I have found that the wood stays wet inside the stack for a long time if left uncovered so I think I may cover the top year round from now on
It would be a mosquito factory, too, unless the stack is used up before spring.From what I've seen, doing that keeps the mud off. But when it rains, the water still sits there and those bottom pieces stay wet. It's best to keep them off the ground.
I have tried stacking right on large flat rock from an old quarry thinking that the water would run right off and not be an issue but the bottom pieces still don't dry as well as they should, they really need the air to get under them.
pen
Helps to know your location.
If in the "wet side " of the PNW, build a wood shed (minimum top cover well)
That's a nice looking wood shed. It wont be soon enough to get myself on some acreage.Totally agree. If you are in a wet locale like OR where it rains or is very moist/humid for 8mos out of the year, minimum top cover. If you decide to build a shed, make sure it is fairly open to promote airflow (air/wind is a common theme here).
View attachment 82038View attachment 82039View attachment 82040
That rubber will get good and hot in the sun and should go a long way to drying the wood directly under it plus keeping water out of the center and bottom of the stack.Helps a lot to have it up on skids. After a few years they start to sink in the ground a bit and stuff builds up around the skids... if they're stable throw another level on. I've even got my unsplit rounds up on skids, and it helps to keep that bottom row dry.
I'm top-covering with rubber... used to work at a rubber part manufacturer. Got an entire shipment of bad EPDM in... 1/8" stuff, can't tear it if you wanted.
Also I wish I had an area where I could keep 3 or 4 days worth of wood...but I don't
I mean wet from rain. I feel as though the wood will get waterlogged over the long term. I'm referring to covering the top only from the day it is stacked.
I had the good fortune of starting my new hobby in the Spring of 2011. It rained for 3 months straight on my uncovered stacks. I have plenty of dry wood to burn right now. In fact, the little bit of boxelder I kept under my car port still has plenty of sizzlers. OTOH most the stuff kept in the sun, wind, and rain is burning fine now.
I wouldn't stress too much.
Penquin, When you say the wood is "wet" or " damp" are you talking about surface moisture from recent rain or do you mean "wet" as in green/unseasoned? If the wood is not drying out (seasoning) in your stacks I'm thinking a tarp will only make matters worse. It will never dry under there. The only use for a tarp might be to protect wood that is already totally dry. If it has not seasoned properly yet it's best to leave it uncovered, or at most, top cover only. Lots of us leave stacks in the woods that don't get much sun or wind, so we just leave them there an extra year or two.
If the wood is good and dry (well seasoned) then tarping several days worth of wood won't hurt a thing, just don't fully tarp unseasoned stacks.
We use essential cookies to make this site work, and optional cookies to enhance your experience.