Wood picking up moisture

[Ctwoodtick]

The northeast has had very wet cloudy weather for a good month now. A bit of my wood is top covered, most is not. I have noticed my hardwoods appear to have taken on a bit more than just some surface moisture. For instance, some red maple previous measured at 20% is burning sluggishly-even after having been stored indoors for several days with dehumidifier going. I know softwoods can take on water but I was surprised by the hardwoods.
I will be going all top cover from here on in. Not cool.

 

[Tar12]

Our weather can be all over the place...so I always cover.

 

[Hasufel]

The northeast has had very wet cloudy weather for a good month now. A bit of my wood is top covered, most is not. I have noticed my hardwoods appear to have taken on a bit more than just some surface moisture. For instance, some red maple previous measured at 20% is burning sluggishly-even after having been stored indoors for several days with dehumidifier going. I know softwoods can take on water but I was surprised by the hardwoods.
I will be going all top cover from here on in. Not cool.

Covering should help if it's raining but be aware that even covered wood can gain moisture when the humidity is high. Staging wood indoors (even in a garage) can help dry it out better, although that might not be a practical solution if you burn a lot of wood. Good luck!

 

[Jay106n]

I’m seeing the same thing. Anything that comes in from outside (I cover) is damp and doesn’t want to light up. After a few days in the stove room brings them right back to where they should be.

 

[foxladen]

Our weather can be all over the place...so I always cover.

Same strategy for me.

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[illini81]

Our weather can be all over the place...so I always cover.

Those of you who always cover, do you just cover for the last year before burning, or from day 1? I'm still trying to figure out my operation...

 

[JRHAWK9]

I cover from day 1......

 

[Ctwoodtick]

That’s a ton o’ wood.

 

[JRHAWK9]

That’s a ton o’ wood.

Technically 90+ ton There was NOTHING there as of spring of '14. May of '14 is when I placed my first log in that area.

This is why I need to top cover though, as I need it to stay as much out of the elements as possible while still getting air.

 

[HisTreeNut]

I top cover from day one...too many pine trees over my stacks & I live in a humid area. Every little bit helps.

 

[Tar12]

Those of you who always cover, do you just cover for the last year before burning, or from day 1? I'm still trying to figure out my operation...

From day 1 for me...I don't like adding any moisture or leaf litter to the stacks and since I like staying 2-3 years ahead I feel this is even more critical...I make sure that the stacks are spaced to allow air flow...I once stacked everything real tight...that was a mistake as there was a lot of mold through out the stacks.

 

[Jay106n]

What is that noise? Sounds like Jurassic Park!

 

[sen166]

I don't like wasting time and money covering wood (that was outside in the weather for years anyhow...) with tarps that always wear out. If it rains or snows on wood that I bring into the garage for stacking or house before burning, I just leave the air open for a few minutes longer. In my experience, it does not seem that split and stacked wood really takes on much if any moisture to make a notable difference if it is covered or not covered.

 

[Ctwoodtick]

If you have multiple yrs to dry wood, agreed, probably doesn’t matter. If you have limited space or time or whatever, top covering should be your best bet against a damp year.

 

[Woody5506]

The only wood I don't top cover is the stuff I'll be burning a couple years from now, and the only reason for that is lack of tarps.

 

[BoiledOver]

Here, we top cover the firewood in September for the current heating season and allow everything else to breath 365 days a year. A tried and proven method used for decades.

 

[magillil]

Here, we top cover the firewood in September for the current heating season and allow everything else to breath 365 days a year. A tried and proven method used for decades.

I have this type of cover, and when I was adding wood to the top recently, I noticed that on the left side, the inside top of the fabric had a lot of water droplets. I don't know why they were only on one side or where they came from (humidity/condensation?) or what I need to do about the wood. My wood burning season is over until autumn/winter, so should I take the cover off of the wood for some period of time? I've never heard of top covering. Do I just take a tarp and fold it, so it only covers the very top of the wood stack?

 

[Ctwoodtick]

Top covering is definitely a great way to dry wood faster. Allows for much better airflow than your set up. I can attest that a damper than normal season can really slow down drying. I use cheap tin metal roofing weighed down by my odd pieces of wood (what we call “uglies”. Work well, but I do have to fetch them after a high wind event. I got lazy this winter a let some wood go uncovered after a storm, I believe that wood picked up a bunch of moisture. Plus the weather has been very wet in the northeast for a good while. Word of caution, I have used pliers to bend down the corners of the tin roofing, as the are very sharp and could easily hurt someone.

 

[PA. Woodsman]

I have this type of cover, and when I was adding wood to the top recently, I noticed that on the left side, the inside top of the fabric had a lot of water droplets. I don't know why they were only on one side or where they came from (humidity/condensation?) or what I need to do about the wood. My wood burning season is over until autumn/winter, so should I take the cover off of the wood for some period of time? I've never heard of top covering. Do I just take a tarp and fold it, so it only covers the very top of the wood stack?
View attachment 225451

I would be afraid that this total covering would trap moisture and cause mold and other issues.

 

[sigruts192]

My stack gets full sunlight from dawn to dusk, there is no need to cover.

One day in the sun and it is dry from any rain.

 

[magillil]

View attachment 225460 Top covering is definitely a great way to dry wood faster. Allows for much better airflow than your set up. I can attest that a damper than normal season can really slow down drying. I use cheap tin metal roofing weighed down by my odd pieces of wood (what we call “uglies”. Work well, but I do have to fetch them after a high wind event. I got lazy this winter a let some wood go uncovered after a storm, I believe that wood picked up a bunch of moisture. Plus the weather has been very wet in the northeast for a good while. Word of caution, I have used pliers to bend down the corners of the tin roofing, as the are very sharp and could easily hurt someone.

Thanks for the info and advice about bending the corners. I would be the someone who would easily be hurt. I currently have two straight cuts across my fingers from a sharp edged piece of glass shelving. And I have plenty of "uglies." I know about the wet weather, although I think you've had more than Kentucky. We woke up to a small sprinkling of snow this morning. I am more than ready for some warm weather.

 

[magillil]

I would be afraid that this total covering would trap moisture and cause mold and other issues.

I think you're right. I'm going to take the big cover off. I wish I could send it back, but I've had it too long. Maybe I'll write a new review to warn others about using it for wood.

 

[magillil]

My stack gets full sunlight from dawn to dusk, there is no need to cover.

One day in the sun and it is dry from any rain.

My wood stack is also in a sunny location. Maybe I'll leave it uncovered for the summer and put a top cover on in the winter. Thanks for your input.

 

[magillil]

View attachment 225460 Top covering is definitely a great way to dry wood faster. Allows for much better airflow than your set up. I can attest that a damper than normal season can really slow down drying. I use cheap tin metal roofing weighed down by my odd pieces of wood (what we call “uglies”. Work well, but I do have to fetch them after a high wind event. I got lazy this winter a let some wood go uncovered after a storm, I believe that wood picked up a bunch of moisture. Plus the weather has been very wet in the northeast for a good while. Word of caution, I have used pliers to bend down the corners of the tin roofing, as the are very sharp and could easily hurt someone.

I forgot to say that if that's a yellow Lab in your photo, they are my favorite dog breed and color. I've had chocolate (1), black (1), and yellow (3) and the yellows were my favorites. To be fair, the chocolate was a rescue who had never been socialized and hated other animals, but the black was a very sweet girl. There's just something about the yellows that I love. Now that I'm getting older, I have to stick with smaller dogs. At the moment, I have three whose combined weight is more than mine, and I never train my dogs well. So, I need dogs who I can hold back when needed.

 

[magillil]

I don't like wasting time and money covering wood (that was outside in the weather for years anyhow...) with tarps that always wear out. If it rains or snows on wood that I bring into the garage for stacking or house before burning, I just leave the air open for a few minutes longer. In my experience, it does not seem that split and stacked wood really takes on much if any moisture to make a notable difference if it is covered or not covered.

I have never been clear on what "split" wood is. Does that mean it's been cut, so that it is no longer round, but has been cut to have three sides?