TARPS

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Deep Fryer

Member
Jun 6, 2008
118
East Coast NY
HI guys & gals!
I was wondering what you are all using to cover up you supply of wood. I have been using the brown tarps with the silver underlining from home depot to cover my wood and they work fine but I was wondering it there is something better for the job?

The ones from HD are ok but they seem to wear out after two years, they develop craks or the inevitable hole or two & then let the water through.
I've resorted to putting an uderlayment of thick plastic sheathing under the tarp, & while that works it makes it a bit of a pain in the neck to cover & uncover the wood.

The other thing is that these tarps are not that cheap @ $30.00+- a pop, I wouldnt mind spending a little more for something of better quality.

Thanks in advance!
 
I only tarp off during the winter before a rain or snow storm. I usually just tarp the area that will be burned within the next few days.
 
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Hi Browoning Bar (God of Fire, I like that!),
Doesnt your wood supply get wet if you're caught off guard, or is that inconsequential once the wood is seasoned?
I just finished splitting about 7+ cords and am starting to stack the stuff, I'm not going to burn through all that but I'd like to keep this year's allotment as dry as possible.


BTW, whats the stove in your avatar, its a very handsome unit I really like it.
 
Doesnt your wood supply get wet if you're caught off guard, or is that inconsequential once the wood is seasoned?
I just finished splitting about 7+ cords and am starting to stack the stuff, I'm not going to burn through all that but I'd like to keep this year's allotment as dry as possible.

It does get wet, but it is only surface moisture and dries within a few hours. It doesn't really affect long term dryness of the wood.

BTW, whats the stove in your avatar, its a very handsome unit I really like it.

It is a Vermont Castings Defiant.
 
If your wood has just been split it will need to season, and I think leaving it uncovered would be better than covering with a tarp. You want lots of air to move through the stacks to take away moisture.

If you want to cover the best thing is corrugated metal roofing because it is rigid so it doesn't hug the top of the pile but instead lets plenty of air through. It is also heavy enough that it generally doesn't blow off very easily and it lasts for a long time. The problem is it is hard to come by - keep your eyes open for somebody tearing down a shed.

I don't cover mine at all and it is fine. Sometimes I get snow (slightly annoying) or ice (really a pain) on the wood. I keep a couple of days' supply on the back porch and a couple of days is enough time for the ice to melt (or sublimate - go directly from solid to gas) before I take the wood inside and burn it.
 
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It does get wet, but it is only surface moisture and dries within a few hours. It doesn't really affect long term dryness of the wood.
It is a Vermont Castings Defiant.
Gotcha! Thank you sir.

If your wood has just been split it will need to season, and I think leaving it uncovered would be better than covering with a tarp. You want lots of air to move through the stacks to take away moisture.
I've had the wood for over a year, uncovered. I'm home quite a bit and I always try to keep uncovered as much as possible. The weather being what it is here in long island there is the chance (like anywhere else) for rain. The snow I would not be too concerned with but the rain on the other hand, would be another story.

I have visions of the first year burning when I purchased some wood from our mailman (his side gig) but being new to the game I think the wood, like myself at the time, was pretty green. It was a bit of a chore to get it cranking.
I wont fret so much over the issue.

Thank YOu Wood Duck,
 
Hi Treacherous, I usually like to keep it uncovered throughout the winter unless we have a lot of snow here which sometimes we do .
I figure it couldnt hurt :).
 
We basically have snow from late November through May so it can pile up to 4-5 feet. At times it will get above freezing. My concern has always been that the melting snow piled against the woodpiles will wick back into the wood.
 
if your seasoning for next winter i would leave uncovered provided your only stacking a couple of rows deep as your wood will continue to season, some people actually believe it will dry just as fast in winter because of the lower humidity as it will in summer with the high heat.
 
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I use galvanized roofing for my top cover and I have had what I plan on burningn this winter covered for about an month now.
 
Buy tarps at harbor freight or on ebay or amazon your will probly save about half to what HD charges!!
 
HI guys & gals!
I was wondering what you are all using to cover up you supply of wood. I have been using the brown tarps with the silver underlining from home depot to cover my wood and they work fine but I was wondering it there is something better for the job?

The ones from HD are ok but they seem to wear out after two years, they develop craks or the inevitable hole or two & then let the water through.
I've resorted to putting an uderlayment of thick plastic sheathing under the tarp, & while that works it makes it a bit of a pain in the neck to cover & uncover the wood.

The other thing is that these tarps are not that cheap @ $30.00+- a pop, I wouldnt mind spending a little more for something of better quality.

Thanks in advance!

I cover with nothing. You can't beat that price!
 
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if your seasoning for next winter i would leave uncovered provided your only stacking a couple of rows deep as your wood will continue to season, some people actually believe it will dry just as fast in winter because of the lower humidity as it will in summer with the high heat.
I'm actually intending on using some of it for this season, maybe 3 cords +-, the remainder of the supply I have no problem leaving it uncovered but stacked/off the ground.

I use galvanized roofing for my top cover and I have had what I plan on burningn this winter covered for about an month now.
Thats kind of my intention, to keep what I plan on using this winter covered/from getting wet, I usually dont start burning till about november anyway, this would give my supply at least two months of nice dry tlc.

Buy tarps at harbor freight or on ebay or amazon your will probly save about half to what HD charges!!
Good suggestions, thanks, I forgot about amazon, they carry so much stuff, & their prices are better than HD.

I cover with nothing. You can't beat that price!
Or the convenience, I'll have to try your method out as well, thanks Red!
 
I cover with nothing. You can't beat that price!

My plan is to start building some more wood sheds next year. I have a rinkydink one that previous cabin owner built between some trees. The rest are in stacked piles. I probably have about 6 cords now and go through about 2 a winter.

Thinking simple design like this:
Screen%2520Shot%25202012-09-14%2520at%252010.52.55%2520AM.png
Screen%2520Shot%25202012-09-14%2520at%252010.53.03%2520AM.png
 
If you're spending $30/2yrs on tarps you'd almost be better off just buying new galvanized tin at HD or Lowes.

I picked some scrap pieces of metal building siding off a jobsite - they pay for disposal on weight and said take anything I wanted. Got some nice 10x3' and 7x3' sections to add to the old tin I already had
 
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Hi T,
Wood shed would be the way to go, in my neck of the woods that would probably be a fiasco with permits & zoning nonsense & they'd probably hike me taxes to boot. I like the designs & thanks for posting, the middle drawing, are those splits or rounds that are drying?
Another thing I just thought about (as I hear the wildlife chirping outside) is critters, I have tons of fricken (excuse my language) chipmonks & field mice and they'd nesting & crapping the heck out of the place in no time.
On the first & last drawings, is there a flooring element or does the wood sit on the ground?
 
if your seasoning for next winter i would leave uncovered provided your only stacking a couple of rows deep as your wood will continue to season, some people actually believe it will dry just as fast in winter because of the lower humidity as it will in summer with the high heat.

Might give it a shot this winter. We traditionally have fairly low humidity summer and winter with lots of wind so my softwoods dry fairly quickly.
 
If you're spending $30/2yrs on tarps you'd almost be better off just buying new galvanized tin at HD or Lowes.

I picked some scrap pieces of metal building siding off a jobsite - they pay for disposal on weight and said take anything I wanted. Got some nice 10x3' and 7x3' sections to add to the old tin I already had
I'll try and post some pictures of my place, my concern is that these pieces would become airborne when we have windy conditions or the rogue gust and end up in my living room, the back of my house where the wood's stacked is mainly glass.
 
I got the drawings off the WA state ecology site:

https://fortress.wa.gov/ecy/publications/publications/91062.pdf

I think they they are supposed to be splits in the drawing. Not sure about the ground but I planned to use some treated 4 x 4 on the ground area.

Lots of chipmunks, red squirrels and birds in my piles as well.


Hi T,
Wood shed would be the way to go, in my neck of the woods that would probably be a fiasco with permits & zoning nonsense & they'd probably hike me taxes to boot. I like the designs & thanks for posting, the middle drawing, are those splits or rounds that are drying?
Another thing I just thought about (as I hear the wildlife chirping outside) is critters, I have tons of fricken (excuse my language) chipmonks & field mice and they'd nesting & crapping the heck out of the place in no time.
On the first & last drawings, is there a flooring element or does the wood sit on the ground?
 
I did tarps for many years. Learned to hate them. I should've built a roof from the "get-go", would've saved money.
Maybe you can avoid the rules with a temporary/not permanent roof like in the above pictures.
 
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I bought used rubber roofing at a local construction/demolition salvage company a couple weeks ago....here's a link to the post I made regarding the installation of it on my wood piles. I topcover my three-year seasoned wood in the fall, and I ONLY topcover what I will be using that following winter. All of my wood spends at least two years C/S/S with the weather on it.

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/not-a-minute-too-soon.89616/

2012-09-02_12-48-22_272-jpg.73026
 
Scotty You need to fix that left corner or burn it soon:)
 
Scotty You need to fix that left corner or burn it soon:)
yeah, I was looking at that the other day. :p It's solid, not to mention that's where the heating season will start.....right in that corner. If it holds out for another couple of weeks, we'll be good to go.
 
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