Covered Woodpiles

Do you cover all year round?

Yes we cover all year round ,it can rain nearly as much in the summer as in the winter.

My wood's covered on top. No reason to let it get rained on.

I didn't cover mine this year but I'm going to for now on - just the tops of course... With trees over my stacks there is a ton of debri falling into them over time.

I have my stacks perpendicular to the prevailing wind in my area, so if I cover the tops the sides will still get soaked. Do I cover the entire stack then?

Completly covering the stack creats a mini rain forest and the mosture from the wood can never escape :exclaim:

I don't cover till October, I believe that when the wood gets rained on and gets wet it wicks the moisture out from the middle of the splits and speeds the seasoning process.

I believe that when the wood gets rained on and gets wet it wicks the moisture out from the middle of the splits and speeds the seasoning process.[/quote]


Hmmmm I gues I should be hosing down my woodpile once in a while on those long hot breezy summer days???

How on earth would water help to wick water out of wood?

Well, it may be like priming a pump?

I covered all the wood I thought I would use this year in September and it definitely makes a difference. This is a practice I will be using every year. Now, to build a woodshed...maybe a Spring project.

IMO, single rows season better than covered piles. I stack in 4x8 foot platforms, cover them with a painted sheet of plywood to prevent water from getting into the middle of the pile and I leave the sides exposed for air flow. But If I had the space, I would probably do it your way since I like the idea of letting the rain, air and sun weather and season the wood.

this is by far the best method of covering your woodpile OTHER THAN the woodshed. We have a local building demolition company that has a thrift/antique store, and the wife was begging to go down and look for french doors to refurbish for our living room remodel. I saw some woodstoves out in the back lot and quickly made my way over to look at them. All old smokedragons, DARN IT! But on my way back across the lot I saw stacks of rubber roof remnants, brand new, neatly folded with the dimensions written on the top. two were 14' x 40' which would just about cover my woodpile, I think they wanted 20 bucks each.....that's it I'm going back down there tomorrow to get them!! Once I get the woodshed built this summer I will no longer need them but I am tired of dealing with leaky tarps!!

Okay, covering the wood in September makes it better to burn now.
Here's the question. Is it better to expose our wood to the elements from June-September, or keep it covered?

Have you tried 6 mil plastic rolls. 25' long x 10' wide. Sometimes I use them over tarps or aluminum roofing to waterproof it. I think it's a cheaper than what you're looking at. It's also light, small and easy to store.

Part of the wood burning experience for me is spending as little as possible. . . Not being a consumerist. My wood is free, my pallets are free, my alum roof is torn down from my house, I use newspaper and kindling instead of firestarters, etc.

doesn't hurt to keep them covered all year.....just the tops!

i'm not crazy about the plastic, it seems to rip and degrade.....but I am going to be able to pick those rubber roof remnants up for 40 bucks, and that is well worth having my 23 cords of C/S/S firewood stay dry......I have a lot of blood, sweat, and tears in that woodpile, it's like an extention of my family.......

2010 was my first year c/s/s and I stacked most of my wood on pallets, about 10 or 11. Digging into the palleted piles this year, some of the wood towards the center of the pallets is still not as seasoned as I would like, even though it has been stacked since the summer/fall of 2010. I checked the moisture content on several pieces after resplitting and some were in the 25%-29% range.
This wood was covered with plastic in the winter of 2010/11 and then uncovered spring through fall of 2011. I think the moisture from the rain got down into the center of the pallets and never really dried out. (Irene in late August did not help) I have some mossy growth on my wood from the dampness and the fact that it is in a somewhat shady area. I will not be stacking my wood tightly on pallets again. Single rows with space in between for me. I also bought a couple rolls of plastic and I plan on covering the tops of my wood piles the first chance I get. I was going to leave next years and the following years uncovered, but I have since changed my mind.

exactly the reason I keep the tops covered all year long. stacking them tightly in cubes (full cords, etc) is not near the problem as having a pile of rain infiltrate the stack. And this past year in central PA we got around 56 inches of rain. I'm paying for that rain now due to a couple of holes in my tarp...some of my beloved wood got wet! Rubber roofing, cover the tops only.....I will be building a large woodshed this summer, maybe even a small chicken coop on the end as an added bonus. The will eat bugs off of the woodpile, and I can eat the eggs!!

Wow, 23 cords! $40 sounds like a good investment covering that stash.

yeah I think so too.....I cook maple syrup in the spring so I need quite a bit for that alone. This time next year we'll be using the woodstove and fireplace both, so I need all I can get!!

It's not as pretty to look at, but I think I'll try keeping it covered all year. I just don't know if I could bare not seeing my wood, all of it, in the summer.

you'll be able to see it, plus it won't get all funky and have that ugly fungus growing all over it. you'll be amazed at how good it burns too. remember just cover the tops, maybe fold down over a couple of inches......

I have read all these reasons, to waste time covering, so I won't, there is absolutly no reason for me to join in.

I leave my woodstacks totally uncovered the first year or two. Then in the fall of the 2/3year I cover with 6 mil black plastic. This stays covered until I use the stack. I get the 10'x100' rolls for about 60$ and cut it into two 5' strips. A five foot strip goes up the side, over and down the other side. I tack staple it tight with a lot of staples. I have had no problems with it lasting several years. I have found with certain woods like maple, cherry, and especially red oak you may start to have some rot after a number of years. I would at least cover the tops. Locust, of course lasts forever uncovered and ash does pretty well too.