Finished my "solar kiln"

I had to move my wood pile. It was behind my workshop and right next to the woods and was getting infested with carpenter ants and beetles. It had powderpost beetles in it before I even stacked it. I didn't get to split it until this past February so I assumed it wasn't going to be dry enough by November to burn so I decided to give the "solar kiln" a try. Below is a picture (the plastic isn't cut and stapled yet so it's a little sloppy). I was hoping this would help dry the wood and also kill off whatever insects are in it, or at least keep them away form the workshop. The wood was cut for almost a year before I split it, but it was sitting in mud (hence the beetles) and it's been drying in a shaded area that I assume wasn't getting much wind (almost touching the shop and trees not more than 10' away).

As it turns out, it didn't seem to have nearly as many bugs in it as I'd thought so that's probably not a big concern anymore. Also, I split one log to get a reading and it showed only 16% moisture. I've heard sweetgum dries fast but still, I'm pretty shocked. It almost seems like putting the plastic over the whole stack instead of just topping it would be a waste of time, but I already have it in place. I don't really see how it could do any harm though. Does anyone know of a reason I shouldn't do it?

The moisture should accumulate on the sides after dark and run down to the bottom. I'm waiting to see where it pools up at and then I'll cut it so the water will run out. I'm not sure how well this is going to work with the wood so dry though. I was counting on it being a lot wetter. But at least it will keep the bugs out (or in).

The frame does keep the plastic off the wood. You can't see it but there is a 2x2 running across the top acting as a "crown" which should let water run to the sides instead of dripping on top.

The one mistake I kept making was not making it strong enough. I wasn't looking for anything permanent so tried to go cheap and I kept having to add braces. I wish I had put stronger braces on the ends. Right now they're just strong enough to brace the poles but next time I'll make them strong enough to hold wood. I could have added more wood if I had, not that there is much left.

Oh, I found the carpenter ant's nest. It was in one piece I didn't put on this stack. I've got dead carpenter ants all mover my driveway right now. The stuff that wouldn't fit in my rack I will stack loose on the driveway. This time it will be 20 feet from the shop and surrounded by concrete. I guess it will serve as a control. I'll test both stacks come winter and see if this made a difference.

I don't think the frame is really critical. I built this after reading about it here and most of those examples didn't have a frame. I wanted one because I wanted to stack vertically as much as possible and I wanted it to look neat. I don't have many places to stack wood so this is going between the house and the shop. Unfortunately the only places I have that get a lot of sunlight are right outside the back door, right outside the front door and the driveway.