sun or wind?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
  • Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
Status
Not open for further replies.

Flame On

Member
Hearth Supporter
Sep 25, 2008
80
Southeast PA
I'm in the process of bucking and splitting a cherry. I can put it along the fence where it will get plenty of wind (as the fence separates my property from a large meadow) BUT it will be shaded through the late spring and summer once the leaves are in. OR I can stack along my property line where there is about 4 hours of sun, but the wind will be blocked by the detached garage. I should have it all split over the next few days and plan on using it next season (Dec. 09). I'm also stacking it in a single row.
Thoughts?
 
Flame On said:
I'm in the process of bucking and splitting a cherry. I can put it along the fence where it will get plenty of wind (as the fence separates my property from a large meadow) BUT it will be shaded through the late spring and summer once the leaves are in. OR I can stack along my property line where there is about 4 hours of sun, but the wind will be blocked by the detached garage. I should have it all split over the next few days and plan on using it next season (Dec. 09). I'm also stacking it in a single row.
Thoughts?
the btu's are 20btu on chery IMO I use it for smokin meat but sure it can heat a home!
 
Cherry is a good decent burning hardwood,it will be plenty dry by next December when your ready tro use it. Either area will be good enough. Smells good too !

I usuallly split mine around 4-6 inches.
 
I would go for the wind if its more prevalent than your sun. I don't think 4 hours of sun is as good as wind most of the day.

Shipper
 
If I had to choose, I'd choose wind over sun.
About a third of my firewood is Black Cherry. I love that stuff.
 
I would go for the site that provides the most early morning sum...sometimes that is more important consideration. But a good wind will do in a pinch.
 
4 hours of sun is not that much. I'd go for the windy spot but then I don't live in PA and have no idea what RH levels are there.
 
if you are stacking in a single row either place is fine... heck put them in both spots a see which one dries faster!!
if you were stacking more than 1 row deep i would still say try both ways as i had wood under a tree in the summer and when the leaves came out the wood rarely got wet! compared to the other wood getting wet and getting some sun,
but unless you live somewhere windy.... like up on a mountain or the bottom of one where you constantly have a breeze i would go for the sun 4 hrs a day of a microwave vs a occasional 5-10 mph wind i think the sun wins
#$##$# read your post wrong go for the wind!!!!! don't feel like erasing all this
 
For consideration:

How much sun is going to hit any piece of wood that is not on the top or edge of the pile?

An average 1 mile-per-hour wind blowing past/through a 4x8 foot stack of wood for one year is nearly 1.5 billion cubic feet of air.

In summary, I don't think it will make much difference either way. My wood pile sets mostly in the shade and oriented in a north-south direction...prevailing winds are from the south, meaning they mainly hit the end of the pile as opposed to a face. But after a year, I've always got nice, dry wood.
 
My wood pile is much like Corey's. Stacked N-S and doesn't get much sunshine but lots of wind.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.