how do i keep my wood dry while i wait for it to season ?

how do i keep my wood dry while i wait for it to season ?

sun and wind

Welcome to the forum penguin.

Cover only the top of the wood pile. Stack the wood on some poles or landscape timbers or (ugh) pallets. Stack it about 4' high and leave some space between the stacks. If you have a long time to wait you can stack it closer together but for most folks that option is out. Here is how we do it.

The first picture was right after stacking in April. Come late November or early December we top cover using old galvanized roofing. That can be screwed down to the wood and also we throw some uglies on top to weight it down a bit. We always try to leave our wood in the stack for 3 years or longer before burning. That saves lots of problems and also cuts down on the amount of wood we need to burn simply because there is not much moisture in the wood. This also has the advantage that we rarely have to clean the chimney because we do not get creosote.

+1 on backwoods way, if you don't have tin or such some lumber yards throw away shipping tarps. Some others and myself have asked them to save a fiew, You can cut them to fit and use some slats and screws to hold in place. leave the sides open and attach around the top, the air flow is the trick.

Do as Dennis and Todd suggests , cover the top of the stack . I use old metal roofing ,as that's what I have a lot of . You can also go to a lumber yard and pick up some of the stuff they use to cover lumber for shipping . Old rubber roofing is also great stuff . Thick (6mil plus ) plastic sheeting will work .

Savage, Is there an advantage to using galvanized roofing other than the weight and screwing it down?

If I may , You don't have to screw it down . a couple of pieces of clothes line rope will secure it . And galvanized ,or painted metal roofing will out last any other covering material by a long shot . It's cheaper in the long run .

There's a pic of what I'm talking about in this thread . Haven't loss a piece off roofing yet doing it this way .
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Stack and let it dry like other say, wind and sun... both equally important. After your wood is seasoned, just top cover or move to shed.

Do you cover all the wood, or just this years wood? I am a newbie also. I thought I read somewhere just to cover what you burn this year. I know you can get rubber roofing, actually it's called single ply vinyl roofing, at construction sites. Usually a new strip mall, large retail store, most large area buildings use it. Lots of scrap. Come to think of it, I would stop by the roofing company's yard and ask for scraps- Construction sites are harder to find these days.

My suggestion is as soon as you get some rounds of wood split them dont wait like I did and get behind schedule per say. You'll have
a heck of a time catching up if you do it by yourself and with out a log splitter. When you stack, cover it with some sheets of metal
like from Menards or something you can get them in lengths of your choice. You can use tarp but there a pain. Hope it helps ya..

I don't cover any of the stacked wood, only the small amount that I have moved to the back porch before it goes in the stove. I guess it would be a little drier if I would cover it, but this way works fine too, and I don't need to acquire anything to use as a cover.

Just stack it and leave it the first year, second year you can move it to a wood shed if you build one or I use 6 mil plastic sheeting from lowes, they have a bunch of different sizes to choose from.

Those are some nice stacks you have there Backwoods!

It seems to me that the downside to using sheet metal roofing is that it is large and difficult to store being that the size is not adjustable

Advantage is it works great and I have lots! But this does not mean it is the best thing; it just works really well. Most that we have are in 10' lengths so we just adjust the length of the stack (most of the time) to match the roofing.

Thanks Senator.

That is definitely not a problem at all. Most of ours is in 10' lengths but some shorter. As for storing, we simply lean them up against one of the wood stacks. The size not adjustable? Then simply adjust the size of the stack!

The rubber roofing will work great and many use it.

We split wood in the spring and stack right away after splitting. Then we leave the wood uncovered until late fall or early winter. In fact, I'll soon be covering the wood we split last spring.

Nothing fancy at the cabin...just some leftover roofing metal held down with rocks. No expense, works fine.

Helps to know your location.
If in the "wet side " of the PNW, build a wood shed (minimum top cover well)

Most places can get thru the 1st or 2nd years with it uncovered & it'll dry out well.
Cover it 2 to 3 months before use . So it surface is dry & 2+ years seasoned for the burn season.

1st year mine is just double row stacked with space between rows. (Haven't found any top cover that will stand up to the winds here)
Then to the wood port/shed until needed (usually 2 years) .

DanC,

I see you also use a tarp under your stacks. Keeps water from wicking up? Works pretty well, I'll bet?

It was an old piece of tarp that I found on the property. I figured I'd just try it and see how it worked. It's the only stack I've tried it with.

I have a lot of styrofoam insulation (blue, 2" thick, 8' long, 12-16" wide), also found on the property, which I put beneath my other outdoor stacks. That may work better, because the top surface is smooth and shouldn't retain water. We'll see...

I need to restack the wood on the tarp, because it was hit by a track loader working near it, so I may know sooner rather than later. I'll report back when I know something.