Hello from a newbie

[Jukeboxfun]

Hi, My wife and me have ordered a Hearthstone (Craftsbury) wood stove. This is their small cast iron model rated for 1400 sq. ft. We have about 1150 sq. ft. on one floor. From what I read on some other posts, we don't need to cover our woodpile till fall. Is that correct? Thanks! Steve

 

[Wet1]

Welcome!

I'm not sure there's one correct answer to your question. Leaving the pile uncovered until fall is one of the common techniques that a lot of guys use.

 

[Adios Pantalones]

You don't need to cover until maybe early fall. This year, however, we have had lots of rain. I actually will cover the piles when I know there's a storm coming and uncover when there'll be days of sun. Probably not necessary, but I sort of like the process. Only cover the top, not much of the sides so that air gets to it and it continues drying.

 

[Hogwildz]

Welcome, and sounds like you received some good info already. So no need to beat a dead horse.
As far as the stove, sounds nice, but i hope your using it for mostly a space heater.
Manufacturers numbers on the space & btu is usually a tad exaggerated, so your already over the capacity for that stove as afar a total sf of home.
Depending on your layout of your home, it may work out ok. Good luck and welcome again.
Do you know a woman named Flavia down those parts?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

By leaving the wood pile uncovered, it allows for evaporation of the moisture in the wood. Covering it will hinder this evaporation some. Therefore, it is usually best to leave the wood uncovered until the fall rains hit or before snowfall. Then cover the top only; leave the sides open to allow for more evaporation of any moisture left in the wood.

As for covering the wood when it rains during the summer, it is usually work wasted. That wood is not a sponge and will not soak up all that rain. After the rain stops, most of that moisture that fell is gone from the wood pile in less than a day. A little wind, a little sun and you are fine.

In a very wet fall with lots and lots of rain we do cover the pile then but usually it is late when we cover it. At present, none of the wood we cut last winter has been covered and we may not cover it until next fall either. But that is because we have such a nice sized wood pile (7 year supply) that we don't have to worry.

This year, as we remove wood from the pile, the covers (old steel roofing) will just get moved to parts of the wood pile that aren't covered. We just keep rotating the old roofing.

 

[Jukeboxfun]

Well thanks for the info on the woodpile. As far as the stove is concerned, we ordered it from Bowman's here in town. Clair is the fellow we talked to and he said this model would allow us to burn it at an efficient temperature without running us out of the room. It is a 40,000 btu non-cat that will heat 1300 sq. ft. we have 1150sq. ft. on one level (a rancher). I hope we were not steered wrong. Here is a link to see the stove. Thanks for any advice. Steve

(broken link removed to http://www.hearthstonestoves.com/wood-stoves/stove-details?product_id=12)

 

[Hogwildz]

Not sure what size room its going in, but for a room heater its fine.
A 1.5cf firebox will get ya somewhere in the 4-6hr burn times I am guessing. Also depends on what wood you burn & how you burn it. The first year will be a learning curve with you getting to know the stove. After that, you should know what works best for your burning needs.
I run a 3cf insert, and I fill her 3x per day, every 8 hrs. It can go longer but I like to keep a steady schedule & burn 24/7.

 

[BrotherBart]

I am from the school of cover the top of the pile from the day it is split. The rest of the world waits until fall. Follow the majority and leave all but a part of the pile uncovered till fall and cover the top of the other part right now. See which way works best for ya.

 

[Todd]

That stove will work fine for the occasional fire or supplemental heat, but if your looking to burn it for primary heat 24/7 you may want to look for something with a 2cu ft firebox for longer burns.

I generally leave my wood uncovered til late Fall unless I see a good soaker on the way then I roll my tarps down on the stacks. As long as your not in a wet climate like the Pacific NW a little rain from time to time won't hurt.

 

[savageactor7]

Welcome Jukeboxfun you know when the steady rains come where you live...cover the wood up a couple of weeks before when it's already dry. Wood C&Sed;and exposed to the all the elements of mother nature is still seasoning the way it should be. But there comes a time when wet stays wet...when that time comes...you're kind of stuck.