cover the wood pile or not???????????
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Some covered on just the top and some not. All just split this spring. Will see which did better at the start of the burning season. Next year I will do it the way it seasoned better. Had a pile once that sat for 6 years uncovered. All the top section was rotted and the bottom rows were not.
One pile that's pretty well seasoned is covered almost to the bottom. Another load I just got has just the top covered, and is situated in a place where I get good cross breezes. I will cover it better as it seasons and winter approaches.
Normally not until the fall, but with all the rain we've had this summer- I covered for a month or 2. Uncovered now waiting.
The stuff I'm going to burn this winter is covered, on top, and down the sides a foot or two, but it is well seasoned.
I split 5 cord of red oak in March of this year, and won't burn it until winter of 09/10, and it is covered with pieces of plywood and stuff, sides wide open.
Don't cover stuff that needs to season for as long as possible, but cover when fall arrives.
That's how this old boy does it.
I split 5 cord of red oak in March of this year, and won't burn it until winter of 09/10, and it is covered with pieces of plywood and stuff, sides wide open.
Don't cover stuff that needs to season for as long as possible, but cover when fall arrives.
That's how this old boy does it.
ansehnlich1 said:
I hear when you get the first frost cover .Do you think that the foot or two down the sides can trap humidity or Moister???
Nope! 2 (actually 4 now) years ahead. Wait till fall and load current years fuel into shed next to house. Easy.
johnnywarm said:
Nope, I got no worries with moisture, never seen any under my tarps. My dry and seasoned stuff is covered, but I just covered it up a couple days ago. The stuff I won't burn til next year can lay around uncovered, but I got my stuff that I'm burnin' this year covered up and not worried a bit about moisture in it.
You're thinkin' maybe condensation under there yes? If there is any it's minimal.
johnnywarm said:
Yep, the shed is 20 x 20 (100 yr old "wash house") that is located 5 steps via sidewalk to the attached garage "man" door. Take the 2 wheel cart from garage to shed, load with 48 hrs of heat. Go back to garage. I can walk out in my slippers to the garage and gather wood as needed. Again, easy.
We cover our wood up sometime in oct/nov just before the weather gets more wetter than dry. I can't tell ya the time exactly...but I know it just before it gets here.
The stacks that we have outdoors right now are not covered. The few times that I have tried to cover them, the tarp just gets thrashed up when the wind blows. Usually try to transfer a good supply indoors (garage, or front porch) prior to the heating season. After the first frost sounds like a good time to think about covering the stacks that are left outdoors. If I reload the garage and the wood seems damp, I set up a box fan and direct it at the wood pile until it seems dry. A little borax, and some eucalyptus oil wards off any bugs that come indoors with the wood.
Just moved the winter wood 4.5 cords under the porch and cover the top a tarp. It has been dry for 2-3 weeks now and want it to stay that way.
If it is constant rain and more rain? Then it ain`t like a box of chocolates? If it gets pissed down on constantly, then it is gonna burn like piss. Left mine uncovered from April till now. and now the monsoons have started early, so the tops are covered. My rows of wood have had all the heat they are going to get, now days are getting shorter. Albeit , the winds are getting up there, but won`t compensate for the hard rains.
Maybe a little "head scratching" is in order, or otherwise common sense. :-/
Maybe a little "head scratching" is in order, or otherwise common sense. :-/
My wood is sitting on a slight hill that gets a ton of sun right now. Uncovered. It's been VERY dry here lately. A very nice baking station.
I usually just babysit the stacks like a child. If rain is on the way (steady rain, not pop up showers and quickie storms), I cover the tops. No rain = no cover. During a rare storm that will hang around a few days, I may cover tops and sides.
As winter approaches that hill will see practically no sun as the 40 foot pines block the southern exposure. I'll move all of this years wood to my wood shed.....as soon a I build it!...which will face south with an open exposure to Mr. sun.
Gotta get that shed done before Oct. gets here. Nothing worse than seeing bright blue tarps strewn about the wilderness!
I usually just babysit the stacks like a child. If rain is on the way (steady rain, not pop up showers and quickie storms), I cover the tops. No rain = no cover. During a rare storm that will hang around a few days, I may cover tops and sides.
As winter approaches that hill will see practically no sun as the 40 foot pines block the southern exposure. I'll move all of this years wood to my wood shed.....as soon a I build it!...which will face south with an open exposure to Mr. sun.
Gotta get that shed done before Oct. gets here. Nothing worse than seeing bright blue tarps strewn about the wilderness!
You guys can thank me for ending our monsoon summer. I took all my left over particle board from the construction project and tossed it on top of the stacks. Next day it stopped raining and hasnt rained since. Go figure.
think you need to add some more information like when was this stuff split and stacked first. my leftover stuff from last year was put back under cover. The stuff that I split in March was just covered last week or so due to my meter reading of 18% in the middle of the splits.
yepp been covered long time ever since been stacked. only tops been doing it this way since i've been burning. every once in a while if we have a nice stretch of weather i'll remove the tarps.
Nope, don't cover. It will get moved in October to the porch where it will be protected by the roof and probably have a tarp thrown on it.
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