Drying firewood - shed or covered in open?

  • Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.

    We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.

    We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil.
Beautiful! Did you design those yourself?
Yes, It was modeled after another similar one I built last year on the other side of my driveway that worked out very well. The second one I made the walls a little deeper with less overhang since it is oriented 90 degrees from the first one and not as exposed to southern wind driven rain as the first one I built. I put about 3 inches of 5/8" clear crushed gravel on the ground in them that does a pretty good job keeping the wood dry and the bugs out.
upload_2019-2-10_16-4-30.jpeg

upload_2019-2-10_16-5-4.jpeg

upload_2019-2-10_16-5-28.jpeg
 
Last edited:
I like those splits!
 
https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/simple-pallet-firewood-rack.167322/
I build racks of pallets, with roofing from whatever is handy when they are built.
Currently I have 15 cord stacked.

I started building these almost 2 years ago, and just recently started refilling the first few racks.
All they needed was a few more screws and a few more chunks of broken fire brick to bring them back to level again.

The wood gets wet on the outer ends in heavy rain, but it is perfectly dry for burning after a year or so.
 
Its snowing. Its going to snow intill tuesday. Then turn to freezing rain than rain the next 2 days after that.. never a tarp, wood never gets wet. My wood seasons quick
20190211_071554.jpg
20190211_071627.jpg
20190211_071640.jpg
when wood never gets we, it dries faster than being left out in stacks. Also the time saved not moving it to a different location as some do.. this is a simpler way with great results
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jan Pijpelink
Yes, It was modeled after another similar one I built last year on the other side of my driveway that worked out very well. The second one I made the walls a little deeper with less overhang since it is oriented 90 degrees from the first one and not as exposed to southern wind driven rain as the first one I built. I put about 3 inches of 5/8" clear crushed gravel on the ground in them that does a pretty good job keeping the wood dry and the bugs out.
View attachment 240573
View attachment 240574
View attachment 240575
One question. How did you anchor the uprights? Thanks.
 
20190212_172718.jpg

My pallet firewood racks cost almost nothing, and keep my stacks dry
20190211_125650.jpg

I haven't bought any lumber to build them, even the 4x4 beams along the center of each rack are Craigslist scrounges.
20190211_172326.jpg

I swing by the steel roofing at the big box and look for the buckled, cracked and dented panels, then buy them at a discount.
20190212_182009.jpg
they're also a great place to store my kayaks

I also use IBC tote tanks to cover my wood racks
20190212_172732.jpg

A free fiberglass tonneau cover to make a shed for the splitter

The other nice thing is that each pallet works out to about a third of a cord, making it easy to see how much I have, and have burned.

Once my wood is stacked , it isn't touched again until it goes to the stove, I'm currently burning wood that seasoned one year this way, I don't bother doing a moisture check, I can see it is seasoned by how much the stack has shrunk , and how easy and hot it burns
 
Last edited:
Yes, It was modeled after another similar one I built last year on the other side of my driveway that worked out very well. The second one I made the walls a little deeper with less overhang since it is oriented 90 degrees from the first one and not as exposed to southern wind driven rain as the first one I built. I put about 3 inches of 5/8" clear crushed gravel on the ground in them that does a pretty good job keeping the wood dry and the bugs out.
View attachment 240573
View attachment 240574
View attachment 240575

I'm a first year shed owner in the cascade foothills. Open sided 10 cord shed. I do have 3-6 inches of clean 1.25" crushed rock on the floor but I still use pallets. Is there just dirt under your rock? Doesn't the bottom row soak up the water and turn to mush?
 
Strictly firewood amateur here checking in from SC TN. Don't listen to me, I don't even know how to spell firewood, much less how to dry it.....

Yum4vGj.jpg


ACZjjlt.jpg


a7YjuFM.jpg



EElhIy9.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: firefighterjake