It's Gonna Rot!

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NordicSplitter

Minister of Fire
May 22, 2011
541
Western,NY
Had a conversation with a buddy at worked and he asked me how many face cords I had for the winter. I told him about 30 and without blinking an eye he blurted out..."It's gonna Rot"....Now mind you he doesn't burn wood now or ever in the past so I tried to excuse his ignorance on the subject but he wouldn't buy it. I told him the only way wood can rot is if it wet or bug infested. He still wouldn't buy it...Has anyone with this much wood ever had a problem with rotting wood?? Thoughts appreciated..
 
Keep it dry and off the ground and you will be fine. I keep mine top covered and sitting on frames made of 2x4 PT.

KaptJaq
 
My uncle had multiple trailers of wood cut and covered around his property. He covered the trailers to keep the wood dry and off the ground. Well, something happened and he hadn't realized it but almost half of his wood rotted in the trailers. I would guess he covered it too tightly and the moisture couldn't escape. If he would have stacked and top covered the wood there wouldn't have been an issue. In the end he lost at least 4 trailer loads of wood.
 
My neighbor continues to tell me the same thing about my nine cords. Ask him if wood would rot why are there so many century old barns that still look as good as they did when they were built, because they stayed dry.


fv
 
No problems here. If kept dry most woods will last a long, long time. I burned some locust last year that was stacked outside uncovered since 1998. I know others here have had gotten a hold of wood pushing 30+ years. If kept dry enough wood should last hundreds of years and the "rot" statement is just people that don't understand. Now of course wood left to get wet or on the ground will rot quicker. I always wonder if the people that come up with this firewood rotting thing live in houses built of wood? Heck I know of a few families that have barns dedicated to storing firewood and actually pass it from generation to generation.
 
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Had a conversation with a buddy at worked and he asked me how many face cords I had for the winter. I told him about 30 and without blinking an eye he blurted out..."It's gonna Rot"....Now mind you he doesn't burn wood now or ever in the past so I tried to excuse his ignorance on the subject but he wouldn't buy it. I told him the only way wood can rot is if it wet or bug infested. He still wouldn't buy it...Has anyone with this much wood ever had a problem with rotting wood?? Thoughts appreciated..
I have stacks 4 inches off the ground with only the top covered not the sides since 2004 and the wood is absolutely perfect,not 1 bad piece.Checked some oak splits this week,fresh splits checked internally, and big splits ,8 to 10 in checked out at 16.9 to 18% moisture not too shabby smaller sized splits would check a lot drier yet.Wood is hard as a rock no bark life is good no need to worry.Off the ground top covered good air flow ideally single stacks.
 
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People hear the term dry rot and think that ... Few people realize dry rot is not rot at all but a fungus and is actually caused by moisture.

If they really insist send them to England to look at 1000 year old barns or the wooden chairs from king Tuts tomb.....
 
I've seen wooden bridges,rafters/framing/beams in castles,cathedrals & other buildings in Germany,Scotland,Austria & several other countries/cities in Europe that were 250 to 1000 years old.Still structurally sound & no where near rotted out.Keep it dry or where it can actually shed moisture & it will last indefinitely.
 
Had a conversation with a buddy at worked and he asked me how many face cords I had for the winter. I told him about 30 and without blinking an eye he blurted out..."It's gonna Rot"....Now mind you he doesn't burn wood now or ever in the past so I tried to excuse his ignorance on the subject but he wouldn't buy it. I told him the only way wood can rot is if it wet or bug infested. He still wouldn't buy it...Has anyone with this much wood ever had a problem with rotting wood?? Thoughts appreciated..

Consider my avatar. That was wood that was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. There is still enough of that wood left so that we'll burn through 2013-2014 and part of 2014-2015. For sure that is not the oldest wood we've burned; far from it. I remember also taking some wood to Woodstock that was 8 years old (if my memory is right). Burned like a dream. I know of some who have burned wood that was over 20 years old.
 
Always variables to wood rotting.
In the PNW it's wet & mossy in the woods but the cedar & redwood logs last a long time but the other wood types rot fast.
Spruce here lasts a long time on the ground but birch about a year.
If you split stacks are off the ground, get good air circulation & stay reasonably dry, It'll last for many years.

If it a stack gets rained on allot, some pines rot fast, birch will get punky ,
That's why some areas and some wood types need to top cover the stacks.

Moisture in the wood is the key. Get it dry & Keep it dry, it'll last until it's burned ;)
 
Consider my avatar. That was wood that was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. There is still enough of that wood left so that we'll burn through 2013-2014 and part of 2014-2015. For sure that is not the oldest wood we've burned; far from it. I remember also taking some wood to Woodstock that was 8 years old (if my memory is right). Burned like a dream. I know of some who have burned wood that was over 20 years old.
And I'll be burning some mulberry here soon that I scrounged and and split when my first daughter was born 4 years ago. That thar is some nice wood. I have a 4 inch thick white birch cookie that I picked up about 15 years ago somewhere.... its too purdy to burn so it sits in my garage/woodshed. hehe
chuck
 
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If it is all in contact with wet ground, then yes, it probably will rot in a couple of years. Otherwise......

You know, unfortunately, there are also a lot of people that think that any firearm, even if it is unloaded and locked in a safe, is a ticking time bomb. They will not hear otherwise. I wouldn't recommend handing any of these folks a loaded (gassed and oiled-up) chainsaw without checking their chainsaw operating permit.
 
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Its understandable that this guy thinks that since hes not a woodburner, my BIL has been a burner his whole life (even as a kid) and his business is cutting and selling firewood and he insists my woods gonna rot before I get to use it, I started the year with 12 cords :confused:
 
Its understandable that this guy thinks that since hes not a woodburner, my BIL has been a burner his whole life (even as a kid) and his business is cutting and selling firewood and he insists my woods gonna rot before I get to use it, I started the year with 12 cords :confused:

Tell me where in Central MA you're at bro and I'll gladly liberate some of your wood before it meets an unfortunate fate :) :) :) I'm here to help :)
 
People hear the term dry rot and think that ... Few people realize dry rot is not rot at all but a fungus and is actually caused by moisture.

If they really insist send them to England to look at 1000 year old barns or the wooden chairs from king Tuts tomb.....

I'm pretty sure 'dry rot' only applies to tires....no?? If rubber tires sit for so long they'll eventually dry out a bit and crack. But rubber and wood are two totally different, totally un-related aminimals!!


By some miracle, the rough cut 2x10 joists in my basement that are holding up my 87 year old house don't show any signs of rot on them at all??? Shouldn't the house be falling down around us??? If/when it starts falling, I'll cut it up and burn it :)
 
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I'll be burning oak from spring of 2009 this year and it's as solid as the day I split it. Keep it off the ground and top covered and it will last a long time. Any of it touches the ground and it's a game changer.

I've encountered the same conversation many times with neighbors. I offer to show them wood that is nearly 4 years in the stack and they decline. ;lol

My dad still has elm from the late 80's in his wood rack that is hard as a rock still, it's off the ground and covered.
 
Had a conversation with a buddy at worked and he asked me how many face cords I had for the winter. I told him about 30...
I typically have more than that on hand. How long for you to burn that much? Even if not well laid up, I cannot see it rotting in the time it would take to turn over that inventory.

Typical ignorance or sour grapes on the part of your buddy.
 
wood will only rot if it gets wet, then dries, then gets wet, then dries...... etc....

Wood that is kept dry or kept wet will not rot. Consider Boston's Back Bay area. That area used to be all landfill and many of the buildings are supported by wooden piles.
 
Hey, tell that guy about my recommendation. Everyone 3 years ahead on the wood! Solves about 99% of all wood stove related problems.
 
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I typically have more than that on hand. How long for you to burn that much? Even if not well laid up, I cannot see it rotting in the time it would take to turn over that inventory.

Typical ignorance or sour grapes on the part of your buddy.
I usually burn between 7-9 face cords a year. Just like to have plenty on hand..
 
I usually burn between 7-9 face cords a year. Just like to have plenty on hand..
So then about 4 years worth. You would need to have wood laid up very poorly to have it rot in just 4 years.
 
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