Any thing worng with wood piles?

[19FarmHand78]

This is my first season burning wood, but I'm trying to get ahead of the game and starting to split wood for next year and two years from now. From what I have seen most guys on here split and stack outside, I'm planing on seasoning outside then staking inside before use. (I've got an extra 20x20 garage not being use for any thing else so that's my wood shed) I think that stacking in rows to season might be best, but I'd like to keep the number of times handling the wood to a minimum. I've got two concrete grain bin pads on the farm, 20' diameter each, I was thinking of using my father in-laws wood elevator to pile the splits on them, but not sure if it will season well in piles. I'm splitting mix of walnut, locust, cherry, and oaks (oaks will be used a few years down the road) Anything wrong with piles? Should I put pallets down before I pile or stack on concrete?

Thanks,
19FarmHand78
Nathan

 

[rkshed]

This is my first season burning wood, but I'm trying to get ahead of the game and starting to split wood for next year and two years from now. From what I have seen most guys on here split and stack outside, I'm planing on seasoning outside then staking inside before use. (I've got an extra 20x20 garage not being use for any thing else so that's my wood shed) I think that stacking in rows to season might be best, but I'd like to keep the number of times handling the wood to a minimum. I've got two concrete grain bin pads on the farm, 20' diameter each, I was thinking of using my father in-laws wood elevator to pile the splits on them, but not sure if it will season well in piles. I'm splitting mix of walnut, locust, cherry, and oaks (oaks will be used a few years down the road) Anything wrong with piles? Should I put pallets down before I pile or stack on concrete?

Thanks,
19FarmHand78
Nathan

My experience has been stacking is best to allow good airflow. Pallets for sure. Looks nice too.

 

[Maple man]

i would season it out side then i would move in in the garage if it is seasond then use the wood elivator and pile it in the garage dont bother stacking it twice :lol:

 

[SolarAndWood]

There are a number of us black sheep of the forum that heap instead of stack. If you have a windy well drained site, I think it works fine and is a lot less effort. If I had a grapple bucket and a strong enough shed, I would never stack until it was going in the firebox.

 

[Thistle]

I usually dump larger rounds in a heap for 2-3 months until I get them all split & stacked.But I try not to leave them like that very long.If done in Fall or Winter they can stay a bit longer though.

 

[gzecc]

Maybe stack to season, then pile in the garage.

 

[LLigetfa]

I've tried heaping and even tried variations of it and never got very good results. If you're too lazy to stack, maybe oil is the way to go.

I stack three times. First after bucking, then again after splitting. The stacks sit outside for a while to dry and then get restacked in the woodshed.

 

[ScotO]

split up yer wood, let it season for at least a year outside if ya can, and put it in the shed the season before you plan on using it. I am building a woodshed this summer for sure, and that's how I'm gonna do it. I am three years ahead on my wood, so each summer I will haul what I am going to use the following season into the new shed and during that winter I will restock the empty space where it resided prior to the shed. ALWAYS stacked on pallets after splitting. I cannot stand the clutter of a heap of splits laying around in the backyard!

 

[LLigetfa]

If you have lots of wood to be years ahead and so not in a rush to get it dry enough to burn, then something like this would be nice.

http://www.tdc.ca/firewood.jpg

If you don't like to stack, then I'm guessing something like this is out of the question.

http://mha-net.org/graphics/koppel88s.jpg

Here's an interesting way using 6 inch rebar mesh but I don't know how they get the wood out of it.

http://heatingthemidwest.org/wp-content/uploads//firewood-and-logs-1024x380.jpg

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Some interesting stacking there LLigetfa. I'd seen a couple of them before but the others are new to me.



19FarmHand78, welcome to the forum.

In some areas just piling up the wood can work but not in many spots. One big plus are the pads you had for the grain bins. However, if I'm correct, your area can get pretty darned wet and stay that way for a long time. In my book, it is always best to dry the wood outdoors at least through the summer and fall before the snow flies. Some wood will be okay then to move inside but others might need to stay out another year or maybe even 2 more years. For our area, we've found that oak really needs 3 years to dry properly. Some get by in 2 years and then there is occasionally the oddball that says they can burn oak after only a year.

Here is a picture showing how we stack. That particular wood was cut during the winter of 2008-2009. It was split and stacked in April 2009. In October we move the winter's supply into the barn to keep it out of the snow. Also, the wood that stays outside gets covered on the top. As you can see we just use old galvanized roofing for that and it works very well.

By the way, there is still enough wood there to run us through next winter and part of the following winter. We believe in keeping plenty of wood on hand. This assures it will be dry enough to burn properly and by doing that we burn less wood and get more heat. We also don't have to be concerned with creosote in the chimney.

Another added benefit of having multiple years of wood ready to burn is that should sickness or injury happen there is not a problem. We would not need to depend upon others to get our wood supply ready as we have plenty. We've had a few cases of this to some members on this forum and it is nice to know that you have still provided for your family's heat.

So, I still recommend stacking the wood. Using the elevator is a great idea too.

 

[bogydave]

A few times I piled up wood, I had very little drying on the inside if the pile (some moldy & some rotten).

Stacked off the ground with space between rows, helps all the splits to dry faster.
Many ways work, time , location, wood type etc.

Best for your situation is what you have to do. Sounds like you have lots of space. Off the ground in single rows has proven best.

PapaDave is the "Gold standard" of stacking wood to season :
https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/forums/viewthread/83998/
Pic of PapaDave rows.
The Best:

 

[19FarmHand78]

Thanks for the input guys... The two reasons I'm thinking about piles is:
(A) That is how my father in law does his wood for his central boiler, his rotation is; cut logs this winter(2011-12), have the processor in next year(2012), and burn after two years piled(2014-15) And I was thinking of doing mine the same way, just a smaller scale then him. His boiler doesn't care how green the wood is, but I've checked it and it runs 20-25% His splits and piles are huge, we ran two semi loads of wood through the processor last fall. My splits are much much smaller, and my pile will be less then a 1/4 of his. The pads I will use are in a spot to catch both winter and summer winds, don't pool water after a rain, and are behind the shed so are out of site.

(B) Time... I've spent all winter cutting logs, and bucking up the dryer stuff to split for next year(20-35%). In the next few week I'll be in the fields and unless it rains I'll be in a tractor or sprayer 6 to 7 days a week till oh about September. We have fence that must be built, hay season will be here before I know it, then stack on odd farm and house jobs, helping with 3 family business's the fire department and oh yeah my first born is due in august. Not being lazy, just a long way to go and a short time to get there.

Unless I get more time, piles will be the way I go this year I know stacks will dry out better/faster and if i get some time I'll stack it.

Thanks again guys... this place is a wealth of wood burning information.
19FarmHand78
Nathan

 

[flyingcow]

As long as there is good drainage and wind for airflow, I've had decent luck heaping into big pile for a yr, than stacking in garage for the season.

 

[Kenster]

If you have to stack, I'd suggest several small piles instead of one big one. This will give the wood more exposure.

 

[Adabiviak]

OMG - those are almost... unusable? Is there fencing or some other net around them to hold them in place?

 

[Jags]

Single row stacks in a sunny, windy spot is the best. There, I said it.

I am one of the black sheep that Solarandwind speaks of (so is he ;-) ). I have even coined the term heapinhausinâ„¢ :lol: , BUT, I am a couple of years out on my firewood and whatever I plan on burning goes into a shed for a couple of months (stacked) to finish out. I also stir up the stack a couple of times per year with a loader tractor.

Edit - forgot to add: It is on a cement pad with good drainage and gets MUCHO wind.

 

[smokinj]

Single row stacks in a sunny, windy spot is the best. There, I said it.

I am one of the black sheep that Solarandwind speaks of (so is he ;-) ). I have even coined the term heapinhausinâ„¢ :lol: , BUT, I am a couple of years out on my firewood and whatever I plan on burning goes into a shed for a couple of months (stacked) to finish out. I also stir up the stack a couple of times per year with a loader tractor.

Edit - forgot to add: It is on a cement pad with good drainage and gets MUCHO wind.

I would do that if I had a loader. Otherwise when you get to the center and its around 0 bad bad bad!

 

[Jags]

Single row stacks in a sunny, windy spot is the best. There, I said it.

I am one of the black sheep that Solarandwind speaks of (so is he ;-) ). I have even coined the term heapinhausinâ„¢ :lol: , BUT, I am a couple of years out on my firewood and whatever I plan on burning goes into a shed for a couple of months (stacked) to finish out. I also stir up the stack a couple of times per year with a loader tractor.

Edit - forgot to add: It is on a cement pad with good drainage and gets MUCHO wind.

I would do that if I had a loader. Otherwise when you get to the center and its around 0 bad bad bad!

Yep, could be bad. The pile I have right now is 99.2% white oak. I AM considering stacking that in rows, just to make sure it gets where it needs to be when time comes to make it into ashes.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Thanks for the input guys... The two reasons I'm thinking about piles is:
(A) That is how my father in law does his wood for his central boiler, his rotation is; cut logs this winter(2011-12), have the processor in next year(2012), and burn after two years piled(2014-15) And I was thinking of doing mine the same way, just a smaller scale then him. His boiler doesn't care how green the wood is, but I've checked it and it runs 20-25% His splits and piles are huge, we ran two semi loads of wood through the processor last fall. My splits are much much smaller, and my pile will be less then a 1/4 of his. The pads I will use are in a spot to catch both winter and summer winds, don't pool water after a rain, and are behind the shed so are out of site.

(B) Time... I've spent all winter cutting logs, and bucking up the dryer stuff to split for next year(20-35%). In the next few week I'll be in the fields and unless it rains I'll be in a tractor or sprayer 6 to 7 days a week till oh about September. We have fence that must be built, hay season will be here before I know it, then stack on odd farm and house jobs, helping with 3 family business's the fire department and oh yeah my first born is due in august. Not being lazy, just a long way to go and a short time to get there.

Unless I get more time, piles will be the way I go this year I know stacks will dry out better/faster and if i get some time I'll stack it.

Thanks again guys... this place is a wealth of wood burning information.
19FarmHand78
Nathan

Nathan, I'm always amazed at the difference in the regions. Around these parts it is amazing that once in a great while someone will get oats planted in March. I remember the first time we ever did that and I was amazed then. It had been one of those years when we just could not get all the corn out that fall and believe it or not, we were picking corn in March. When we finished I was instructed to hook onto the disk. "We're going to plant oats tomorrow!" I could hardly believe it but we did. It doesn't happen much though around here.

 

[ruserious2008]

Funny I was thinking about this question after driving by a firewood operation where they piled. Most of the sellers leave it piled for 9 months or so and sell it as "seasoned" which I think is laughable.
My own experience is I scored about 4 cords of mixed hardwood, cut split and seasoned that had been sitting piled for 3 years. I hauled it all home and tried to stack it so I would have an idea whether I was working off the outside, middle or deep inside the pile. I'm probably only about 1 cord into the 4 but well past what I would consider the outside pieces and I can tell you at 3 years the oak still hisses a lot and even the maple will hiss for a few minutes. I have other 2 year old stacked maple that burns with no hissing.
So I'd say its worth stacking it outside but once you get it in that garage with no sun or airflow I'd say you'd get minimal additional drying stacked or piled. Watch out for carpenter ants and termites putting it inside a building. Some preemptive spraying of your structure might no be a bad idea.
Good luck

 

[19FarmHand78]

Something I've been thinking about the garage, I'll have pallets on the floor and was thinking of trying to make it work like a corn dryer bin, put vents in at floor level,(to let air in from outside) then put two or more turbo roof vents in the roof. (worly bird vents that uses wind to turn a fan to suck air out of the building) So I would be moving air through the wood, stacked nicely, and maybe help dry the wood more, or at least keep it from whicking moister.

Dennis, funny you say that we just got the first pallet of oat seed in today and should start seeding in the next week or so, but calling for rain so doubt it. Will be done with ammonia mid mar, and start spraying pre-plant corn at that time. Next thing I know it's gonna be labor day and I'll be wondering where the summer went.

19FarmHand78
Nathan

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Yup Nathan, you are way ahead of us. It reminds me of many moons ago when we lived in Indiana for 2 years. It was the first time I'd ever seen wheat combined on the 4th of July. Then one time we took a trip through Missouri in April and were amazed they were cultivating corn. We hadn't even planted corn yet! Amazing.

btw, one of my sayings is that wood is not a sponge (unless it is punky) so we don't worry about wood soaking up moisture.