How to store wood

[4x15mph]

I had a cord delivered and I stacked this into 2 8' long piles outside. Should I have a tarp over this?

The wood seems wet as it hisses when I try to burn it and I have not had a really good fire. I was told it is seasoned and it doesn't look green. Just wet for some reason..... and doesn't seem to be drying as I go this delivered 2 months ago.

If i put some in the garage, will it be good by January?

 

[Shipper50]

I had a cord delivered and I stacked this into 2 8' long piles outside. Should I have a tarp over this?

The wood seems wet as it hisses when I try to burn it and I have not had a really good fire. I was told it is seasoned and it doesn't look green. Just wet for some reason..... and doesn't seem to be drying as I go this delivered 2 months ago.

If i put some in the garage, will it be good by January?

My first question would be if you have only 2 8ft long piles how high are they? If you had a full cord delivered it should stack 4x4x8. Which is 4ft high, 4ft deep, 8ft long.

If the wood hisses and peas when burned it needs air and sun. If your not getting rain or snow everyday I would leave it open to get as much air as possible till the snows come.

Shipper

 

[madrone]

I'd find another firewood guy.

 

[caber]

Hisses and won't burn hot - classic signs of wood not properly seasoned. Gonna be hard to get it seasoned before it gets really cold. Personally, I'd leave it outside in the sun and wind.

 

[savageactor7]

Well you could store the wood on pallets to keep it off the ground and just cover the tops.

 

[Vic99]

You don't want to hear this, but if you wood is wet, you'll get less heat and more creosote.

Buy a cheap moisture meter, harbor freight has one for 15 bucks before shipping. Ideal is under 20%. You could probably live with 22% this year, but I wouldn't go higher.

If the wood is already in doors, get a fan on it for a week . . . provided that the moisture has some place to escape to. Then check again with the meter.

In the meantime, you could get pallets. Many are dry if they haven't been sitting in recent rain. Break or cut them, just watch for nails. I stand on them and cut using a sawsall so I don't have to worry about nails. Shovel nails out of your stove every now and then or use a magnet.

They can be more work, but they are usually dry. Just DON'T fill the stove with pine pallets. You've overfire. Some pallets will be hardwood. Also watch for chemicals spilled on pallets. Really stinks up your house. Clean (or fairly clean) and dry is the way to go. Last year I ran out of wood and survided March and April on them.

Good luck.