at staying in place than tarps. So there's not a lot of extra work involved in covering.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2013)

Cant believe the "climate" in Ma in that much different, I can remember years were we had all sorts of rain and flooding and my wood was fine, the only time I have ever had mushrooms was on some punky wood that held moisture. Sure loose bark traps moisture but it dries out fairly quickly, it is quite windy here most of the time but not so much in the summer but maybe more so than where some of you are at.


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## fire_man (Jan 18, 2013)

I have had absolutely horrible results with 2 year old uncovered wood (mostly Beech). I almost gave up on burning wood for heat.

After top covering, it was like a switch got thrown, no more sizzling, cat lights right off, no more coaling problem, and much more heat.  Oh yea, and now I clean the flue less often.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2013)

Do you stack in single rows?


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## fire_man (Jan 18, 2013)

I don't stack in single rows. It's hard enough for me to keep my wife happy with 20+ cord on the lot. Single rows would result in Alimony Payments, which I hear are more expensive than heating oil.

But I do try to keep the rows at least 10 inches apart.


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## Waulie (Jan 18, 2013)

I'm sure wood seasons just fine without top cover (to a point and I sure wouldn't try it in say Seattle).  But, considering only the top row, maybe two,would benefit from the extra sun that leaving the top cover off affords, I don't think I can be convinced that not top covering has any benefit.  Yes, surface moisture will dry off but surface moisture won't need to dry off if it never gets there in the first place.  It is just completely logical to me that if you take two identicle stacks of wood, top cover one and not the other, the covered one will be drier and last much longer.  Will the uncovered one be burnable in a year or two?  In most places, I'm sure it would.  Would the top covered one be drier?  In most places, I'm sure it would.  The really isn't a right or wrong here, though.  Either way will "work".


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 18, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Cant believe the "climate" in Ma in that much different, I can remember years were we had all sorts of rain and flooding and my wood was fine, the only time I have ever had mushrooms was on some punky wood that held moisture. Sure loose bark traps moisture but it dries out fairly quickly, it is quite windy here most of the time but not so much in the summer but maybe more so than where some of you are at.


 
It indeed is much different out east. It is amazing how wet it can be out there. Here in MI we get more than most of Iowa but get further east and Wow! Even Indiana and Ohio get much more than we do. Get into Pa and east and it is a whole different story. We've been to our son's place in Pa several times and I am always amazed at the difference.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2013)

BWS, like I said we have had very wet years here and could not tell any difference from the dry ones and we have went from one extreme to the other several times in the last 35 years that I have burnt wood.


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## oldspark (Jan 18, 2013)

I do cover my wood that I plan on using in the near future but the rest of the year its topless.


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## rideau (Jan 18, 2013)

Backwoods Savage said:


> It is a pretty well accepted fact that the eastern states do need to cover right after splitting. As you move west, we do not get nearly as much rain as the eastern states. We have a son living in PA and it is amazing to us just how much rain falls out there. Most of the time when it rains here, it rains for that day or at most, 2 days. That is usually followed by some strong NW wind that is really dry and indeed, less than 24 hours after a big rain, our wood will be dry. Wood is not a sponge unless it is punky. So it takes a lot of water to soak into stacked wood....but it can happen. So it is not costly and does not take much time to top cover the wood. However, I shudder every time I hear of someone covering wood when it rains then uncovering. Then covering again. That would get tiring very fast! Just top cover it and leave it. Let the wind do the drying.


 I cover an uncover to keep the varmints out.  Makes the stacks less hospitable to them. My set up, takes me a few minutes max, morning and evening.  Do it before the dog's first walk, and after his last walk....


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## ArsenalDon (Jan 18, 2013)

No doubt. I have stacks that were top covered and the snows came fairly deep.....the sides have snow on the ends...but since the tops are dry the wood burns great. I had a last minute brain storm when I built my garage this summer. I had them add a 4 foot overhang so I can easily fit multiple 9 x 4 pallets under the overhang...so now I just reach out of the garage and grab some splits. I cannot get all of my wood under there but it is good for 5-6 cords.


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## blacktail (Jan 19, 2013)

It rains here October to May. No way I'd leave my wood out without covering it.


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## Paulywalnut (Jan 19, 2013)

blacktail said:


> It rains here October to May. No way I'd leave my wood out without covering it.


You get a pass because you live in Washington state.


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## Jon1270 (Jan 19, 2013)

I intend to improve my wood storage arrangement when the weather warms up. My hope is to just add strips of some sort of roofing over each row.  What I'm wondering is, is an overhang a significant benefit?  I'd rather avoid having one, since any overhang will make it harder to walk between the rows.


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## fire_man (Jan 19, 2013)

There are those who claim they have been burning freshly cut wood for 30+ years and see no problem, so I suppose it makes sense there are also those who claim not covering wood is perfectly acceptable.

All I can say is that for my particulars of climate, woodstove and draft, it is extremely necessary for me to season my wood while top covered for 2+ years before burning it, unless it's oak and then it's 3 years. Otherwise, like I said earlier, I would be burning expensive heating oil out of frustration.


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## aansorge (Jan 19, 2013)

Old spark and I live in the same area and I'm with him: no cover necessary here. We get plenty of wind year round and less than 30 inches of rain a year.  

I did cover one stack once with tin and a bunch of bricks.  Then about two months later a big wind storm took it off and half the stack fell over.  I don't cover anymore.

I do have an old grain bin that I opened the top on and leave the door open and load up with wood that has less than 25 % moisture when cut (dead standing).  It does dry in there too, just not as fast.  It is nice though to not have to dig through ice and snow though so I will concede that a covered wood shed with open sides is best, I just don't want to pay for it.


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## fire_man (Jan 19, 2013)

Dennis makes a good point. (He has been known to do that on occasion)    

Out East we get days, sometimes a full week of rain, and then to make matters worse it can stay sticky, humid and windless (and cloudy) for days. My situation is even worse again since we have hills blocking the wind and lots of tall trees blocking the sun.

So bottom line: Do whatever works for you.


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## Bacffin (Jan 19, 2013)

I top cover because I am a rookie burner and don't know what is best yet. 
Interesting thread.  I'll have to try an uncovered stack whenever I fully get ahead!

Bruce


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## oldspark (Jan 19, 2013)

"There are those who claim they have been burning freshly cut wood for 30+ years and see no problem, so I suppose it makes sense there are also those who claim not covering wood is perfectly acceptable."
I hope you are not comparing us to them, I dont take wet wood into the house (sounds like some here have) and I have never talked to anybody that has burnt freshly cut wood for 30 years, more than likely they have had a few chimney fire and think that part of the wood burning expeirence.


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## Butcher (Jan 19, 2013)

When you live in the middle of 1000's of acres of cornfields it's pretty tough to keep a cover on yer woodpiles. The plus is that what with some 40 mph winds it dries out faster. Folks been burnin wood since the begining of time to keep warm with and cook over. It really aint no big mystery I'm thinkin.


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## TimJ (Jan 19, 2013)

fire_man said:


> Dennis makes a good point. (He has been known to do that on occasion)
> 
> Out East we get days, sometimes a full week of rain, and then to make matters worse it can stay sticky, humid and windless (and cloudy) for days. My situation is even worse again since we have hills blocking the wind and lots of tall trees blocking the sun.
> 
> So bottom line: Do whatever works for you.


 fire_ man you you are getting wiser by the day


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## fire_man (Jan 19, 2013)

Oldspark:  There have been posts claiming some "old timers" burned freshly cut wood, practically with the leaves still on the branches. Sounds like you are certainly not one of them, which is a good thing. Burning fresh cut wood efficiently defies physics.

It seems like one person's successful practices are another person's mistakes.


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## mtarbert (Jan 20, 2013)

I find that if I do not cover the tops leaves will accumulate and really hold the moisture in.  Cover, cover !


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## fabsroman (Jan 20, 2013)

mtarbert said:


> I find that if I do not cover the tops leaves will accumulate and really hold the moisture in. Cover, cover !


 
I only have 2 trees on my property that drop leaves, not counting the 2 weeping willows, and none of these trees are anywhere close to my wood stacks. The 3 pine trees are on the back property line. So, all good with the living tree issue. They don't even shade the wood stacks.


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## Richprint29 (Jan 20, 2013)

I leave mine css but uncovered from May all through the summer. Then in September I cover the top with tarps. This works fine for me. The week it is burned it sits in my garage. ( attached to the house) So I don't have to go outside to fetch wood when I need it.


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## westkywood (Jan 26, 2013)

Stegman said:


> I think I've done a 180 on this. I used to think that it was unnecessary while in seasoning mode, when it's stacked out in the yard to dry long before you're planning to burn it. But my feeling now is simply that covering it can't hurt.
> 
> I have a bunch of old rubber roofing strips I bought from a guy last year, and they're better at staying in place than tarps. So there's not a lot of extra work involved in covering.


 
Rubber roofing rules. I got truck loads of it free. it was being torn off a hotel. They were going to throw it away anyway.


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## westkywood (Jan 26, 2013)

To comment on the 30 yrs plus of burning. I'm not singling anyone out, just making a general comment. Some people that have done "anything" for 30 years are set in their ways. With new EPA stoves, burning wood is different than 30 years ago. My brother is set in his ways. He has an old wood stove. He cuts Red Oak and Hickory, throws it in a pile ( no stacking ) in his wood shed ( so it is covered ), then he burns it the next year. Thats 1 year seasoned and not even stacking it. I tell him it takes 3 years to season even if it's stacked, but he wont listen. He says, " it heats my house just fine." But he has clean out his flew every 2 weeks.
 My point here is, things are different in wood burning that it was 30 years ago. I work hard ( as anyone does ) processing my wood so I want to get the maximum out of it. I'm sure the method not covering the wood works. But it certainly isnt a negative to cover it and I believe its an advantage. Especially if you've got years ahead on your wood stacks..


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## oldspark (Jan 26, 2013)

westkywood said:


> To comment on the 30 yrs plus of burning. I'm not singling anyone out, just making a general comment. Some people that have done "anything" for 30 years are set in their ways. With new EPA stoves, burning wood is different than 30 years ago. My brother is set in his ways. He has an old wood stove. He cuts Red Oak and Hickory, throws it in a pile ( no stacking ) in his wood shed ( so it is covered ), then he burns it the next year. Thats 1 year seasoned and not even stacking it. I tell him it takes 3 years to season even if it's stacked, but he wont listen. He says, " it heats my house just fine." But he has clean out his flew every 2 weeks.
> My point here is, things are different in wood burning that it was 30 years ago. I work hard ( as anyone does ) processing my wood so I want to get the maximum out of it. I'm sure the method not covering the wood works. But it certainly isnt a negative to cover it and I believe its an advantage. Especially if you've got years ahead on your wood stacks..


 This is the forth year with my summit so I know how the epa stoves work, I have never had a piece of wood sizzle since about 33 years ago when I learned water dont burn, the old stoves did not burn wet wood either (better than the epa stove but not that good, any one who tells you different is full of crap).
So ya I am set in my ways because I like to burn dry wood, the wood I used in my old stove worked great in my summit.
It is windy here in Iowa so that may have something to do with it.
Did you read where I cover the wood that I will use for this winter is covered, I dont cover the wood while it is seasoning.
 I have a MM to play with and all my wood is dry and depending on type is 2 to 3 years old (some more) before it is burnt unless it reads 17% or so and then I dont care how long it has seasoned.
 So I will say it again and change it some, I HAVE BURNT DRY WOOD FOR OVER 30 YEARS!


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## oldspark (Jan 26, 2013)

Oh I forgot to mention there are some wood burning sites with people who are highly respected, (one guy from canada) who say on their site they never saw the need to cover their wood either, I will find the link for you, if you guys need to cover your wood fine but I dont need to, wind blows here all the time for the most part.


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## oldspark (Jan 26, 2013)

mtarbert said:


> I find that if I do not cover the tops leaves will accumulate and really hold the moisture in. Cover, cover !


 Yea I can understand that but with that Iowa wind the leaves dont stay on the wood for long.


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## oldspark (Jan 26, 2013)

fire_man said:


> Oldspark: There have been posts claiming some "old timers" burned freshly cut wood, practically with the leaves still on the branches. Sounds like you are certainly not one of them, which is a good thing. Burning fresh cut wood efficiently defies physics.
> 
> It seems like one person's successful practices are another person's mistakes.


 Thank You


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## oldspark (Jan 26, 2013)

From woodheat.org
"Some people like to cover the drying wood pile. I do not. I’m basically a lazy guy and putting old steel roofing, plastic sheets or tarps over the pile means that I would have to chase them when the wind blew them off.
The theory behind covering the wood is that it will dry faster because rain will not soak the pieces as they dry. My experience is that the wood is dry enough by the time I want to bring it to my wood shed. Of course I may have to delay my wood shed filling if my dry wood gets rained on. I may have to wait for a few days of sun after a rain to continue stocking my shed, but it’s a great excuse to put off a chore!
If it makes you feel better to cover your wood, do it. If not, just make sure you pile it in the shed after a few days of sun.
The most important rules for preparing good firewood are:
Cut, split and stack the wood in the early spring and let it stand in the sun and wind until it is seasoned. For many people seasoning will take about six months. for others, it will be a full year, depending on climate and wood species."
CW


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 26, 2013)

aansorge said:


> Old spark and I live in the same area and I'm with him: no cover necessary here. *We get plenty of wind year round and less than 30 inches of rain a year.*
> 
> I did cover one stack once with tin and a bunch of bricks. Then about two months later a big wind storm took it off and half the stack fell over. I don't cover anymore.
> 
> I do have an old grain bin that I opened the top on and leave the door open and load up with wood that has less than 25 % moisture when cut (dead standing). It does dry in there too, just not as fast. It is nice though to not have to dig through ice and snow though so I will concede that a covered wood shed with open sides is best, I just don't want to pay for it.


 
Right there in bold is the key. Less than 30" of rain and lots of wind. Makes a huge difference.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 26, 2013)

westkywood said:


> To comment on the 30 yrs plus of burning. I'm not singling anyone out, just making a general comment. Some people that have done "anything" for 30 years are set in their ways. With new EPA stoves, burning wood is different than 30 years ago. My brother is set in his ways. He has an old wood stove. He cuts Red Oak and Hickory, throws it in a pile ( no stacking ) in his wood shed ( so it is covered ), then he burns it the next year. Thats 1 year seasoned and not even stacking it. I tell him it takes 3 years to season even if it's stacked, but he wont listen. He says, " it heats my house just fine." But he has clean out his flew every 2 weeks.
> My point here is, things are different in wood burning that it was 30 years ago. I work hard ( as anyone does ) processing my wood so I want to get the maximum out of it. I'm sure the method not covering the wood works. But it certainly isnt a negative to cover it and I believe its an advantage. Especially if you've got years ahead on your wood stacks..


 

Humm. I've been burning over 50 years and have not made any drastic changes. Dry wood was the key 50 years ago but few learned that.


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## westkywood (Jan 27, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Oh I forgot to mention there are some wood burning sites with people who are highly respected, (one guy from canada) who say on their site they never saw the need to cover their wood either, I will find the link for you, if you guys need to cover your wood fine but I dont need to, wind blows here all the time for the most part.


 
Absolutely agree on different areas of the country ( or world ) making a difference.


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## Thistle (Jan 27, 2013)

The only time I cover my dry wood in the burning season is prior to rain,heavy wet snow or ice on the way.Otherwise they stay uncovered,especially any green wood,since it wont be burned for 12-18 months minimum anyway.

Freezing rain after midnight here,about 1/10" so far,it stopped but roads are very dangerous & most church services/other events were cancelled for today.Warming to upper 30's later today,more light rain expected later,so this will be melting & roads back to normal.

Glad I covered the truck & dry wood with tarps late yesterday afternoon.


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## ScotO (Jan 27, 2013)

westkywood said:


> Rubber roofing rules. I got truck loads of it free. it was being torn off a hotel. They were going to throw it away anyway.


 That rubber roofing saved my ass this year, big time!  We had literally MONSOON AFTER MONSOON this past fall, the wood that is covered with the rubber roofing is bone-friggin-dry.   I will be using that stuff, even after I get the shed built, to cover the wood that's 2 years seasoned.......I'm three years ahead to date.


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## oldspark (Jan 27, 2013)

Thistle said:


> The only time I cover my dry wood in the burning season is prior to rain,heavy wet snow or ice on the way.Otherwise they stay uncovered,especially any green wood,since it wont be burned for 12-18 months minimum anyway.
> 
> Freezing rain after midnight here,about 1/10" so far,it stopped but roads are very dangerous & most church services/other events were cancelled for today.Warming to upper 30's later today,more light rain expected later,so this will be melting & roads back to normal.
> 
> Glad I covered the truck & dry wood with tarps late yesterday afternoon.


 Yep brought wood in yesterday, slicker than deer guts on door knobs here.


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## Butcher (Jan 27, 2013)

Thistle said:


> The only time I cover my dry wood in the burning season is prior to rain,heavy wet snow or ice on the way.Otherwise they stay uncovered,especially any green wood,since it wont be burned for 12-18 months minimum anyway.
> 
> Freezing rain after midnight here,about 1/10" so far,it stopped but roads are very dangerous & most church services/other events were cancelled for today.Warming to upper 30's later today,more light rain expected later,so this will be melting & roads back to normal.
> 
> Glad I covered the truck & dry wood with tarps late yesterday afternoon.


 We're gettin that ice up here right now. I could play hockey on the gravel road we live on iffn I wanted to. As far as covering wood goes, the only reason I cover up what I need to burn is so I dont have to dig it out of the snow. But like I said before, with the winds we get out here it's damned tough to keep anything on a wood pile.


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## BEConklin (Jan 27, 2013)

Here in coastal CT our average rainfall is around 50" per year and our average humidity rate is 76%. I don't know what it's like in Iowa but the only "drying" winds we get are in Autumn and Winter - otherwise our winds generally come directly off the Atlantic and since we're the first land they meet, they're loaded with moisture. In the hottest part of summer our humidity is often 90%. I  have a small stack of red oak out in my backyard, stacked single, off the ground in a open spot with sunlight from 10 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon in summer. We live on top of a hill..highest house in the neighborhood and it's always breezy up here....the oak is uncovered and it's got mushrooms growing all over it.  Uncovered - it just doesn't seem to dry well at all.

It's friggin, DAMP out here.


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## ScotO (Jan 27, 2013)

I think the key here when we talk about covering up is that you gotta do what's best for your location.  Now, bear , you may as well just leave it uncovered and hose it with water every other day.

Like BEConklin, it rains an awful lot here, too.  Very humid most of the summertime as well, except for the occasional dry spell.  I'm nestled in a valley between two mountains and while we DO get wind, it isn't constant.  I've tried uncovered and covered, and covered wins hands-down for me. 

As for what to cover with, I've used tarps and dealt with the frustration of it.....from wind blowing them off, to them getting UV damage and shredding to bits (ended up ALL OVER THE NEIGHBORHOOD), finally got a great deal on used rubber roofing from a local demolition business and wow what a great thing to cover the stacks with.....

I keep it on the stacks by using drywall screws with small washers on them, fold the roofing down over the top split and screw it to the splits on the top row around every 4' or so.  Thanks to Hurricane Sandy in October, I had to install around 2000lbs of sandstone boulders on top of that roofing, but it worked.  For the average breeze and even most big gusts, just the screws worked fine.  But non-stop consistent hurricane forced winds, you need a backup plan (like the rocks).  Backwoods Savage uses tin roofing and that would be awesome too.  Again, you could use an occasional drywall screw and rocks to keep it on the stacks.

I do NOT topcover the stacks until late summer (usually around September), letting the summer sun and wind do their thing.  And I usually only topcover what I plan on using in a given winter season, but I had enough of that roofing to do next years' wood as well, so I went ahead and covered it too.  It's looking very dry, no mushrooms or punk at all in there. 

If you live in the drier, windier climates, consider yourself lucky.  I wish it was drier here in the fall (not TOO dry), but it usually isn't the case, in fact that's been quite the contrary the past several years.......


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## DanCorcoran (Jan 27, 2013)

Just a thought:  maybe the answer depends on the type of wood, size of the splits, average temps, average humidity, frequency and speed of wind, orientation of the stacks, amount of rainfall, length of time before burning.  In other words, "Why just one answer?".  It's possible covering makes a lot of sense for some and no sense for others...


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## OldLumberKid (Jan 27, 2013)

I'm in humid and wet southeast New York near the ocean, too, and anything that keeps the rain off here is good news.

As I read this, I am trying to figure out a better, cheap and effective way to keep my tarps from getting blown off, without putting steel stakes in the ground for the wide and kids and dog to trip over. Usually I just put a few pieces of off-cut wood on top of the tarps, but get a good wind and it blows up and the rain, sleet or snow gets in.

The tarps have eyelets, so I could tie some weights, but nothing is coming to mind. Fishing weights I lost to seaweed at the bottom of the ocean years ago 

Any ideas appreciated


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## DanCorcoran (Jan 27, 2013)

If you don't mind driving to West Virginia, you can have all the free rocks you need...


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## oldspark (Jan 27, 2013)

Some body on here suggested bunji straps between milk jugs filled with water on each side of the row of wood, it worked well for me, once in a while I had to readjust the jugs and straps due to the high wind here.


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## ScotO (Jan 27, 2013)

DanCorcoran said:


> Just a thought: maybe the answer depends on the type of wood, size of the splits, average temps, average humidity, frequency and speed of wind, orientation of the stacks, amount of rainfall, length of time before burning. In other words, "Why just one answer?". It's possible covering makes a lot of sense for some and no sense for others...


 Agreed.....that is my whole point.  I guess in one sentence the best advice I could give is "don't knock it 'til you tried it".  I've gone the 'uncovered' route for several years, then started top covering.  For my climate, it made a night and day difference......


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## OldLumberKid (Jan 27, 2013)

DanCorcoran said:


> If you don't mind driving to West Virginia, you can have all the free rocks you need...


 
I am by no means averse to seeing the natural beauties of W.Va., esp., if "sonny the split beast" ends up going to college in the general Virginia area.

I applaud your ingenuity with the rockin' roof.

I am presently was looking for a ball of twine I misplaced in the last cleanup, to tie to a couple of empty water bottles re-filled with water — before Mayor Bloomberg bans them — to loop to the tarp eyelets.

Until I saw this —> 


oldspark said:


> Some body on here suggested bunji straps between milk jugs filled with water on each side of the row of wood, it worked well for me, once in a while I had to readjust the jugs and straps due to the high wind here.


 
which is even better. The handles on the gallon jugs and the extra weight should be a vast improvement.


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## Wooddust (Jan 27, 2013)

Species and climate are so different for the diverse population on this site this issue is not resolvable.  I css mostly osage orange, red oak and white oak with a scattering of ash and hickory. We have suffered through two years of record drought. With drought came record heat. And we have a good bit of wind.  Tonight Im burning 4 year old oak and hedge.  Day before yesterday i burned a load of oak i stacked uncovered a year ago.  There is no difference.  Would that be the same in the eastern states....dunno. Or if it was pine, hemlock, or other species I dont have..dunno

I do know we have 35 mph gusts tonight and my uncovered wood will have to get by

On another subject.  Chevy kicks dodge ass all day long. And real men run Stihl. Winchester never did make a good rifle. And if you dont like bourbon you are a communist.


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## glennm (Jan 28, 2013)

But a good ford truck kicks Chevy and dodge at the same time!

I cover - best choice here.


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## gerry100 (Jan 28, 2013)

Really depends on the stack.

In an ideal stack, the rain all runs off and the top pieces keep the snow off thew bottom pieces.

Real world, rain leaks thru the stack and pools in spots and( at least in my area)  you get snow that melts and refreezes lower in the stack, meaning that some pieces are that are in an intermittent soak.

The best top cover allows max air from the sides while not leaking from the top or trapping moisture on the top pieces. A top cover with leaks is probably worse than leaving it uncovered.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jan 28, 2013)

OldLumberKid said:


> I'm in humid and wet southeast New York near the ocean, too, and anything that keeps the rain off here is good news.
> 
> As I read this, I am trying to figure out a better, cheap and effective way to keep my tarps from getting blown off, without putting steel stakes in the ground for the wide and kids and dog to trip over. Usually I just put a few pieces of off-cut wood on top of the tarps, but get a good wind and it blows up and the rain, sleet or snow gets in.
> 
> ...


 
How about trying something heavier than tarps? Then perhaps if need be, use some earth anchors to tie down your covering.


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## mhvond (Jan 28, 2013)

Think about it, we go through all the work (fun) to c/s/s, why wouldn't you cover at least what you plan to burn within a year?


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## Brewmonster (Jan 29, 2013)

OldLumberKid said:


> I'm in humid and wet southeast New York near the ocean, too, and anything that keeps the rain off here is good news. As I read this, I am trying to figure out a better, cheap and effective way to keep my tarps from getting blown off, without putting steel stakes in the ground for the wide and kids and dog to trip over. Usually I just put a few pieces of off-cut wood on top of the tarps, but get a good wind and it blows up and the rain, sleet or snow gets in. The tarps have eyelets, so I could tie some weights, but nothing is coming to mind. Fishing weights I lost to seaweed at the bottom of the ocean years ago  Any ideas appreciated


 
Do you stack on pallets? If so, try draping cords across the stack every so many feet and tying the ends to the pallets. Works for me.


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## maple1 (Jan 29, 2013)

OldLumberKid said:


> I'm in humid and wet southeast New York near the ocean, too, and anything that keeps the rain off here is good news.
> 
> As I read this, I am trying to figure out a better, cheap and effective way to keep my tarps from getting blown off, without putting steel stakes in the ground for the wide and kids and dog to trip over. Usually I just put a few pieces of off-cut wood on top of the tarps, but get a good wind and it blows up and the rain, sleet or snow gets in.
> 
> ...


 
We keep the cover on our above ground pool in place with 2l pop bottles filled with water, hanging from the cover grommets with a loop of twine. I can't explain how they're strung, I'd have to show you - but they come off & on with no tieing involved, just kind of make a loop & put it around the neck & the weight cinches the twine up kind of like a noose. The pool cover goes nowhere even in some pretty heavy winds.


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## OldLumberKid (Jan 29, 2013)

Brewmonster said:


> Do you stack on pallets? If so, try draping cords across the stack every so many feet and tying the ends to the pallets. Works for me.


 

I've got the ghetto stack going on for now, on an old wooden bench and some pressure treated.




maple1 said:


> We keep the cover on our above ground pool in place with 2l pop bottles filled with water, hanging from the cover grommets with a loop of twine. ... just kind of make a loop & put it around the neck & the weight cinches the twine up kind of like a noose.


 
Yes, that was the heath-robinson direction I was headed in, but I did like the milk jug idea too.

Time to buy some ginger ale I think. Better half threw out the tops from the milk jugs, couldn't even find em in the garbage, lol. But I'll catch up soon enough. For now the uglies are gittin' er done. TIll I find that ball of twine, now were did I put it?


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## HDRock (Jan 30, 2013)

Wood does !!  absorb  and release moisture, and expands and contracts, with that MC, that's why you seal your deck boards from moisture, cuz expansion and contraction causes it to crack, anyway, if U don't have a woodshed ,I say keep it top covered the whole time, cuz if it's rained and snowed on it will acclimate and not be as dry.


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## jharkin (Jan 30, 2013)

A lot to read through here. I will add another vote for "it depends on your location"

I had a similar experience to fire-man. The first couple seasons with the EPA stove I had to buy wood, it was wet and I put it into single rows all top covered. Each year the results got better.

Last year, now that I'm 2+ ahead I decided to do an experiment and leave everything open for the summer and only top cover for winter. I have just under 2 cord of locust and ash that I cut and split stacked double rows in fall-11 destined for 13/14 burning. Well, after one summer of no cover seasoning, that stuff is still around 30%  So I'm going back to year round top cover.


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## oldspark (Jan 30, 2013)

Never gave it much thought but with our winds and only 25 inches of rain a year we have very good drying conditions here, this is a good common sense article about drying wood.
http://worldforestindustries.com/firewood-storage/simple-tips-for-drying-firewood/


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## oldspark (Jan 30, 2013)

jharkin said:


> A lot to read through here. I will add another vote for "it depends on your location"
> 
> I had a similar experience to fire-man. The first couple seasons with the EPA stove I had to buy wood, it was wet and I put it into single rows all top covered. Each year the results got better.
> 
> Last year, now that I'm 2+ ahead I decided to do an experiment and leave everything open for the summer and only top cover for winter. I have just under 2 cord of locust and ash that I cut and split stacked double rows in fall-11 destined for 13/14 burning. Well, after one summer of no cover seasoning, that stuff is still around 30%  So I'm going back to year round top cover.


 Double rows tight is not helping either, rain gets on the inside of the rows and it will stay wet in there longer than a single row, is that on a fresh split?


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## muncybob (Jan 30, 2013)

oldspark said:


> Some body on here suggested bunji straps between milk jugs filled with water on each side of the row of wood, it worked well for me, once in a while I had to readjust the jugs and straps due to the high wind here.


 I've done this and just a with plastic tarps the sun will break down the milk jugs and mine fell apart the next season. I have found using laundry detergent containers last longer.


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## Kenster (Feb 2, 2013)

My two cents:  I haven't covered my stacks ever.  I bring up several days worth of wood and stack it on our big front porch, just a few feet away from the stove in the living room.   We could have had a big soaking rain but several days on the porch and you'd never know it had rained. 

My stacks are on the southwestern edge of our woods.  Under trees but exposed to sun and wind from late morning on.   The wood dries well out there. 
As I said, I've never covered it BUT I'm reconsidering.  Not because of rain (not much chance of snow here) but because of all the debris and leaves that falls onto the stacks that are under trees.   My bride prefers that my stacks be out of site, so they are.    I'm thinking of investing in some tin roofing strips for top cover for the rest of my stacks.... and future ones just to keep the crap out of the stacks.


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## fire_man (Feb 2, 2013)

All I can say for MY location (NorthEast MA):

If I didn't top cover I'd be burning $$Oil$$ instead.


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## nate379 (Feb 2, 2013)

I tried that last year. OSB over the top of the piles along with a few hundred lbs of junk wood, tires, wheels, rocks, etc. Then rope tied from the pallets over the top every 5-7 feet.  It lasted a few weeks till it got windy.
The OSB either broke where the rope was, sawed through it, or simply broke the rope or the heavy duty eyelets.  Part of one stack even fell over from the OSB acting like a sail.  I found pieces of OSB in the woods 500-600ft from the stacks this summer.  

The time and money I spent messing with covering the stacks just wasn't worth it at all.

With no covering I do loose a few pieces of wood off the top now the then when it's windy, but usually they just go 20-30 ft from the stacks. 




Brewmonster said:


> Do you stack on pallets? If so, try draping cords across the stack every so many feet and tying the ends to the pallets. Works for me.


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## Coog (Feb 3, 2013)

Not to extend this discussion any further but my vote is to leave uncovered until fall and cover what you plan to burn.  At least where I live, seams to work for us. Don't do any more work than you have to.  I always thought moderate amounts of rain aides in the drying process.  Just make sure to cover in September/October after a week of dry weather and warm temps.  Just my two cents.


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## Brewmonster (Feb 3, 2013)

nate379 said:


> I tried that last year. OSB over the top of the piles along with a few hundred lbs of junk wood, tires, wheels, rocks, etc. Then rope tied from the pallets over the top every 5-7 feet. It lasted a few weeks till it got windy. The OSB either broke where the rope was, sawed through it, or simply broke the rope or the heavy duty eyelets. Part of one stack even fell over from the OSB acting like a sail. I found pieces of OSB in the woods 500-600ft from the stacks this summer. The time and money I spent messing with covering the stacks just wasn't worth it at all. With no covering I do loose a few pieces of wood off the top now the then when it's windy, but usually they just go 20-30 ft from the stacks.
> Brewmonster said: ↑ Do you stack on pallets? If so, try draping cords across the stack every so many feet and tying the ends to the pallets. Works for me.​


 
I feel your pain. I'm lucky to have free pallets to put on top of my stacks. Wind flows through them, unlike a solid sheet like OSB. Top cover made from recycled billboard completes the job.


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## westkywood (Feb 7, 2013)

nate379 said:


> I tried that last year. OSB over the top of the piles along with a few hundred lbs of junk wood, tires, wheels, rocks, etc. Then rope tied from the pallets over the top every 5-7 feet. It lasted a few weeks till it got windy.
> The OSB either broke where the rope was, sawed through it, or simply broke the rope or the heavy duty eyelets. Part of one stack even fell over from the OSB acting like a sail. I found pieces of OSB in the woods 500-600ft from the stacks this summer.
> 
> The time and money I spent messing with covering the stacks just wasn't worth it at all.
> ...


 
No wonder it wasnt worth it. That wouldnt be worth it to me either. OSB can't get wet. Tarps wear out and tear. It's what you cover it with that makes the difference. Rubber roofing placed on top, then placing some heavy wood splits on top of that to hold it down works like a charm, rarely blows off at all. Hassle free and costs nothing if you get it from a roofing company that is tearing off. When I need wood, it's easy to just flip aside. Stuff will last forever....


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## Richprint29 (Feb 11, 2013)

westkywood said:


> To comment on the 30 yrs plus of burning. I'm not singling anyone out, just making a general comment. Some people that have done "anything" for 30 years are set in their ways. With new EPA stoves, burning wood is different than 30 years ago. My brother is set in his ways. He has an old wood stove. He cuts Red Oak and Hickory, throws it in a pile ( no stacking ) in his wood shed ( so it is covered ), then he burns it the next year. Thats 1 year seasoned and not even stacking it. I tell him it takes 3 years to season even if it's stacked, but he wont listen. He says, " it heats my house just fine." But he has clean out his flew every 2 weeks.
> My point here is, things are different in wood burning that it was 30 years ago. I work hard ( as anyone does ) processing my wood so I want to get the maximum out of it. I'm sure the method not covering the wood works. But it certainly isnt a negative to cover it and I believe its an advantage. Especially if you've got years ahead on your wood stacks..


 Well said. You season yours for 3 years?? wow . I give all of mine 1 year   and sometimes as little as 7 months.
I'm sure the longer it sits , the better. But I can't imagine getting 3 years ahead of my burning.


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## Brewmonster (Feb 11, 2013)

_Well said. You season yours for 3 years?? wow . I give all of mine 1 year and sometimes as little as 7 months._
_ I'm sure the longer it sits , the better. But I can't imagine getting 3 years ahead of my burning. _
_--Richprint29_

If you're burning in an EPA stove, you better start imagining it, and get cutting! You'll be glad you did.


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## OldLumberKid (Jul 23, 2013)

fire_man said:


> All I can say for MY location (NorthEast MA):
> 
> If I didn't top cover I'd be burning $$Oil$$ instead.


 

Yah, I forgot the other day and they got drenched, now, with humidity insanely high here for the summer's duration, and T-storms on and off for the next month or so, it'll take some rare dry windy days to un-soak things.


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## fire_man (Jul 24, 2013)

It rained over 3 inches here yesterday, and now the humidity is so high you need a knife to cut a path outside. But my stacks are smiling from underneath their covers and are bone dry.

You just never know around here, Summers can be bone dry droughts - great for drying uncovered stacks, or like this Summer when mushrooms grow on uncovered soggy wood.


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## oldspark (Jul 26, 2013)

Brewmonster said:


> _Well said. You season yours for 3 years?? wow . I give all of mine 1 year and sometimes as little as 7 months._
> _I'm sure the longer it sits , the better. But I can't imagine getting 3 years ahead of my burning. _
> _--Richprint29_
> 
> If you're burning in an EPA stove, you better start imagining it, and get cutting! You'll be glad you did.


 Here we go again, wood gets so dry and then its done, it happens for me way before 3 years but a lot of my wood I burn is 2, 3, or 4 years old. Yes I have an EPA stove been burning for over 30 years ect. ect. ect.


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## fire_man (Jul 26, 2013)

I almost returned my Fireview after 6 months because I thought it didn't heat right. Turned out my "seasoned" wood I paid for was anything but.
I started getting 2-3 years ahead and problem solved.


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## Backwoods Savage (Jul 26, 2013)

We do not have to go again. I think everyone here accept the fact that you go against most others and that your area has super great conditions for drying wood. We have no problem with that at all. So there is no need to go over this again at all. We are very happy for you and still respect you.


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## BrotherBart (Jul 26, 2013)

Folks I think by the time people wade through 128 posts they will know pretty much every opinion on covering wood. 

Closing it till the next one shows up.


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