is it time to uncover?

[Stevebass4]

it's getting warmer here in new england - and i have about 3 cord left over - should i uncover the tops for next season of just leave the tops covered

using black rubber roofing if that matters

 

[smokinj]

black rubber roofing! wow that should work out great id leave it on if your still able to get air to it?

 

[Stevebass4]

yup it covers the top 4 rows or so

 

[smokinj]

yup it covers the top 4 rows or so

you got it going on! id say steady as she goes. nice set up

 

[iceman]

don't understand bt a pic would prolly give me a better idea......

 

[Stevebass4]

alrighty the right side blew off last night and they are kind of ugly but you can see the top splits are not weathered

i need to fill it back up (have two plus waiting from last year uncovered all winter) and what i would guess is six ready to stack / buck & split

 

[Highbeam]

I'm thinking that once it has dried and been covered for the first winter that there is no reason to ever uncover it. I plan to leave about 8 cords covered over this summer.

 

[Badbob]

I use rubber roofing for my tarps as well, nothing better. except i cut to say 20 inches, just to cover the top of pile since i dry wood in a long single row

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Leave it covered. The wood is probably as dry as it will get now so no reason to uncover.

That black roofing should work great and should last a long time too. You might consider folding it though to expose all the sides of the piles.

 

[jadm]

I am no expert by any means and am still learning and experimenting. I covered tops only late fall and only dropped the sides down when we got snow. Our winter has been extremely mild so I actually took the tarps completely off about a month ago. My thinking being that the more they are exposed to sun and wind the drier they will continue to get.

Wondering why some recommend keeping the tarps on top if they are already dry?

 

[Highbeam]

I am no expert by any means and am still learning and experimenting. I covered tops only late fall and only dropped the sides down when we got snow. Our winter has been extremely mild so I actually took the tarps completely off about a month ago. My thinking being that the more they are exposed to sun and wind the drier they will continue to get.

Wondering why some recommend keeping the tarps on top if they are already dry?

I will leave the tarps on because the wood has already been seasoned, cured, stick a fork in she's done. I measured 12% moisture in the wood under the covered stack last weekend. It's not going to get any drier if it is uncovered and it might actually gain moisture from rain. One thing I do know is that taking the covers off and then putting them back on in the fall is more work than just leaving the covers on all summer. I see zero benefit to removing the cover and creating that work. So my wonder is the opposite, why would some recommend taking the tarps off if the wood is already dry?

Now if your wood is not seasoned yet then uncover it and let it season over the summer. There's a benefit for the work.

 

[jadm]

I end up uncovering because the tarps get blown around a lot and look messy. In the winter it isn't as big a deal because we aren't out in the yard much but in the summer we are so I try to keep the stacks from being an eyesore . My husband who would rather have no wood on the premisses until the first snow falls. He hasn't grasped the concept of seasoned wood yet despite what I tell him. 8-/

Our climate is extremely dry so I don't worry about the rain. Last year I experimented by covering a pile that got hit with the water from our sprinkler system and leaving one uncovered. No difference so this year all will be uncovered.....With my luck we will get pummeled with summer rain....Hard to imagine with the weather we have been getting...

 

[metrowlogger]

Nice setup. Lokks like my backyard, I am in Holliston. I am using bark to cover the tops of my stacks it came free with the rounds !

 

[Stevebass4]

Thanks Oracle but i think it looks pretty bad - i need to learn how to stack better

i'm gonna take Highbeam's advise and just leave it covered albeit i'll trim the rubber roofing down a bit so that they just cover the tops - i also plan to refill this stack with what i left uncovered since last may

next up i need to stack all this that was split last week

 

[LLigetfa]

...albeit i'll trim the rubber roofing down a bit so that they just cover the tops

or fold the edges under rather than chop it up.

 

[rustynut]

weather was nice this evening
decided to have a look at the remaining wood surplus
been waiting for me for a couple years
had 2 cord covered with those silver tarps
hummm
they were looking like the silver icycles you put on your xmas tree
well in that condition you can bet they werent keeping out too much rain
so
where are you guys getting that rubber roofing from ?
rustynut

 

[Stevebass4]

mine came from a friend who's dad worked for a goodyear rubber plant years ago

 

[Spikem]

...albeit i'll trim the rubber roofing down a bit so that they just cover the tops

or fold the edges under rather than chop it up.

Folding is definitely the better idea. It's tough to "un-trim"!

 

[iceman]

hmmmmmm i have wood that was stacked in may -beginning of june 08 i wanna burn it this year .. its been covered mostly since july ... because it rained so much but i did take off the tarp when the weather broke in sept .... it looks good and dry but the stack is 6.5 ft tall (8x6.5x12) so i was thinking i should take the top of to help the middle of the stack dry since i cant see it .... however, the top is covered with a tarp that is about 6 inches off the wood.. the wood can get air from all sides but the top and up from the botttom should i leave the tarp on?