Wood not drying in shed, what now?

[Optimistic]

Looks like vinyl siding. It is a day late, and a dollar short, but if your walls were wood, the water vapor would pass right through it, eliminating the need for ventilation.

Vinyl siding!? When the devil skates on the lake of fire!
It's 1/2" plywood sheathing with pine clapboard siding over that. New coat of semi gloss paint might be faking you out. And it's open air where the rafters sit on the top plate.
But anyhow... It is all wood construction, and the firewood is seeming very slow to dry.
Hopefully keeping the door open will help a bit.
And for the next batch, I'm splitting it and stacking it outside until next summer.

 

[MMH]

Not to beat a dead horse and Still just a new guy here (and I have softwoods only also), but I’d venture to believe there isn’t enough air flow in there. Your shed looks basically enclosed minus the door and rafters, a lot of the sheds on here have lots of open spots for airflow. I’ve currently got about 6 cords stacked outside (SE portion of property, lots of sun lots of wind), granted I have pretty high dry temps where I am but I’ve been honestly amazed how dry some of the wood has gotten already, some of it has only been out there a few weeks. I’d agree with others here I’d think about a DIY solar kiln if you have enough time; also to be clear I’m not knocking your shed it’s quite nice! But the ones I’ve seen on here that are mainly enclosed such as that will dry they’re wood out in open, then move it to shed once the MC is where they want it. I’d say keep it outside a good year (or more depending on species) before going to shed etc not that it helps with that stack right now. I’ve read lots here from guys who say they burn hardwoods at 20-22% with no issues if that’s any constellation. Good luck and nice shed!

 

[myth83]

I hope I am not seen as I am hijacking the thread but I believe my question could be helpful for the OP as well:

What’s the balance between building a wood shed that will protect the firewood from the elements but still provide enough air flow for drying?

In one hand we want protection from rain so we build walls and roof, sometimes adding doors since rain can come from all directions.. on the other hand sometimes it is too air right, than how tight (or loose) is ideal?

 

[Chas0218]

Hi all,

Sorry for the incredibly sluggish reply, heinous week at work last week! Plus, I wanted to get a little further on painting it before I posted photographic evidence. I'd used 3 different colors of tinted primer and it looked crazy!

Anyway, pics attached. The wood is on pallets, which in turn are on crushed stone. Definitely the crushed stone stays dry, but we do live in a fairly wet low-lying area. As you may be able to see the roof is open to the air on either end, and the door is not a tight fit. The doors face south. The dimensions are 12x18, I think around 12' high at the high end and 7' at the low end.
Based on the recommendations above, I've started keeping the door open on the wood side. Thanks for the all the replies, and interested to hear if the pictures will alter things!

Yeah that isn't going to get your wood dry. your shed would work great to keep it dry but it isn't allowing for much if any sunlight to warm the wood and there has to be next to air flow unless it is a windy day coming in the main door.

 

[Simonkenton]

Semi gloss paint is a vapor barrier.

 

[maple1]

That's a nice looking shed, but it looks way too tight to make a decent wood shed. Especially if the wood is not fully seasoned before it is put in.

If I were to build a wood shed, I don't think I would have any more wall that what is needed to hold the roof up. With generous roof overhang. Or, I might board the sides in but leave spaces between the boards. Or, try to hang them with a louvered effect still with spaces between the boards.

 

[MMH]

I hope I am not seen as I am hijacking the thread but I believe my question could be helpful for the OP as well:

What’s the balance between building a wood shed that will protect the firewood from the elements but still provide enough air flow for drying?

In one hand we want protection from rain so we build walls and roof, sometimes adding doors since rain can come from all directions.. on the other hand sometimes it is too air right, than how tight (or loose) is ideal?

Something of this nature...really what I’m finding is kind of wherever your imagine takes you. As you said a balance between protection yet seasoning the wood. Want more overhang? Make the overhang more. Don’t like how big the gaps are? Make them tighter. Don’t like how small the gaps are? Make them bigger, or use lattice etc. whatever you want! Etc hope that helps.

 

[Highbeam]

Roof overhang is the most important I think. Then only enough wall to keep the roof up.

This is my shed.

 

[Woodsplitter67]

My reply is in no way bashing the OP or the shed. It is a good looking shed. Building a wood shed for drying and storing you need the following. A large roof overhang to keep the snow and rain off the wood stacks inside. Second is airflow. Air should be able to move through the stacks. Traditional wood sheds have a large open side for stacking and removing wood. One of the key things to do is the sides and back should be vented. I can literally stand at the back of my shed and feel the air moving through the woodshed my shed is vented on the back and sides and the back also has removable panels. If I want to I csn take them off and speed up the drying process, also the open side of the shed should be facing the prevailing Summer Winds this helps with air flow and the speed of drying. To me the idea of having a wood shed is to cut the labor directly stack into the shed allow it to dry and be able to burn it without having to deal with tarps or top covering. Your idea of stacking outside drying it and then putting it in the shed is doubling your labor. I would modify the existing shed to help meet the requirements of drying because in the long run thats the least labor intensive way to go... unless he/she likes to move lots of wood... alot...

 

[JohnDolz]

For what it is worth I live in the same basic area as Optimistic and have had great luck with a woodshed that is less than optimal by a lot of folks standards. I went this routs so that my neighbor could stare at a building vs. staring at wood drying, not sure which is better. In case the design isn't bad enough I stack it tight and I have it mostly buried in trees so it gets minimal sun. I store 2 years worth of wood in it and have never had an issue after 2 years of drying this way. Would be willing to bet that the 1 year side would be more that dry enough as well.

 

[Optimistic]

Thanks for all the replies folks! Turns out the "just open the door" advice upthread was excellent. Today, about a week or 10 days after opening the door, I checked two random splits, and one was 18.9,
%, the other 14.9%. Up until now I hadn't been seeing anything close to these numbers, so I think you guys have gotten me on the right track (or at least, a better track).
One thought, curious for feedback: I know there are solar powered ventilation fans out there, would adding one of those to the roof be a good idea, or would that be pulling out hot air that I want to keep in there?