so, i'm about to enter my first year burning. just built my woodshed and stacked it with 2 cords. hoping the wood will be seasoned enough by Nov/Dec.
I expect to burn 2 cords/year (nights/weekends). my year end goal is to have 6 cords stacked. stock up now so I only have to replace my used wood each season, and will always have 1-2 year seasoned wood waiting each following year.
but the question is how is best way to store a 3 year supply of 6 cords? I built my wood shed to fit only 2 cords. should I build 2 more sheds? or just single stack, no roof? I live in Mass with lots of rain and snow.
Brakatak, I don't think I've welcomed you to the forum yet so consider this a warm welcome.
First, I do like your wood shed. Looks like you did a very nice job with it and you'll really appreciate not having to get snow off the wood before bringing it into your house.
Second, like others have stated, it is normally best to stack the wood outdoors first. The reason for this is that wood has lots of moisture in it and we have not yet figured out how to burn water. You no doubt have heard that most wood needs a year to dry before being burned. In practice you will find that this figure can vary a lot. Some wood can be burned within 6 months after being split while others can take up to 3 years or possibly more. So one of the first things to be determined is what kind of wood you have and when was it split. Count the drying time only the time after it was split and stacked. So if you can let us know what wood you have and when was it split and stacked, we should be able to give you a reasonable answer as to what to expect with the wood you already have.
Should you remove it from the wood shed? Ideally, yes. However, I would not go to all that work and just live with it and take it as one of the learning steps to burning wood.
The best way to store a 3 year supply of 6 cord of wood? This is how we do it:
First we do all our cutting after leaf drop and usually start around December 1. We cut off and on all winter and sort of stack the rounds right where we want to stack the split wood. In the spring after snow melt, normally in March or April, we then split it all and then stack immediately right there. In the picture (From April 2009) this was around 9 cord of wood. Under the wood we had cut some saplings in the woods (3-4" diameter) and laid them down to stack the wood on. We then left this wood exactly as pictured (except we cleaned up around the stacks a bit) until the following November. At that time we covered most of it with old galvanized roofing and threw some of the uglies on top to hold the roofing. One stack we covered with old rubber roofing. And by the way, most of this coming winter's wood will still come from these stacks.
In October, we move 2.5-3 cord into the barn and that is the wood we'll be burning through the winter. This has never failed us and usually we have our wood in the stack for at least 3 years or longer. Occasionally we'll burn some 2 year old wood but we always can tell a difference between 2 year old and 3 year old wood. Even with white ash, which some foolishly say can be burned immediately after cutting. We can notice the difference between the 2 and 3 year old wood....even when we are cutting dead trees!
One more thing to touch upon is your plan on burning. Part time burning can be okay but remember that when you do this, you will always be starting with a cold chimney. One consequence of doing that is the great possibility of more creosote. Better to keep the stove going even if a small fire. Are you concerned about burning the stove when someone is not there? If so, you should quickly be able to get over that. Consider how many folks burn full time and most of the time nobody is there or if there, they are sleeping. In our house, the wood is our only heat. We have no trouble sleeping and no worries if we have to leave the house during the daytime. Wood heat can be just as safe as a gas furnace once you learn how to run the stove and how to handle the fuel correctly.
Good luck.
Too busy dealing with rotten window frames and sills to have time to build a shed.
