If DRYING wood, why let it get wet??!?!?!

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Eric Johnson said:
You're missing the big point, cast.

Nobody said wood subjected to rain dries faster. We're saying it's basically an inconsequential piece of the puzzle. Once your wood has dried, a little rain, or even a good soaking, has no long-lasting detrimental effect.

Getting your wood to dry correctly in the first place is the main objective. And if you just throw a tarp over the top and thus restrict the vertical airflow (chimney effect), it will not dry as quickly as if you had left it exposed to the elements.

Do you agree with that?

As a practical matter, most people trying to dry wood will do just that. And as a result, they would be better off not covering it at all.

So you're technically right. But in practice most people are going to botch the job, and then they're going to blame you when they're trying to burn sizzling wood this winter. Do you really want that on your conscience?
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Agree however, many years ago (before I covered the wood) I can remember going to the uncovered wood pile and it had just rained and I had no choice but to take top layers of wood becuase many layers were wet and it was hard to get to the dry stuff and the wet wood sizzled on the grate.....so...even though only a thin outer layer of the wood was wet, it was enough to make for poor burning......that's why I'd rather cover it with something, anything, (even a tarp) as opposed to nothing at all......that way, even the top layer is dry and will burn pretty good.....
 
Sorry--I would have responded sooner but I was out tarping my woodpile. Seriously.

As I said much earlier in this thread, I do cover the wood that I expect to use over the winter. I've got about 10 cords in the barn right now, but will probably need another 4-6 before it's all said and done. So around Feb. 1 I go out, dig out the pile and haul what I can into the barn. And since I hate handling wet/snowy/ice-encrusted wood, I always cover it in the fall. But not until October/November. No need to do it before then & in many cases, best not to.

Why don't you try leaving a small pile uncovered next summer, cast, and then compare it to the covered stuff in the fall after a dry spell?
 
Being really bored, I read through one of the lumber documents on the Forestry site. Some interesting information in those. From http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr118.pdf

Code: 
Rain also influences the drying rate. In low sites, with poor
yard surfaces and drainage, rain tends to raise the RH within
the bottom of the piles and to interfere with downward airflow
and removal of moist air. Any lumber that is rewetted
must be redried of course. Pile roofs prevent rain from
entering the lumber piles; the water along the sides of the pile
is usually superficial, except for wind-driven rain. Where
heavy rains are common, a shed with a wide overhang should
be considered.

Other tips:

Code: 
5. Keep the yard clear of weeds and debris so that the bottom
layers of the pile will dry as fast as the top layers.
Good sanitation of the yard also helps prevent infestation
of wood-destroying insects.
6. Perfectly level and flat pile foundations and good stacking
practices are two keys to successful air drying.
Foundations that are of sturdy, open construction and
support the lumber at least 12 in. (30 cm) above the
ground promote good airflow and protect the bottom
layers of the stack from warp.
7. Cover the tops of the piles to avoid exposure to rain and
snow. Rain can cause checking and stain.
8. End coat the lumber as soon as possible after end trimming,
or coat the log if the lumber is not trimmed.
9. Minimize exposure to sun.
10. For most species, avoid very slow airflow.
11. Cover the piles with open-weave plastic fabric if slower
drying is needed.

Note that several of these recommendations are advised to reduce defective lumber, not really a concern for firewood. The whole jist of the research is that airflow through the piles is the main ingredient, and seems to indicate that precipitation has little effect on the actual drying (seasoning) of the wood itself as long as the pile is elevated and is only a significant factor for lumber (to avoid defects in the wood).

So cover what you will be burning soon if you need to and don't bother on the green stuff is what I gather from it.
 
Eric Johnson said:
Sorry--I would have responded sooner but I was out tarping my woodpile. Seriously.

As I said much earlier in this thread, I do cover the wood that I expect to use over the winter. I've got about 10 cords in the barn right now, but will probably need another 4-6 before it's all said and done. So around Feb. 1 I go out, dig out the pile and haul what I can into the barn. And since I hate handling wet/snowy/ice-encrusted wood, I always cover it in the fall. But not until October/November. No need to do it before then & in many cases, best not to.

Why don't you try leaving a small pile uncovered next summer, cast, and then compare it to the covered stuff in the fall after a dry spell?
Click to expand...

Will do. Should be a good demo! thanks.
 
Dylan said:
Has anyone come across any information about that rare-earth element Antiseasonium. Supposedly, it gets taken up by tree roots and incorporated into complex compounds and deposited in the wood tissues of trees, preventing proper seasoning. I've developed a detergent, which has been shown to be an effective deposit removal applique when used in a conscientiously applied program of woodpile hygiene and regular (forestry) professional care.

Gimme a couple weeks to meet with my bean counters and packaging and marketing specialists, and you should be seeing it on the shelves by the new year.
Click to expand...

Dylan,

I think you're the one who took up the BS element....
 
Dylan said:
Has anyone come across any information about that rare-earth element Antiseasonium. Supposedly, it gets taken up by tree roots and incorporated into complex compounds and deposited in the wood tissues of trees, preventing proper seasoning. I've developed a detergent, which has been shown to be an effective deposit removal applique when used in a conscientiously applied program of woodpile hygiene and regular (forestry) professional care.

Gimme a couple weeks to meet with my bean counters and packaging and marketing specialists, and you should be seeing it on the shelves by the new year.
Click to expand...
 
Depends on the species, Big E. I burn almost all beech, which rots pretty easily. I'm burning some three-year-old wood now and even though it looks a little dicey, it's solid and it burns fine. And no cover. I think with hard maple, you could probably go decades.

Man, that looks like a burning frog in your avatar. Tell me it's not!
 
Big Eric said:
For what it's worth, I still think that the rain helps wash the sap out of the wood. That seems to help it dry faster when the sun comes out. Covering it holds moisture in. Once it's dried, I would agree that covering it is best, only if you plan on burning it that year. It doesn't take long for seasoned wood to dry back out. It doesn't take much for it to suck up moisture also. The one thing that I haven't heard here is about wood that is a couple of years old. The continuous wet/dry cycle may actually promote rot and wood decay. Covering wood after a year exposed may be the best option in that case.
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I guess im just spoiled. I cant get on either side of this beacause I do both. Wood that Im cutting now wont be burnt until next winter. so it sits out uncovered through the winter and next summer. In the Fall it is moved under the deck where it is covered (by the deck only ) and is the pile I burn from.
Where I live summers are warm and dry ( temps 80 - 90 humidity almost nothing ) so wood drys very nicely. I can take down a Oak 3' at the butt in Apr and have it ready to burn in Nov.
I think you just have to do with whatever works for your situation.
 
Just an amateur opinion here, but I covered my wood this year, just the tops, except for one pile I planend to burn next year, which I left uncovered. When I started covering all the piles completely with tarps for the winter, the wood that was uncovered was clearly more seasoned than the covered wood. That uncovered pile is still uncovered, so I may take the moisture meter out and compare it to the covered piles.
 
Here's my thoughts, use a meter on the thread ...........

Yep , seems to be working fine.
 

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Big Eric said:
Eric Johnson said:
Man, that looks like a burning frog in your avatar. Tell me it's not!
Click to expand...


Hah hah hah!!! My wife said the same thing about the frog. Actually, it's an image I lifted somewhere off of the net. It's supposed to be a fire dude but for some reason, it didn't turn out so well. I'm fairly new to this forum stuff and avatars and all so maybe I'm doing it wrong. It's a .jpg image that I condensed down to required size so who knows??? I may just keep it though because I find the burning frog thing that you and my wife see pretty darn funny.
Click to expand...

Like Kermit de frog once said;

"It ain't easy being green."
 
Dave_1 said:
Big Eric said:
Eric Johnson said:
Man, that looks like a burning frog in your avatar. Tell me it's not!
Click to expand...


Hah hah hah!!! My wife said the same thing about the frog. Actually, it's an image I lifted somewhere off of the net. It's supposed to be a fire dude but for some reason, it didn't turn out so well. I'm fairly new to this forum stuff and avatars and all so maybe I'm doing it wrong. It's a .jpg image that I condensed down to required size so who knows??? I may just keep it though because I find the burning frog thing that you and my wife see pretty darn funny.
Click to expand...

Like Kermit de frog once said;

"It ain't easy being green."
Click to expand...

Dat frog ain't green no more, looks like he goin' for more of an orangish yellow, eventually fadin' to black and crispy... %-P

Gooserider
 
Roospike said:
Here's my thoughts, use a meter on the thread ...........

Yep , seems to be working fine.
Click to expand...

NIIIIIIIIICE!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Gooserider said:
Dat frog ain't green no more, looks like he goin' for more of an orangish yellow, eventually fadin' to black and crispy... %-P

Gooserider
Click to expand...

Hmm. Maybe it's a french fried frog?
 

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It seems to me the ideal situation for those of us burning moderate amounts would be to use a wood shed with open sides. I have searched around for one (prefab) that holds 2 or 3 cords, but all I can find are building plans (and I don't think I have time for such a project). I have also wondered if it might help to rig a solar panel and a fan to said shed, to force more air through the stack.
 
Today I just cleaned out the barn that came with this house, its completely empty now. its 40 x 40 prefab concrete walls, open second story with metal roof. windows on 3 sides and 2 double barn door openings. All above ground level. can ya guess where all my woods going? LOL ;)
 
vgrund said:
It seems to me the ideal situation for those of us burning moderate amounts would be to use a wood shed with open sides. I have searched around for one (prefab) that holds 2 or 3 cords, but all I can find are building plans (and I don't think I have time for such a project). I have also wondered if it might help to rig a solar panel and a fan to said shed, to force more air through the stack.
Click to expand...

Search around for one of my earlier posts where I describe the shed that I built. It wasn't prefab, but it's pretty simple, only took me a few hours to build it with minimal cutting. The one I built holds about 6 cords, but the design would be easy to scale down. Scaling up would be more of a challenge, but mostly just because it's harder to get 2x4's longer than 16' or fence panels longer than 8'. My objective was low-cost and not to ugly, I think I managed it given that my total cost was only about $600 or so, using almost all new material.

It doesn't do a solar panel, but judging by the condensation I sometimes get on the underside of the roof, I suspect I'm getting at least some solar drying effect.

Gooserider
 
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