Not sure my wood will be dry enough???

[Prof]

I'm starting to get a little concerned about heating with wood this winter. I noticed one stack, that backs up to the woods, has mushrooms on it (they were oyster mushrooms and tasted good, but seriously). It has been the wettest summer I can remember in PA. I don't think we had more than 2 dry days in a row since spring. May have to bring some wood in and put a fan on it if temperatures take a dip.

I haven't taken any internal moisture readings from the stacks I have in the sun (or at least where the sun usually shines), but I'm hoping that they lose moisture quickly if given the chance.

 

[ThunderMedic]

You're not the only one. I'm concerned that my stacks won't be dry either. It's been incredibly humid here in southern Maryland with near daily rain for months.

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[toddnic]

Do you cover the wood that you are going to burn this season? We have an abundant amount of rain in the western mountains of NC and I always cover the wood that I will be burning in the current season. We normally get between 70 and 80 inches of rain each year. I can't imagine how long it would take for the wood to dry in my climate without it being covered.

 

[bholler]

Yes top covering will help. Mine gets covered as soon as its split. But the humidity this summer is going to make things take longer.

 

[Prof]

I build holz hausens these days--so I don't top cover. I am usually just fine bringing about a week's worth of wood in the house at a time and any surface moisture evaporates readily. The constant humidity and rain this summer is what seems to be different to me than previous years. A woodshed is on my list of summer projects for next year.

 

[ZZ Tom]

Water water everywhere...I wish!! I've had rainfall TWICE since May at my place. I've been waiting for my stacks to spontaneously combust due to the heat and dryness here.

 

[Prof]

Water water everywhere...I wish!! I've had rainfall TWICE since May at my place. I've been waiting for my stacks to spontaneously combust due to the heat and dryness here.

We do seem to live in a world of extremes these days.

 

[Chas0218]

Same, My ash cut 6 months ago is down to 22% and the red maple is down to 30%. Normally my ash is ready to burn in just 2 or 3 months and the red maple around 6. The red maple is going on 9 months now and still pretty high M.C. With less dry wood I stack it near my stove and in about 2 days it will be around 20%.

 

[Sully1515]

It may make sense to plan to have a woodshed on one's property. Of course, depending on the amount of property one has, the cost, etc. But, it may be worth planning in the near future. Just a suggestion. Would firewood stacked on pallets in a woodshed be feasible on your property?

 

[Prof]

Same, My ash cut 6 months ago is down to 22% and the red maple is down to 30%. Normally my ash is ready to burn in just 2 or 3 months and the red maple around 6. The red maple is going on 9 months now and still pretty high M.C. With less dry wood I stack it near my stove and in about 2 days it will be around 20%.

That's pretty much my plan too--maybe fall will be dry??

 

[Prof]

It may make sense to plan to have a woodshed on one's property. Of course, depending on the amount of property one has, the cost, etc. But, it may be worth planning in the near future. Just a suggestion. Would firewood stacked on pallets in a woodshed be feasible on your property?

I'm planning a woodshed build next summer--already have a spot prepped off to the side of the garage.

 

[Chas0218]

I'm planning a woodshed build next summer--already have a spot prepped off to the side of the garage.

Going for a lean-too style? I'm planning the same on the edge of my driveway, I figure 8' deep 9' tall at the front 8' on the back and 36' long. I think I should be able to get some wood in there. With it being that size I'm going to build "bins" for the wood so I can rotate them with the tractor and be able to set 1 bin at a time onto the deck. I figure 4x4x4 or close enough to it.

 

[Prof]

Going for a lean-too style? I'm planning the same on the edge of my driveway, I figure 8' deep 9' tall at the front 8' on the back and 36' long. I think I should be able to get some wood in there. With it being that size I'm going to build "bins" for the wood so I can rotate them with the tractor and be able to set 1 bin at a time onto the deck. I figure 4x4x4 or close enough to it.

Yeah--similar style, not quite as long, but I want to be able to stuff it with about 5 cords--enough to get through the winter.

 

[rawlins02]

You're not the only one. I'm concerned that my stacks won't be dry either. It's been incredibly humid here in southern Maryland with near daily rain for months.

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I don't cover until around this time of year. I'm also concerned. This map shows precipitation departure from normal over the past 90 days. Gotta hope for some dry weather...

 

[Jay106n]

A couple of my stacks are doing the same thing. So much rain and humidity this year was crazy. I’ve tested a few splits, which was covered, and since it is 2nd year wood it checks out. But I’ve never seen so much mud in October. The ground is just mush, which is stopping me from stocking up because i can’t run my truck over it without tearing it all up.

 

[Prof]

So far I've had a couple fires in the stove--so far so good. I did have a bit of wood inside from last year (about 2 full stove-loads). I stacked some reasonably dry stuff near the stove during the first fire and got it dry enough to burn during the next firing. We have a small seasonal stream by our driveway. It usually dries up in June and doesn't flow again until spring. It never stopped this summer.