Question about not covering stacks

[lfunk11]

I have been reading just about every post here since I have very little experience with getting wood, cutting it, splitting it, and finally stacking it. I see some people do not cover their stacks and I was wondering what they do when it rains? I have been in a rush to get the wood cut and stacked along with getting the stove and liner in, that I never got a chance to cover the stacks. I have been running the stove since Sunday since its been a bit chilly here and we are going to use it as our only heat source. So the last two days I have gone out to get some wood off the stacks and it is wet. It fires up without any real issues, but I would think I am losing some heat this way? Its not completely wet, but more on the top and ends.

Is there some process people use who do not cover their stacks or do they just deal with the wood being a little wet? I will eventually get the stacks covered, but until then I was looking for some advice. Not really interested in discussin covering vs not covering since I think that is more of a personal choice.

 

[savageactor7]

If the wet wood fires up that easy it must be seasoned so why not cover it? I would the top at least.

 

[SolarAndWood]

I burn shorties this time of year that are uncovered. I always have the next load sitting next to the stove. Refill the tub as soon as I reload the stove. Not sure that it really matters that much. Much more important is if it is dry on the inside.

 

[lfunk11]

If the wet wood fires up that easy it must be seasoned so why not cover it? I would the top at least.

I want to cover it, but I needed to get it all cut and stacked first. I also had to put the stove in and reline the chimney When we bought the house they had put all the logs from the trees they cut into a neat pile. Those logs were sitting there for roughly 5 years and were in roughly 20 ft sections. The ones on the ground were in rough shape, but the interior of them had good wood still. The logs on top of the stack had some rot, but were mostly good. Anyways, I had to get all that cut and split (split by hand). I also had some issues stacking the wood on my sloping lot with a couple of the stacks falling and a couple that I decided to re-stack (still learning). I am burning the stuff I cut back in spring first since I know its seasoned (the 5 year old logs). I still have two big stacks of split wood left to stack (~2 cords). I have some roofing felt left over so I was thinking of using that as a temporary cover until I figure out something better. I still have to build a rack to keep a face cord closer to the house so we don't have to venture out to the stacks at night. I am doing 95% of the work by myself so its been a slow process.

 

[PapaDave]

Use whatever you have available to cover, as you finish a stack. Easier than trying to go at it all at once, for me.
Also, like S&W, keep extra by the stove to help it dry before burning, if it's a little wet when it comes in the house.
If you have room, keep c/s/s, 'cause next year is on it's way! :coolsmile:
I got tired of messing with all the tarps and stacks of wood in my front yard, so I built (like so many others) a woodshed to replace all that. Looks a lot better, and now..............no more tarps, and no more worrying about the wood getting wet. Take a couple days and just do it, if you have the means.
Just a suggestion.

 

[Jags]

Don't cover during the seasoning process (my opinion).

After wood is seasoned and destined for this years burning - get a lid on it. Either a roof or tarp, but on the TOP only.

Surface moisture from rain is just that - surface. It will dry off darn near as fast as your drive way. Its different then cellular moisture.

 

[Wood Duck]

I do nothing when it rains. My stacks, which are round 'holz hausen,' seem to get we mainly on the top few feet and even there mainly just the outside part of the stack. They wood dries off very quickly on the outside of the stack. I am sure somewhere inside the stack are some wet spots that dry more slowly, but that doesn't seem to be a big problem. I have burned wet but seasoned firewood many times and it doesn't cause any noticeable change in the heat output. Theoretically it must take some heat to evaporate the moisture on the wood, but it isn't enough for me to notice. I have also burned a lot of wet and unseasoned firewood at camps and it burns too, but you can certainly notice the difference from dry, seasoned wood. The big pain with uncovered wood is snow and especially ice, not rain in my opinion.

 

[Gator eye]

I never cover my wood intil it's ready to burn and goes in the wood shed.

that rain only wets the out side of the wood and really has nothing to do with the moisture content inside your wood.

Covering wood stacks is so over rated. ;-P

 

[sgt7546]

The big pain with uncovered wood is snow and especially ice, not rain in my opinion.

Being a complete novice at this "wood" thing, what does the snow and ice do to wood over the winter? I have my wood for this year covered but what I'm getting now is for next year. Should I cover it for the snow and ice part of the winter?

 

[Jags]

The big pain with uncovered wood is snow and especially ice, not rain in my opinion.

Being a complete novice at this "wood" thing, what does the snow and ice do to wood over the winter? I have my wood for this year covered but what I'm getting now is for next year. Should I cover it for the snow and ice part of the winter?

Imagine that nice stack of splits being turned into a big chunk of ice that you have to beat each log away from. Yeah - it happens.

 

[Battenkiller]

Being a complete novice at this "wood" thing, what does the snow and ice do to wood over the winter? I have my wood for this year covered but what I'm getting now is for next year. Should I cover it for the snow and ice part of the winter?

Rain runs off, snow can either blow away, melt and run off, or it can turn to slush that just sits on the wood. That slush can soak back into the wood in the right conditions, but in my experience it usually blows away or melts and runs off. If it doesn't, expect a solid block of wood and ice sitting at the top of your stacks. Personally, I've have never had wet wood get heavily iced up past the first few layers. The stuff below may get "surface frozen" to each other, but one solid whack on the top of the stack with a sledge usually breaks the entire stack free from each other, kinda like breaking the billiard rack apart in 8-ball. The worst icing always occurs at the very bottom, so if you don't have your wood up on something (blocks, 2x4s, etc.), expect to have the first row buried in ice until spring. I've had years where I was out there in March with a pry bar and sledge getting those last 100 splits off the ground, then trying to get them dry so they'd burn. Not fun at all, get your wood up on something if nothing else.

I never worry about any of it because I always have a 3-4 week supply of wood in my basement, so it always has a chance to dry again before it even thinks of going into the stove. If I stored my wood outside until just before burning it, I would definitely build a shed for it. My recent experience with a flooded basement and wet lumber is that the ends will soak up and hold water for a lot longer than I previously thought they would. Four days now and the ends of my boards still aren't dry, even though I had a good fire going all day yesterday and a high-velocity fan going the whole time.

 

[sgt7546]

haha, never thought about the ice thing..thanks guys

 

[lfunk11]

I am going to see about building a lean-to (sp?) next year off the back of my shed to hold ~2 cords of dry wood, but we have only been in this house a little over a year and there are so many projects to be done. I could store it in the basement, but I really do not want to introduce bugs into the house. I see some big wolf spiders on the wood almost everytime I go out there and I do not want them in the house . I am just looking to learn as much as I can this year and then get things how I want them before next winter once I have some experience behind me.

 

[Battenkiller]

I could store it in the basement, but I really do not want to introduce bugs into the house.

I don't bring wood into the house until after we've had several hard frosts for that very reason. Been doing it that way for almost 20 years in this joint and I've never once had a problem with bugs. Usually start bring it in after Thanksgiving time, and I rotate it so I am always burning the wood that has been in the basement the longest. Since the stove is in the basement with the wood, it gets very, very dry.

 

[Skier76]

I leave mine uncovered...then bring two stack-it-bracket racks under the deck, near the back door for burning season. I'll then cover the other stacks that are in the backyard. Mainly, that's to keep snow off it and make my life easier when I have to get more splits from the main pile and bring them to the area under the deck.

It's amazing how much wood can check just sitting next to the stove. I had a split of ash I put on top of my log holder and put the end near the stove. The whole face of the wood was checked by the next AM. Now, I'm sure it didn't drop much in moisture content, but since the split was wet from rain the night before, it sure did dry off nicely.

 

[soupy1957]

This topic kinda ties into my thread, about covering the wood. We've had little rain this summer, but lately it's been raining for a number of days. My tarps, which are usually just on the top of stacks, with the sides folded up on top, are down right now. Tomorrow looks good (weather) so I'll fold up the sides again til the next series of days of rain. (I wouldn't drop the sides for only one day of rain unless it was promising to be a monsoon).

Winter........now that's why I have at least a half cord in the garage, and a ring of wood in the house. I'll be pulling from one of my outdoor stacks when I deplete the wood in the garage. The only problem "I" see with pulling wood from the outside stacks is the tarp sticking to the ground. (I guess if need be, I could get a bucket of warm water, and melt the snow/ice that is holding down the sides of the tarp to the ground, to release it without tearing it).

All this goes away next year, when I buy a massive woodshed for the back yard. (Ventilated, of course). I wonder what dimensions will be needed, to hold 3 cords?!

-Soupy1957

 

[nate379]

Always kept the wood covered growing up. Just the top, sides left open.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Wood is not a sponge so will not soak up moisture from rain. Only the outside of the wood will get wet and that dries fast with the wind you usually get following a rain. But going to the wood pile and having to scrape off the snow and ice is not so much fun.


Although there are a few who never cover their wood piles, we have in the past had some that we left uncovered but much prefer to cover the top of the stacks....but only after they have had a full summer uncovered.

We split and stack in April and cover the tops with galvanized roofing usually in November or December. We have used tarps but really do not like it. The big thing though is to cover the top only. We have done this for many years and have had no problems.

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I am writing after the master, and the master is always right.

Last year was my first year burning and after some heavy frosts I brought about a 3/4 of a cord in my basement at a time and it dried out very nicely in short order and I did not have bug problems. Not sure if I will do that this year or not. I have found if I bring it wet pieces they will light up quickly once I have a bed of coals going. Also, if I just set them on the hearth, or in the wood ring next to the hearth, they dry out in no time. I did build a small rack that is within easy reach of my garage that is covered with galvanized metal and it is working out quite nicely. I plan on refilling it several times during the winter, it probably holds about 3/4 of a cord. I will get some galvanized metal, or rubber roofing, or treated plywood to put over some wood. I am thinking of putting tar paper and shingles on a pallet and putting legs on it and placing it over a pallet of wood at a time (kind of a moveable wood shed). Next year I am planning on building a pole barn and probably a wood shed. This wood stuff gets addicting and you just keep needing more toys and space.

But the point is, the wet wood will not really be a problem as long as it has been seasoned, the rain really doesn't get back into the wood and drys in no time no matter what method you use. And go Mountaineers! My son is going to WVU and I own a place in Morgantown for the boys to live and burn couches.

 

[Got Wood]

I am thinking of putting tar paper and shingles on a pallet and putting legs on it and placing it over a pallet of wood at a time (kind of a moveable wood shed). This wood stuff gets addicting and you just keep needing more toys and space.

Thats funny I was thinking about building something similar...exact same concept. If you do end up building this please post about it

 

[Wood Duck]

The big pain with uncovered wood is snow and especially ice, not rain in my opinion.

Being a complete novice at this "wood" thing, what does the snow and ice do to wood over the winter? I have my wood for this year covered but what I'm getting now is for next year. Should I cover it for the snow and ice part of the winter?

In my opinion, snow and ice don't have too much adverse impact on wood, but can have an adverse impact on the person trying to haul a load of firewood into the house. I have rarely had the chance to try it, but it seems that hauling dry firewood from a wood shed would be a lot easier than digging firewood out of a snow drift, breaking the splits out of a slab of ice, or scraping slush off the pile before I can get to the wood. It is just convenience and snow up my sleeves that I am talking about, not ruined firewood. I am sure that in certain weather conditions (such as slushy snow) firewood can get wetter, not drier, but in general I think my wood dries out over winter even uncovered.

 

[velvetfoot]

Then you have the ice that gathers in the low spots on the tarp...

 

[Slow1]

The big pain with uncovered wood is snow and especially ice, not rain in my opinion.

Being a complete novice at this "wood" thing, what does the snow and ice do to wood over the winter? I have my wood for this year covered but what I'm getting now is for next year. Should I cover it for the snow and ice part of the winter?

In my opinion, snow and ice don't have too much adverse impact on wood, but can have an adverse impact on the person trying to haul a load of firewood into the house. I have rarely had the chance to try it, but it seems that hauling dry firewood from a wood shed would be a lot easier than digging firewood out of a snow drift, breaking the splits out of a slab of ice, or scraping slush off the pile before I can get to the wood. It is just convenience and snow up my sleeves that I am talking about, not ruined firewood. I am sure that in certain weather conditions (such as slushy snow) firewood can get wetter, not drier, but in general I think my wood dries out over winter even uncovered.

First choice: Wood shed close to the house with a nice covered walkway to get to it (heated would be nice).
Second choice: Covered wood pile with rigid cover - i.e. not a tarp so that it can hold up the ice and snow
Third: Tarps
Last resort: uncovered.

My first year I started out with tarps on my main supply and a small rack on my deck that was uncovered. This worked out fairly well except once the cold hit the deck rack became an iceberg (water dripped from roof and froze on the wood) - I spent time chipping splits out of there and trying to get them to thaw enough to bring in... Like others I do keep a few days supply in the house but that winter I had to keep towels under the indoor rack to collect all the water dripping from the ice melt much of the time - too much trouble and worry for me. The main pile did better as a whole once I could dig up the tarp and get it pulled back enough to get to the wood.

Second year I put a rigid (plywood painted) roof on my deck pile to divert drips off the top and this worked much better. I still use a giant tarp on the main pile. I only have to fill the deck (1/4 cord) every couple weeks (once a week at peak burn in Jan) so digging up the tarp on main pile isn't all that big a deal. Big down side to my tarp over the big pile has been that critters like my pile - chipmunks, squirrels, mice - they all move in pretty quick once I cover it (Just covered it about a week or so ago for this winter).

The rest of my stacks that are not "burn ready" remain uncovered for now.

IF I had a good location that I could build a shed I would do it without a doubt. Problem is that the only place I have would require that I bring the wood up a pretty decent hill to get to my deck - the kids like to sled down that hill so you can imagine dragging wood up it in January eh? Not the best plan in my book.

 

[lfunk11]

I am writing after the master, and the master is always right.

Last year was my first year burning and after some heavy frosts I brought about a 3/4 of a cord in my basement at a time and it dried out very nicely in short order and I did not have bug problems. Not sure if I will do that this year or not. I have found if I bring it wet pieces they will light up quickly once I have a bed of coals going. Also, if I just set them on the hearth, or in the wood ring next to the hearth, they dry out in no time. I did build a small rack that is within easy reach of my garage that is covered with galvanized metal and it is working out quite nicely. I plan on refilling it several times during the winter, it probably holds about 3/4 of a cord. I will get some galvanized metal, or rubber roofing, or treated plywood to put over some wood. I am thinking of putting tar paper and shingles on a pallet and putting legs on it and placing it over a pallet of wood at a time (kind of a moveable wood shed). Next year I am planning on building a pole barn and probably a wood shed. This wood stuff gets addicting and you just keep needing more toys and space.

But the point is, the wet wood will not really be a problem as long as it has been seasoned, the rain really doesn't get back into the wood and drys in no time no matter what method you use. And go Mountaineers! My son is going to WVU and I own a place in Morgantown for the boys to live and burn couches.

I am originally from Pittsburgh and I am a Pitt fan

 

[golfandwoodnut]

I am originally from Pittsburgh and I am a Pitt fan [/quote]

Actually I am from Pittsburgh and a Pitt fan. I used to have basketball tickets. For the last 4 years I have had to cheer for the Mounties too. WVU pulls alot of kids from the Pgh area (and couches) :cheese: