Holz hausen - sort of

[mynx]

I am intrigued by the idea of the Holz hausen. It seems to be a good way to use space, and to create a very stable woodpile. What I am not so keen about the idea of filling up the core with loose wood. It seems that that would obstruct airflow on the inside of the perimeter, logs, and slow the drying. I made my own today which is the Holzhausen ring, but just a cross stack in the middle. That uses up some of the central space and also provides an inner buttress for the pile. It was a lot of fun to make, and really quite easy. Aside from all the splitting . Mine ended up being larger than I had originally planned – it is about 11 feet in diameter. I figure with that size and stacking to 6 feet tall, along with the cross, I have 2 1/2 cords socked away. The structure is incredibly stable – no wobble or looseness at all. The rows of horizontal logs are critical to keep the stack from sloping out. by the way, this is what late December in Michigan’s upper peninsula looks like this year :-(. My neighbor just bought two new snowmobiles this week, and is only able to enjoy the payments, not the riding fun :-(. Do any of you make Holzhausen? If so, do you do it in the traditional way with the core filled up? If so, how well does it dry?

 

[Prof]

This is the only way I stack my wood now. I'm on a 3 yr cycle, so the wood is plenty dry, even in the middle. I also move a season of wood to a wood shed in the summer to make sure it stays dry. A few years back, the summer and fall were so wet that my holz hausens grew shrooms. Made for an interesting heating season to say the least. Then I built the shed. At any rate, I like the aesthetics of this method. When my kids were younger, I worried about stacks falling on them when they were playing--they could climb on a holz hausen with no worries. Great conversation starters.

 

[Wildflush]

View attachment 321636
I am intrigued by the idea of the Holz hausen. It seems to be a good way to use space, and to create a very stable woodpile. What I am not so keen about the idea of filling up the core with loose wood. It seems that that would obstruct airflow on the inside of the perimeter, logs, and slow the drying. I made my own today which is the Holzhausen ring, but just a cross stack in the middle. That uses up some of the central space and also provides an inner buttress for the pile. It was a lot of fun to make, and really quite easy. Aside from all the splitting . Mine ended up being larger than I had originally planned – it is about 11 feet in diameter. I figure with that size and stacking to 6 feet tall, along with the cross, I have 2 1/2 cords socked away. The structure is incredibly stable – no wobble or looseness at all. The rows of horizontal logs are critical to keep the stack from sloping out. by the way, this is what late December in Michigan’s upper peninsula looks like this year :-(. My neighbor just bought two new snowmobiles this week, and is only able to enjoy the payments, not the riding fun :-(. Do any of you make Holzhausen? If so, do you do it in the traditional way with the core filled up? If so, how well does it dry?

A little higher and I can use it as a deer stand! Looks great!

 

[mynx]

A little higher and I can use it as a deer stand! Looks great!

I was actually thinking about that. There’s a deer trail that runs up along my driveway right in front of the woodpile.

 

[mynx]

This is the only way I stack my wood now. I'm on a 3 yr cycle, so the wood is plenty dry, even in the middle. I also move a season of wood to a wood shed in the summer to make sure it stays dry. A few years back, the summer and fall were so wet that my holz hausens grew shrooms. Made for an interesting heating season to say the least. Then I built the shed. At any rate, I like the aesthetics of this method. When my kids were younger, I worried about stacks falling on them when they were playing--they could climb on a holz hausen with no worries. Great conversation starters.

I do like the aesthetics as well. I am just now getting to a year ahead and that’s about all I will ever be able to do, principally because I don’t have room to store three years worth of wood. I burn 12 cords a year and I don’t want to turn that much of my land over to woodpiles

 

[mpaul]

Looks like that is stacked right on the ground. Do you have anything between your first row and the ground to prevent rot

 

[all night moe]

Looks like that is stacked right on the ground. Do you have anything between your first row and the ground to prevent rot

I see pallets, me thinks....

Edit: maybe not.

 

[mynx]

Looks like that is stacked right on the ground. Do you have anything between your first row and the ground to prevent rot

I dont. I accept that i will lose a few splits

 

[bigealta]

12 cords a year? What stove are you using and how big a space u heating?

EDIT: I just saw your post on your system from a few years ago. How's it holding up?

 

[mynx]

12 cords a year? What stove are you using and how big a space u heating?

EDIT: I just saw your post on your system from a few years ago. How's it holding up?

Knock on wood (pun intended), things are holding up well. No issues. Yes, 12 cords is a lot. With the warmer temperatures we’ve had so far this winter that should come down this year. I have burned three cords since mid October. Lately just been doing one larger fire per day. my current heating demand is approximately 32,000 BTUs per hour, measured by holding tank temperature drop overtime. I have no idea how much heat I lose through my underground lines from the boiler house to the main house but it’s probably not much. My supply temperature and return temperature usually differ by about 4°. I heat about 50,000 ft.³ of space.