fact or fiction

[iceman]

wood actually loses moisture faster in cold dry air or summer sun?
i know this has been debated before but in the summer.. even when its dry out the rh and dewpoint is higher than in the winter when the high temp avg 20-40 degrees
humans can can stay out in the summer heat say 85 sunny 50rh dewpoint in high 50s, light breeze a lot longer than say 35 degrees light breeze 45rh and 30 dewpoint......so doesn't make since that in the winter would will season just as fast if not faster?
as long as it is dry?

 

[the_dude]

From everything I remember in biology, I would have to believe the wood would dry faster in cooler dry temperatures. I agree with you, I think anything would dry faster in 40 degree weather at 60% humidity versus 80 degrees and 80%. That is certainly more of a gut feel than science though.

 

[PeteD]

I am going with winter. The air is much, much dryer. Looking at my deckboards (CCA-treated SYP), they are much dryer (narrower) in the winter than anytime in the warmer months.

Dry air is more important than heat. When it is 85 degrees with 90% humidity, you have water going into your wood, not out of it. This is why doors close better in the winter and stick in the summer, especially if you have no A/C.

Edit: The wildcard is that I think you need some breakdown of the cellular structure during seasoning. This process may occur better in the summer, or even better with alternating sun and rain cycles (dry, wet, dry, wet, etc.). I suspect that baking in the heat is also good. But just to remove water content, I think wood dries further (less moisture in the winter) but maybe not as quickly as in the summer, but it depends on humidity. Summer in a desert would be the best of both worlds.

Pete

 

[iceman]

I am going with winter. The air is much, much dryer. Looking at my deckboards (CCA-treated SYP), they are much dryer (narrower) in the winter than anytime in the warmer months.

Dry air is more important than heat. When it is 85 degrees with 90% humidity, you have water going into your wood, not out of it. This is why doors close better in the winter and stick in the summer, especially if you have no A/C.

Edit: The wildcard is that I think you need some breakdown of the cellular structure during seasoning. This process may occur better in the summer, or even better with alternating sun and rain cycles (dry, wet, dry, wet, etc.). I suspect that baking in the heat is also good. But just to remove water content, I think wood dries further (less moisture in the winter) but maybe not as quickly as in the summer, but it depends on humidity. Summer in a desert would be the best of both worlds.

Pete

imagine getting dessert heat here in mass...lol
i think for us in mass where it gets humid.....i believe DIRECT sun light will season better if humidity isn't high
but fall and winter is where we are gonna get most of our seasoning ... but we don't utilize because most of us cover our wood in the winter if we leave side open will prolly season fast....am gonna try and experiment this winter

 

[wellbuilt home]

Every year i cut my wood in August and September and spilt it in oct & nov . I like to have 2 cord cut from the year before. By the end of January im burning the new stuff I have a MM but dont really use it for fire wood .Last year i had some bad wood and it never seems to dry .It still feels wet ? I did split the wood 2x4 x25".I just cut 3 large oaks in my yard and mite start splitting them tomorrow. I have new stove coming and need to have extra wood in case the stove burns more then the old one .

 

[Todd]

I like the Fall drying season. Less humidity and we still get some nice warm sunny days. Once it's below freezing wood still drys, but at a slower pace.

 

[AndrewChurchill]

I think I'm going to dry my pellets in my sauna.......

 

[billb3]

wind


often why those that put thier stacks out in the sun think it's just the sun. The stacks are also out in the open exposed to more wind than in the woods.



Summer breeze.

 

[moondoggy]

humid or not, the sun bakes the moisture out no?
WE would dehydrate left in the constant sun.. not in the wind on a fall day.
i'm kind of hollow like wood!

 

[Jay777]

humid or not, the sun bakes the moisture out no?
WE would dehydrate left in the constant sun.. not in the wind on a fall day.

That's because we have skin

(seriously)

We dehydrate only because we sweat to regulate temperature. And skin is a vapor barrier that protects our internal water from evaporation (even in outer space..)

 

[fossil]

...WE would dehydrate left in the constant sun.. not in the wind on a fall day.

We sweat, trying to maintain a constant internal temperature...trees don't, but they do lose moisture through their foliage. We most certainly would dehydrate in the wind in the fall, if left out there long enough without water. We need to maintain a much higher moisture content than a tree. Rick

 

[moondoggy]

alright i get that, but i have 2 holzzies....made of the same tree.... 1 total shade, 1 gets 3~4+ hours of sun and NO wind...its on the west side of the house about 1.5 ft. from the side of house.
you can tell by looking at the piles from 6 ft away which is dryer... the sun pile is already grey'd and looks old.

last year was my first burning winter.... from purchased wood, so i have no cold weather study... just playing an advocate for the sun

 

[fossil]

The UV radiation in sunlight will have a tendency to bleach the wood. Kiln-dried wood (heat & lots of ventilation) has no discoloration, and is very dry. A moisture meter is the only sure way to compare. Rick

 

[Jay777]

alright i get that, but i have 2 holzzies....made of the same tree.... 1 total shade, 1 gets 3~4+ hours of sun and NO wind...its on the west side of the house about 1.5 ft. from the side of house.
you can tell by looking at the piles from 6 ft away which is dryer... the sun pile is already grey'd and looks old.

Well, it's *weathered*... You'd have to split it to know if it was drier.

 

[moondoggy]

dang, really pulling for the sun.
i do have a moisture meter, i'm gonna have to start a scientific experiment...... that i'll probably never finsh.. or accidently burn my specimens in the stove.

 

[Jay777]

or accidently burn my specimens in the stove.

Well, that'll dry them right out!

 

[billb3]

moondoggy - the sun will 'tan' the wood just like it does your skin.
The shingles on the south side of a new house will usually weather grey before the north side, too.

it may actually be drier than the wood in the shade, though.
I doubt if you have NO wind on that side of the house. No PERCIEVED or APPARENT wind, maybe.
It doesn't take a big breeze to carry away the moisture from baking wood.

A pie on a window shelf will cool faster in the slight moving air faster than one on the counter.
It might even cool so fast it disappears.

 

[savageactor7]

I think the wood seasoning will depend on your geographic location...

...here in CNY, the cloud graveyard, prime seasoning is in the summer...although I was just recently convinced that because I get chapped lips in the winter my wood is still seasoning.