How do you keep really dry wood really dry during spring thaw?

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Poindexter

Poindexter

Minister of Fire
Jun 28, 2014
3,161
Fairbanks, Alaska
I had some magnificent spruce that came into my shed @ 12% MC just as the ground froze fall 2014.

Three weeks into the spring thaw those same splits are reading 16% on freshly exposed surfaces now, and pretty uniform 16-16-15-16 all the way through.

I could bring everything I need for the rest of the season into the garage. Pretty darn un-humid in there with the furnace running. Not sure if my wife could still park in the garage if I do that.

I just got called in to work, gotta go. I got room for ten pallets in a 2x5 rectangle under the deck. Not building an airtight woodshed under there. Not collecting old refrigerators with good door seals.

Looking for cheap easy ways to minimize outdoor moisture pickup during spring thaw.
 
My solar gable fan blowing into the shed keeps that from happening. A box fan on low would do the same thing. Of course having a floor that doesn't wick water helps mine too.
 
I have older steel round grain bins on elevated slabs. East sun cranks up the heat and the top has a hatch that allows for natural convection. With a summer being in there most wood is pretty crispy
 
Yup, as soon as I have the acreage I going to put a greenhouse like structure on a concrete slab with big enough doors to get my truck in and out.

In the meantime I have the space under my south facing deck, 4-6 inches of gravel on landscape fabric on bare dirt. I get good E/W and W/E breezes morning and night, I am between a river and a ridge. No moss growing under there, but little sunlight.

My best idea so far is to put RR ties down on the gravel, then a layer of plastic vapor barrier. I have enough visqueen from an estate sale to cover a tennis court, then pallets on the plastic above the RR ties. Then the wood - - but I ahve this other idea.

What if I sequester maybe two cords a face cord at a time wrapped on all six sides with the visqueen, just wrap 'em up real good to minimize airflow. Then when the thaw hits I can open those one at a time and bring them straight into the garage.

Worth a try?
 
A friend of mine has a greenhouse and things get pretty warm and uses it to dry various things very cheaply.
 
Why not leave that enclosure open on the bottom so that any condensation can easily run out? I am thinking put the RR ties above the bottom plastic and make your stack. Then wrap the 5 remaining sides with the visqueen. That way you reduce air impingement and as things cool off each day any condensation can just run off at the bottom.
 
Could stick a roof ventilator wind turbine in the middle with the plastic covering the lot
 
I hear a lot o suggestions to circulate more air through my wood pile.

I think what has screwed me is right at freeze up my wood was at my local equilibrium moisture content, about 12% wet basis.

Now, spring thaw time, relative humidity is higher, basically 100% relative when I got strong sun on melting/rotting snow. Especially down near the ground, its like a layer of really cold damp air maybe 4-6 inches thick


Even allowing for absolute humiditiy to be fairly low because of the +30 to +35dF temps I am seeing, it seems to me my wood is (was) dry enough that water vapor was moving out of that cool air into my woodpile very rapidly.

I might have the situation backwards, but intuitively I think circulating more of this humid air through my stacks is the last thing I want to do.
 
Your right, I was thinking more summer like conditions with higher temps that cook anything under the plastic and moving the heated moisture laden air out. Better get working on a greenhouse like structure. I got a 10x20 as a Amazon return for $100. Alaska is out on anything that good.:(
 
I have to ask what's wrong with 15-16% wood? All my red oak is at 15-18% and that is great as far as I am concerned. We can't get it any lower around here as the air is at that or higher here all the time. Is it that you have it get up into the 20% mc this time of year or higher?
 
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Its headed that way Gb. That's why he came here to ask and is why I suggested leaving the bottom open. There would not be much air flow to re-wet the wood but any moisture that was driven out during the day would have a place to run off at night.
 
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Oldman47 said:
Its headed that way Gb. That's why he came here to ask and is why I suggested leaving the bottom open. There would not be much air flow to re-wet the wood but any moisture that was driven out during the day would have a place to run off at night.
Click to expand...
The passive greenhouse kind of thing.
Then just wrap the pallet stacked wood in pallet wrapping and leave bottoms open. Ive seen this option on DEC passive solar designed drying sites.
The redneck cheap alternative.
It may or may not work to solve your particular issue but will be entertaining to check back in on.
Uline is a large packing/shipping supply company.
 
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Yep, a hillbilly kiln approach but in this case to try to keep dry wood dry.
 
I was kind of laughing at myself because its the only thing I would bother trying. Building a greenhouse is too ambitious money wise (at least for wood storage)
Had to look up Visqueen, never heard the word.
 
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Poindexter said:
I had some magnificent spruce that came into my shed @ 12% MC just as the ground froze fall 2014.

Three weeks into the spring thaw those same splits are reading 16% on freshly exposed surfaces now, and pretty uniform 16-16-15-16 all the way through.

I could bring everything I need for the rest of the season into the garage. Pretty darn un-humid in there with the furnace running. Not sure if my wife could still park in the garage if I do that.

I just got called in to work, gotta go. I got room for ten pallets in a 2x5 rectangle under the deck. Not building an airtight woodshed under there. Not collecting old refrigerators with good door seals.

Looking for cheap easy ways to minimize outdoor moisture pickup during spring thaw.
Click to expand...

People die for wood that dry.

Thats the problem your wood is too dry.

PS. what is a spring thaw ? Lol ;lol

bob
 
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English BoB said:
People die for wood that dry.

Thats the problem your wood is too dry.

PS. what is a spring thaw ? Lol ;lol

bob
Click to expand...
We actually call it "break up" here, when the ice breaks up on the rivers we switch from snow machine and dogsled to boats.

The ice won't actually "go out" for probably another 6 weeks or so, but it is +38dF here this afternoon.

Watch for the Iditarod to be re-routed again (third time this season) on or before Monday. Will have the usual circus start in downtown Anchorage on Saturday, travel by truck on Sunday, official timed start from Fairbanks this year (second time in 42 years) has been re-routed once already, if this weather holds they'll have to re-route it for the third time because the river ice is thinning so quickly. Mud season is just around the corner, and three days later mosquito season will start.
 
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If you want to keep your chips from getting soggy, close the bag. Same for your wood. Wrap it, completely. Put a few small weep holes in the bottom, just in case you get lucky and more moisture condenses out.
 
You might have to build a building for dehumidifiers or convert an existing one if you are pushing MC below the equilibrium MC. I thought I read Alaska was around 16% EMC
Kilns are not too crazy of an idea.
What is the most common heating fuel in Alaska?
 
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