So… the wood I have been burning this winteris all seasoned, now the question is, what do you do with it for the summer? I have about a cord left over for next year. Should it stayed top covered or can it be opened up and be rained on. I am not sure what the proper procedure is, this is the first time I am in the situation! I am not sure what rain will do to it.
Seasoned wood.... what to do with it
- Thread starter chris2879
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muncybob
Minister of Fire
what he said!! Keep it off the ground of ocurse.
I'm leaving mine in the shed
Looks like we'll have about 1/3 of the wood for this year left over....nice!
I'm leaving mine in the shed
Looks like we'll have about 1/3 of the wood for this year left over....nice!
Dieselhead
Minister of Fire
Not covering it will not do anything to the wood. I dont cover my stacks. Just cover what I will be using a little in advance. Important thing is to keep it off the ground......
bogydave
Minister of Fire
Stacked off the ground (Lots of us use pallets) with the top covered is better. (top cover not needed, but better. Why let dry wood get rained on)
BWS has some nice stacks that he might post a picture of. He stacks the seasoned stuff tight together & covers the top with some old galvanized metal roofing.
Tie the metal down to prevent the wind from blowing it.
Great to be getting wood for next year even if it's due to a warm winter & left over.
You might be pleasantly surprised how much better it will burn next season!
Wood shed plans in the future? Best solution
Do you have other wood stacked & seasoning for next season?
BWS has some nice stacks that he might post a picture of. He stacks the seasoned stuff tight together & covers the top with some old galvanized metal roofing.
Tie the metal down to prevent the wind from blowing it.
Great to be getting wood for next year even if it's due to a warm winter & left over.
You might be pleasantly surprised how much better it will burn next season!
Wood shed plans in the future? Best solution
Do you have other wood stacked & seasoning for next season?
Blue Vomit
Minister of Fire
anything I have left over I take the cover off until next year, only because it is covered by ugly tarps.
find some old rubber roofing or tin roofing, screw it down to the top layer of splits, and like a mobsta, "fagettaboudit"!!
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
chris2879 said:
Chris, is this wood that you've "seasoned" or wood that you've purchased? There is a huge difference usually. In addition, you should already have all of next year's wood split and stacked.
The question about should you keep it covered is easy. It is covered so why do anything to it? Just leave it. We keep our wood for many years before burning it. The first summer and fall we do not cover but then top cover before the snow flies. Once it gets covered (with galvanized roofing) it stays covered until it is needed in the house.
Yes, i processed it myself. It was mostly maple that was split last may, but is burning really well with moisture contents in the upper teens. As for next year, my father in law and myself have about 7 cord split already this past fall in a pile right now, and about 3 more cord bucked and ready for splitting. Early spring this year, all the wood that was split last fall will be stacked for next year.
mtneer
Member
If this spring is anything like last spring then storing my wood in the open wont keep it much drier than if I stored it at the bottom of my pond.
flyingcow
Minister of Fire
chris2879 said:
I've heard western mass is a high crime area for wood thieves. I think you need to bring it up here for safe keeping.
flyingcow
Minister of Fire
mtneer
Member
Scotty Overkill said:
I'm from central PA originally and my parents said they were underwater too. But they use electric and a propane fireplace.
I'm a newbie still seasoning my first load of hardwoods. I stressed over the rain at first, but what last spring taught me is it takes A LOT of rain and improper storage to set you back. Keep the stacks off the ground and in an area where they can dry quickly after a rain. I still got some decent drying even with uncovered stacks in the most rain since Noah.
Kenster
Minister of Fire
I never cover my stacks. I keep several days worth of burning on our big covered front porch. If the stacked wood was wet from rain it will only take a day or two on the porch before it's dry again. We're only talking about a little surface moisture! Granted, I don't have to worry about keeping snow off the stacks where I live.
Now, I do have a small stack of very dry pine splits that I use for starter wood. That stuff is like a sponge (everything else I burn is oak) so I keep my pine splits top covered all the time. If the pine gets wet, it's not just surface moisture. It gets wet down deep.
Now, I do have a small stack of very dry pine splits that I use for starter wood. That stuff is like a sponge (everything else I burn is oak) so I keep my pine splits top covered all the time. If the pine gets wet, it's not just surface moisture. It gets wet down deep.
Cover the top and save it for next year. Just ask Dennis, he has wood that has been seasoning for 20 years, its not seasoned anymore its petrified. He is set for some time. hahaha
bluedogz
Minister of Fire
I got lucky and lazy at the same time when I moved into my house... previous owner had a bunch of little Sunfish sailboats that he covered with thick rubberized canvas; when he moved he left the covers behind. After leaving them in the weeds behind the woodlot for a year or two I dug them out, cut them into 2' by 16' strips, and covered my stacks with them. Wood's all nice and dry despite the rain.
firefighterjake
Minister of Fire
flyingcow said:
+2 . . . Top cover or not, no difference it will make . . . heat your house it will.
Backwoods Savage
Minister of Fire
KatWill said:
You wouldn't stretch the truth now would you KatWill? Well, we are set for many years but not quite 20 yet.
Its interesting to me that so many people worry about their wood getting rained on and go to some unusual lengths to cover them. I just dont think its worth the work. The wood that I have burned this year (about 4 cords) has been a mix of Mulberry, Black Walnut, Norway maple, and Ash.....split and stacked for 18 to 22 months. All of it has been about 16% to 18%. This wood sits outside open to the elements under trees actually so very little sun. I stack single rows with about 6 inches inbetween each stack. Last year was an extremely wet one too for us in southeast PA.
Moral of the story is.....give your wood time, and airflow.....and it will heat your house with the best of them......
Moral of the story is.....give your wood time, and airflow.....and it will heat your house with the best of them......
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