To cover or not to cover?

[bholler]

I don’t need a meter. I have a Hearthstone Mansfield and an Equinox. Neither will burn wet wood. Two years uncovered and it starts like gasoline on it. You might need a moisture meter but I don’t. I started out covering my wood and only one season and would have moisture in the wood. Full load and I’d be lucky if the stovetop reached 400 degrees. Now with good wood stove goes from cold to 600 degrees no problem.You may need a moisture meter but I don’t. By the way I bought an aftermarket starter for my Kubota tractor for $79 when the Kubota starter was $279. I went on the Kubota forum and twenty people said to only use Kubota parts. The $79 starter has lasted 8 years. It appears I’m a risk taker. Can anyone else on here survive without a moisture meter?

I don't need a moisture meter at all. I have been heating my own home with wood for over a decade and grew up in a house heated with wood only. I also spend my whole work day working on stoves and chimneys. So yes I can tell just fine if wood is dry. But when I go to a customers house to diagnose problems a moisture meter is absolutely required so I can show them exactly what their wood is at. Also when teaching new wood burners to use their stoves. Or reteaching old ones with bad habits a moisture meter is a great tool that costs very little. And can answer lots of performance problems when used properly

And when talking about the benifits of covering vs not covering simply saying my wood burns fine really doesn't help much. I know for a fact my wood dries much faster when it is top covered than when it's left open.

You are absolutely correct in most climates wood will dry without a top cover but saying it doesn't matter simply is not accurate.

Btw both those stoves are pretty easy breathers and fairly tolerant of less than optimal wood. I can say without question most of the hardwoods I use would not be below 20% in 2 years stacked the way yours is stacked at my house

 

[stoveliker]

I don't understand this debate.

Maybe you can get your wood dry enough to burn without cover.

But there is no world where periodically making your wood wet (from rain) is going to result in drier wood than not making it wet every now and then. That is not based on opinion, that is measured data.

Combined with the fact that the more water your wood contains, the more water you have to boil off and push up the chimney, the less BTUs are available for heating the home, this made me build a shed. To cover my wood without hassling with removable covers.

 

[bholler]

I don't understand this debate.

Maybe you can get your wood dry enough to burn without cover.

But there is no world where periodically making your wood wet (from rain) is going to result in drier wood than not making it wet every now and then. That is not based on opinion, that is measured data.

Combined with the fact that the more water your wood contains, the more water you have to boil off and push up the chimney, the less BTUs are available for heating the home, this made me build a shed. To cover my wood without hassling with removable covers.

I built very simple "sheds" out of skids and a few 2x4s with old metal roofing covering the top. They don't look the greatest but they work very well and cost very little

 

[mrc]

Check this article out Firewoodresouces.com seasoning firewood.

 

[stoveliker]

well, "How to make sure you always have dry firewood" is the title I find - and I see there that "buy in spring, burn in winter" as the solution. That is *not* generally valid. It can be valid for some types of wood (e.g. pine, fir), and it can be valid for some locations. But not in general and everywhere. And that is *not* making sure.

A moisture meter (properly calibrated and operational) is proof, i.e. making sure.
Of course once one has a procedure that reliably provides sub 20% wood, one can stick to the procedure and forget about the meter.

Bold statements like that ("how to make sure -> buy in spring, burn in winter") make me doubt the rigor with which their statements are made.

 

[bholler]

Check this article out Firewoodresouces.com seasoning firewood.

Check out the EPA greenwise recommendations.
Or the penn state co op recommendations

 

[bholler]

well, "How to make sure you always have dry firewood" is the title I find - and I see there that "buy in spring, burn in winter" as the solution. That is *not* generally valid. It can be valid for some types of wood (e.g. pine, fir), and it can be valid for some locations. But not in general and everywhere. And that is *not* making sure.

A moisture meter (properly calibrated and operational) is proof, i.e. making sure.
Of course once one has a procedure that reliably provides sub 20% wood, one can stick to the procedure and forget about the meter.

Bold statements like that ("how to make sure -> buy in spring, burn in winter") make me doubt the rigor with which their statements are made.

They also claim greenwood has less mold fungus and bugs. Hmmmm

 

[stoveliker]

well, if it's 1 day old, that's true.
Once wood gets drier than a certain level, growth of (most?) mold and fungus (mostly?) stops, so strictly speaking the greener the wood the less mold and fungus one has

 

[bholler]

well, if it's 1 day old, that's true.
Once wood gets drier than a certain level, growth of (most?) mold and fungus (mostly?) stops, so strictly speaking the greener the wood the less mold and fungus one has

True. But allot of wood from firewood dealers is just stored in a huge pile. And it can often grow allot of fungus in those conditions

 

[brenndatomu]

What's the old saying...something about the only tool needed to tell if the firewood is dry is multi-year calendar?
I top cover too...tried it both ways, I like top covered better. And I am at least 5 years ahead, so I don't need to top cover, except for all the leaves and pine needles etc that get settled into the stacks...that holds moisture, and critters often times

 

[mrc]

Well that settles it. My whole operation is done. I’ll buy forty -six tarps and a couple hundred tarp straps.

 

[bholler]

Well that settles it. My whole operation is done. I’ll buy forty -six tarps and a couple hundred tarp straps.

No one said that. If it works for you great. But telling people there is no benifit to covering simply is not accurate.

Btw how much wood do you go through? Are 46 of those totes really a 2 year supply of wood for you?

 

[bholler]

By the way

Cover Your Firewood With Metal Roofing

If you don't have a shed or other structure to store your firewood under to keep it dry, a simple way to keep your firewood dry is to cover it with metal roofing, sometimes called tin roofing. One of the most common ways to cover wood is with plastic sheets or a tarp. I have

firewoodresource.com

 

[stoveliker]

Honestly, tarps suck. Anything else to cover with is better than a tarp. (is my personal opinion, based on experience).

 

[mrc]

My goal when I post on here is to help someone. Tarping and covering can have a real learning curve. I had 24 ft sheets of corrugated fiberglass weighted with tires and concrete blocks blow off. I had tarps that leaked and was way worse than getting rained on and drying in the sun. I show my method so that maybe one person could get an idea from it. I bought the baskets from a guy that was doing like me. He had 50 baskets with wood. He told me about buying a used pallet jack to move them on his patio. Great idea. I never would have thought of it. I was stacking under a covered porch by hand.No more hand stacking. I’ll bet I do 90% less handling than most people. If someone can get away without covering all the better. You don’t know anything about my stack. It runs north/south and catches any variation of a west wind . It gets the sun about 11am and keeps it all the way to sunset. That five foot stack by the woodburner has another stack on the other side of the woodburner. I burn from one side and the other side gets more drying. If someone does put corrugated on the best method I used was ratchet straps to hold it down. I do have ideas!

 

[mrc]

If you are really serious about burning wood and getting three years ahead you should do anything you can to put some posts in the ground and build a roof to cover it. Dry and use from the same location.

 

[bholler]

My goal when I post on here is to help someone. Tarping and covering can have a real learning curve. I had 24 ft sheets of corrugated fiberglass weighted with tires and concrete blocks blow off. I had tarps that leaked and was way worse than getting rained on and drying in the sun. I show my method so that maybe one person could get an idea from it. I bought the baskets from a guy that was doing like me. He had 50 baskets with wood. He told me about buying a used pallet jack to move them on his patio. Great idea. I never would have thought of it. I was stacking under a covered porch by hand.No more hand stacking. I’ll bet I do 90% less handling than most people. If someone can get away without covering all the better. You don’t know anything about my stack. It runs north/south and catches any variation of a west wind . It gets the sun about 11am and keeps it all the way to sunset. That five foot stack by the woodburner has another stack on the other side of the woodburner. I burn from one side and the other side gets more drying. If someone does put corrugated on the best method I used was ratchet straps to hold it down. I do have ideas!

Again if it works for you fantastic. The only thing I know about your stacks is what you have posted here

 

[gthomas785]

Cover it.