cover the wood pile or not???????????
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![[Hearth.com] cover the wood pile or not???????????](/talk/data/attachments/9/9995-a8bd400f1c810b100c00a0135696e1a1.jpg?hash=roq0fedNPK)
[quote author="Adirondackwoodburner" date="1220033825"]think you need to add some more information like when was this stuff split and stacked first.
Being new i did not know to ask.i was thinking when it gets stacked first.Fresh wood.
John
Being new i did not know to ask.i was thinking when it gets stacked first.Fresh wood.
John
we had so much rain i covered in mid july... but just the top so it gets air ,, however the last 2 weeks have been pretty dry so i took the off.. but put them back on do to the threat of rain.......
but now is usually dry time of the year...and winter so i am not worried.... partially seasoned dries best in the winter .... as long as its not rainy
but now is usually dry time of the year...and winter so i am not worried.... partially seasoned dries best in the winter .... as long as its not rainy
It would be no small stretch to say that Todd from Wisconsin has the art nailed down pat. Just goes to show that not all of us are "crazies" on this forum :smirk:
Even though we faithfully patrol our woodpiles everyday. ;-) Myself included, with beer in hand..
Even though we faithfully patrol our woodpiles everyday. ;-) Myself included, with beer in hand..
I cover topcover only when it rains during the spring and summer months. Sometime this month I will probably cover for the rest of the winter. I think it's crazy to wait until the first snow, freeze, or frost to cover. What if you have a few soaking rains soon before? Then the cold will prevent that wood from drying quickly enough and you'll have wet wood under those tarps. Cover when the wood is bone dry and keep it that way. That's the idea.
I dont know much since this is my first year, but the most important thing has to be keeping it off the ground. It seems that during the summer anything up on pallets will dry quickly. I have some really good seasoned stuff that I have been slow in stacking, and man does it wick the moisture from the ground. It is like the pile makes a "steam room" effect. It will be stacked on pallets this weekend, hopefully, so it'll be fine. Once it it stacked, I throw some crappy blue tarp on the top. BTW... any of you guys from New England... say "tarp on the top" five times fast!
Nothing covered. 2 double stacks of oak sitting in shade won't be ready for another year. Will remain uncovered.
The stuff for this season won't be covered until the wet fall/winter weather moves in, then I'll cover completely.
The stuff for this season won't be covered until the wet fall/winter weather moves in, then I'll cover completely.
i am telling you wood will dry jus as fast in the winter as any other month!!.... there are some exceptions....rainy summer.... you let the wood get covered with snow..etc summer (in my area) wood dries by sun n wind but our summers are usually humid so without wind and DIRECT sunlight well guess... fall usually dry cooler air and breezy... while aire temps are mid 60s-mid to mid 80s ..this can be great seasoning time .....winter bone dry air which equals max drying that cold frigid air at night will suck water outta anything!
Todd said:
nice set up todd! what do you use for weight on the side you roll up!2by4 wood??.also how does to stand up to the wind?I may do the same with my outside wood piles,
I cover the top and about 1 foot down on the sides with heavy tarps I got at Wally World. Like someone else said, cover the wood when dry to keep it dry. Makes sense to me.
I've had mine covered most of the summer as it has been very wet up here in New England this year. It seems like it has rained at least once a day everyday during July and August.
I've had mine covered most of the summer as it has been very wet up here in New England this year. It seems like it has rained at least once a day everyday during July and August.
got wood? said:
You're not alone. I do the same. I just cover the tops from the get go and walk away.
I staple a piece of plastic on the tops, draped the sides maybe a few inches.....Sides open, wood off the ground..thats for any piles I have out in the open that are seasoned...If its green... I don't cover the top until its its seasoned..
I know a fellow out here that uses pieces of plywood when he has it instead of plastic...guess its like a mini-roof.
Cords I have under the porch are seasoned and uncovered..
-al
I know a fellow out here that uses pieces of plywood when he has it instead of plastic...guess its like a mini-roof.
Cords I have under the porch are seasoned and uncovered..
-al
The winds alone at my house would rip the tarps to shreads let alone the size i would need to cover my piles!
You might try heavy duty pond liner instead of a tarp on top of the piles. That stuff is pretty tough.
i have 2 piles that are 24'x24'x6' and working on my 3rd that pond matreial is high $ got in in full sun just have to make doBeGreen said:
[...winter bone dry air which equals max drying that cold frigid air at night will suck water outta anything![/quote]
I understand what you are saying about winter air being less humid, bit I've never heard of cold air drying anything out quickly. Has anyone else had this experience? I am also curious because I just got a clothesline and am wondering if clothes will dry well outside in winter.
I understand what you are saying about winter air being less humid, bit I've never heard of cold air drying anything out quickly. Has anyone else had this experience? I am also curious because I just got a clothesline and am wondering if clothes will dry well outside in winter.
woodburn said:
I understand what you are saying about winter air being less humid, bit I've never heard of cold air drying anything out quickly. Has anyone else had this experience? I am also curious because I just got a clothesline and am wondering if clothes will dry well outside in winter.[/quote]
Ever had chapped lips? Ever watched snow evaporate with the air below freezing?
Most people dry the clothes inside in winter though. To humidify the house. Also, dropping your underwear and shattering it ain't cool.
Those are good points, especially about the underwear, but when air temps are below freezing, snow only evaporates if direct sunlight heats it to above freezing temps. Think about how quickly snow would evaporate on a July day. I think there's no comparison in how much the wood dries in summer as opposed to winter. Plus factor in the longer days with more sun. Of course, my piles are stacked in direct sun for the bulk of the day, so maybe one wouldn't notice quite as much of a difference if stacked in shade.
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