Too many rows to season well??

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NorthEast Allnighter

New Member
Jan 23, 2012
8
Connecticut
Hello All,

First time poster, first season burning. I have been doing reasearch on the site for months now, helping me answer many of my questions. I do have a question I was unable to find though, and im sure someone will easily be able to answer.

I just bought my house this year, early early spring i had scrounged about 5 cord of blow downs and felled some standing dead. all was c/s/s by april. Most of which i am burning now and has been burning quite well. however, ive already c/s/s about 8.5 cord for 2012-2013. all maple with some oak. it is stacked 4 rows deep and there is no real space in between rows. i am wondering if having it 4 rows deep will hinder the drying process and make it not seasoned well enough for next winter. the front and back of the stack is wide open in an open area.

From what i have gathered in other posts, oak should be seasoned 2 years. im going to really concentrate on taking the tarp off during the hot dry weeks of summer and covering it when it rains to help season a little quicker in an effort to be able to use it next year. i really dont have a choice. however, i already have a few loads of bucked oak for 2013 2014 season which will get its 2 year seasoning thats needed.
/////////// I live in north central CT, colder winters, hot summers///////////////

Thanks for all the help....

Dave
 
4 deep will slow the drying some. Single rows give best results but some folk do 2 or 3 rows on pallets depending on split length. I do 2 rows on pallets. Later when I move it into the woodshed, I pack them in like sardines.
 
Welcome 'Allnighter. If you have the time I think it will dry out fine. I have most of my wood stacked 2 pallets wide so about 5 or 6 rows deep and it seems to season well. IMO it will season the only question is can you leave it long enough to get to the MC that you require. Hopefully someone from your area will comment on the amount of time that it will take and if it will be ready by your deadlines
.
 
I will be burning the wood next season (2012-2013)...so im hoping the 14 months will be sufficient with it being stacked the way it is. june-august is our hottest months...reaching 90s with the occasional 100 degree day.
 
I also have about 6 rows stacked pretty tight. A few inches in between. I top covered right after stacking. As you mentioned earlier, I plan on taking the cover off during the summer when we get a few days of sun and no rain. A pain in the ass but you gotta make due when you have limited room to stack.
Good luck.
 
Here's to hoping deep stacks are ok. I am burning a row that was the 4th one back two years ago. Wood is plenty good.
 

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I personally wouldn't stack more than 2 rows deep if I was holding out hope of using it with only a year of seasoning.
 
I had 4 rows stacked in my shed this summer and had 6 months dry time to get to about a 25-28% MC on some oak, a bit higher on the HUGE splits and closer to 20% on small splits. But i live in SC. I hope to get a bit ahead this year at least one year.
 
There's really no point in tarping it all until it's burning season next fall. Leave it uncovered even when it's not hot. It's the wind that does most of the drying, not the sun. If you MUST cover it, just top cover. DO NOT completely cover it with a tarp. That just holds in the moisture and can cause rot. I never, ever, cover my stacks. Rain is not going to make the wood green again. Any surface moisture from recent rain will dry quickly during the two or three days it sits on my front porch until I burn it.

Welcome to the forum!
 
well heres my 2 cents. i think with oak around here should be single row stacked. for a min of 2 years. after this year i will have all oak nothing less than 3 years drying and i do not cover the wood. until about july it goes into the shed so it is covered for a good while before its burned. on the other hand i think its ok for the maple to be double row stacked or maybe even more. i personally dont go more than 2 rows deeps so that each side of the wood still has exposure. i also think im going to try and cover the wood im going to burn in the next year for the last year of drying to see how if it makes a difference.
 
leave it uncovered? even stacking that tight? I'm always afraid if that wood in the middle gets wet it will take forever to dry. I dont have a great spot, not alot of wind or sun.

edit: i meant the 6 rows stacked tight.
 
thanks for all the replies....looks like im going to have to hope for a miracle. thinking back, i believe its probably about 5 cord of oak and 3 of maple. i really dont have much of a choice at this point. hopefully its dry enough to burn next winter. i know it wont be perfectly seasoned, but as long as it burns decently and gives me some heat saving me from buying oil i will be happy. after this spring i should be pretty well off and end up being 2 years ahead.
 
NorthEast Allnighter said:
thanks for all the replies....looks like im going to have to hope for a miracle. thinking back, i believe its probably about 5 cord of oak and 3 of maple. i really dont have much of a choice at this point. hopefully its dry enough to burn next winter. i know it wont be perfectly seasoned, but as long as it burns decently and gives me some heat saving me from buying oil i will be happy. after this spring i should be pretty well off and end up being 2 years ahead.
Click to expand...
what kind of stove will you be burning it in? also id probably just burn the maple next year if you quite a bit of it. that should be just fine im guessing.
 
I think even the oak should be at least OK. Maybe not as good as it would be in another year, but OK or better. You are way ahead of most people, that is for sure.
 
Wood Duck said:
I think even the oak should be at least OK. Maybe not as good as it would be in another year, but OK or better. You are way ahead of most people, that is for sure.
Click to expand...
+1
 
Im burning it in an Allnighter Big Moe. Its in the basement of an 1150 sq ft Cape Cod style home. It is working quite well, it doesnt heat the 2nd floor very well which doesnt matter since no one lives up there. Ive actually blocked off the upstairs stair case to keep more heat on the 1st floor. I have already gone through about 4 cord already this year. so i will definitly go through the maple and have to start on the oak next year.
 
+1 for leaving it uncovered.
If it is a "definite need" for next season. I'd re-stack with some space between the rows.
You don't want to get to next season & find out it's not dry enough :)
 
rdust said:
I personally wouldn't stack more than 2 rows deep if I was holding out hope of using it with only a year of seasoning.
Click to expand...

I have two rows stacked about 6 ft high with a tarp on the top...good? Probably will need it late next winter...been split for about 4 months now..mostly oak and locust.
 
What kind of Maple, Silver or Red will be fine next year, don't know much about other kinds. The Oak you should seperate and single row if possible.


Your getting into that cover don't cover, you seem to have a plan, I woulden't keep it covered stacked that deep in good wheather.


Why did you stack like that Room-Space?
 
Like you i must stack in cubes with multiple rows. I move the outside rows that get the most sun and wind from each cube and re-stack in the fall under the overhang for that winters use. This gives extra 8-12months time for the inside rows of each stack.

Seems to work for me.

X
 

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I don't think the oak will be nearly ready. I've had oak (fresh cut live trees) that I had in 2 deep rows that took 3 yrs to get <25%. I never stack anything anymore more than one row and at least 2' between rows. If you don't have the room, at least separate the oak and cross stack it for better airflow.
If your oak was very dry to begin with, very old, very dead, very off the ground, you may have better seasoning times. Looks at quads oak, your see what I mean.
 
In my situation I would bust it up as small as needed and stack in single rows off the ground.
That is if I had to use it next year for sure.

Do what you think is best.
 
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