I have the englander 30 and I have learned the importance of having dryy wood. I finished my about 4 cords for next winter. The first two cords were done before Halloween and the second 2 were done before thanksgiving.
I wanted to know if one year is enough to dry the wood. Also, I have been doing alot of reading about stacking it. I have it four rows deep and covered with a tarp. Is this bad? Should I restack to have one really long row? Will this really make a difference?
Also, Is there a big difference for having the wood dried for two years compared to one???
I read only part of the posts. Some I thought were good, some fair and a couple poor. But here is my take on your questions.
Question #1. When you state you have 4 cord for next winter, are you talking about the winter that begins December of this year or next?
Question #2. Is one year enough to dry the wood? That depends upon what kind of wood it is and how it is handled after being cut. There are some tree types that you can cut and actually burn it in six months. But there are others, mainly the oaks, that need 3 years to be the best.
Question #3. Is there a difference? That is sort of like asking if the Pope is Catholic isn't it? There can be a tremendous difference indeed.
Moisture meters can help a few people but I've never owned one nor seen the need for one. Perhaps that is because we've always tried to burn good dry wood. For us, that means in the stack for 3 years or more.
We do all our cutting in the winter months then after snow melt we do all the splitting and then the stacking. It is extremely important to get the wood split and stacked as soon as possible. Also to stack the wood off the ground and outdoors; not in a wood shed. The time to put it into a wood shed is after it has dried outdoors. When stacking, remember that air circulation is the most important. Sun is good but wind is your friend. Many times we have stacked wood where it has got little or no sunshine. If you tend to get wind from the west, then stacking N/S will give you the best results.
On covering the wood. If you don't live in a really wet area, then we recommend you do not cover that wood pile until the following winter or late fall. Then it is time to cover the top of the wood pile. Never cover the sides or ends. Never.
Many claim that stacking the wood tight together will not allow the middle of the stack to dry. We've experimented with that but have not found that to be the case. Still, if I had only a year to dry the wood, I would stack in single rows. I would also stack the wood a bit loose rather than trying for a nice neat packed stack (remember air circulation). I would also split the wood rather small.
That being said, here is how we stack wood.
Notice under the wood are some saplings we cut in the woods. We cut them usually at 10' then stack the wood on them. Top cover usually around December 1. Please excuse that tired old man in the second picture. That last picture is wood we move to the barn in October and that is what we burn that winter.