Warm Weather and Seasoning

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Beardog

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Jan 13, 2011
219
NW CT
Any idea if the mild winter in the northeast is helping my wood to season in less time than if we had a cold wet winter?
 
Yes, I'd say it is. Here in central PA we have had warm temps and fairly low humidity, definitely better than cool and damp like we have some springs. The question is how far ahead will you be after this winter. I'd say a couple of months ahead of normal, but not a year ahead. I am just guessing, of course.
 
We have hit 80's and almost 90 quite a few times.... That has to be better than 20's and 30's with snow and freezing rain.

As Wood Duck said, it wont put your wood an extra year ahead. But it definitely has to help.
 
we really only had a week of single digits, lots of sun and wind. record high temps= dry wood
 
It definitely was a better winter for drying wood than we normally have. However, don't count on a huge difference but there will be some difference. Most of the drying will still take place from May through September or October.
 
Most of the drying will still take place from May through September or October.

I don't understand this. Round here the humidity is like 70% in the summer and it rains all the time. I figure winter, spring and fall are the best times for drying. Bonus in my yard with the leaves off the trees as well.
 
Any idea if the mild winter in the northeast is helping my wood to season in less time than if we had a cold wet winter?

Wood is no different than anything else - Throw a wet pair of jeans on a clothes line in 40 degree weather. Now do the same in 30 degree weather. Which one will be dry first?
 
Any idea if the mild winter in the northeast is helping my wood to season in less time than if we had a cold wet winter?
I think this winter helped alot as it was pretty mild with lots of sun and wind and relatively dry too..I moved around 3 cords into my shelter that been outside uncovered for a year and was nice and dry..

Ray
 
I don't understand this. Round here the humidity is like 70% in the summer and it rains all the time. I figure winter, spring and fall are the best times for drying. Bonus in my yard with the leaves off the trees as well.

That was my reasoning too but turns out I was wrong, someone onceposted a chart with months and how much wood dried per month in the northern states, very little in the middle of winter and the most drying was done in July and August, must have to do with sun and heat as opposed to humidity. Dew points are a better measure of moisture in the air than humidity.
 
And those dew points are what gets high to cause the uncomfortableness we have in the summer. The closer to the temperature the dew point is the worse the air is. For sure when the dew points get to 70 or above, it is very uncomfortable.
 
I don't understand this. Round here the humidity is like 70% in the summer and it rains all the time. I figure winter, spring and fall are the best times for drying. Bonus in my yard with the leaves off the trees as well.


I don't understand the raining all the time either. I can agree the humidity can get pretty high and stay there but it does not rain all the time. And rain is what will keep your wood wet and not humidity.
 
someone onceposted a chart with months and how much wood dried per month in the northern states, very little in the middle of winter and the most drying was done in July and August, must have to do with sun and heat as opposed to humidity. Dew points are a better measure of moisture in the air than humidity.
Yep, heat makes for quicker movement of the moisture out of the wood. That said, if you get wood split and stacked now the wind will pull a lot of the initial moisture off in a hurry, then the summer heat will work on the remain moisture as the wood-drying curve flattens out.
 
I have measured a tremendous amount of drying through the winter months - I validated this with a very accurate moisture measurement. Based on this, I personally believe that the winter months don't differ at all from the summer months when it comes to drying wood.
 
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I've not done any scientific experimenting but can say without a doubt that in our neck of the woods the drying happens a whole lot faster in the summer months. It is sort of like the ground. I've always noticed that the ground dries a whole lot faster once the temperature gets over 70 but with the temperature, say, at 40, that same ground just doesn't seem to dry up very fast at all. I've also noticed that if we get a rain in the winter and the wood gets wet it takes a lot longer to dry than it does in the summer months.
 
I have measured a tremendous amount of drying through the winter months - I validated this with a very accurate moisture measurement. Based on this, I personally believe that the winter months don't differ at all from the summer months when it comes to drying wood.
This winter has been exceptionally mild and above freezing for the most part so I feel it has been advantageous to the wood drying process. I find it hard to believe if the temps remain below freezing for the most part though.. In my shelter it seems to do pretty well as the sides are tarped in but air gets in as well and the tarps actually create somewhat of a greenhouse to keep the temps up when the sun hits them.. After the burning season ends I roll up all the tarps ans secure them so full wind and sun can get to the wood but the roof keeps the wood dry for the most part.

Ray
 
I've not done any scientific experimenting but can say without a doubt that in our neck of the woods the drying happens a whole lot faster in the summer months. It is sort of like the ground. I've always noticed that the ground dries a whole lot faster once the temperature gets over 70 but with the temperature, say, at 40, that same ground just doesn't seem to dry up very fast at all. I've also noticed that if we get a rain in the winter and the wood gets wet it takes a lot longer to dry than it does in the summer months.
+1 I agree with you!

Ray
 
I have measured a tremendous amount of drying through the winter months - I validated this with a very accurate moisture measurement. Based on this, I personally believe that the winter months don't differ at all from the summer months when it comes to drying wood.

If you can't convince anyone else you might as well convince yourself. Eh?
 
If you can't convince anyone else you might as well convince yourself. Eh?
+infinity, everything dries quicker with warmer temps so not sure why wood could possibly be an exception never mind the 30+ years of drying wood to back the fact up.
 
Well, personal beliefs are personal beliefs. In this case, I have some data to explain my personal belief, and this post explains what I found for my Bitternut Hickory stacks.
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/using-a-multimeter-to-measure-wood-moisture-level.40033/page-2

From November 1st to January 1st, wood moisture content went from 27% to 22%.
From January 1st to June, wood moisture content dropped from 22% to 17%.

So drying definitely happened in the winter, and a lot of it. The location was an open, sunny meadow with a fair amount of wind.
 
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This winter has been exceptionally mild and above freezing for the most part so I feel it has been advantageous to the wood drying process. I find it hard to believe if the temps remain below freezing for the most part though.. In my shelter it seems to do pretty well as the sides are tarped in but air gets in as well and the tarps actually create somewhat of a greenhouse to keep the temps up when the sun hits them.. After the burning season ends I roll up all the tarps ans secure them so full wind and sun can get to the wood but the roof keeps the wood dry for the most part.

Ray

Ray, do you have any bigger pics of your shed? You have exactly what I think is an ideal shed for wood storage and drying, do you split and put directly into your shed?
 
I've been studying how to properly dry wood (for use in building furniture), and I have found some interesting facts about kilns. Do you know they WANT the humidity very high in a wood kiln? The very hot, humid air draws inner moisture (i.e. sap) out of the interior of the wood and that same humidity keeps the outer parts of the wood from drying and splitting. Humidity really plays a bigger role in helping season wood than you think. And from my findings (as I am sure others will probably agree) the rain doesn't keep your wood from seasoning (unless you have rain 9 out of 10 days a month), the inner parts of the wood not being able to dry out is what causes rot. My point is, heat and humidity are both OK for wood, firewood needs wind more than anything to dry out though.....yes I ramble alot....:rolleyes:;hm
 
From November 1st to January 1st, wood moisture content went from 27% to 22%.
From January 1st to June, wood moisture content dropped from 22% to 17%.
As I mentioned, wet wood will dry in less than optimal conditions but once the easy moisture is gone and the drying curve flattens out, heat helps. Going from 27 to 22% is easier than dropping the same 5% from 22 to 17%.
 
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