Seasoning Firewood

[Bagelboy]

I'm one of the unfortunate ones on here with not a lot of sunny places to season my firewood. I do, however, have my firewood under a large, open, pole wood barn style roof. It's open on all sides. I have about 6 or 7 cords now cut and split. Do you think hooking up one or two box fans this summer would help in seasoning my firewood, even though it doesn't get sunlight?

 

[bmblank]

I think it'd be a waste of electricity.

 

[gzecc]

If they are solar powered, it might be a good return on investment.

 

[KindredSpiritzz]

i'd think it'd season just fine protected like that long as its not cool and damp in there. Mine drys nicely in my wood shed even tho it doesnt get much sunlight. Maybe just take a little bit longer.

 

[johnpma]

my grand father burned wood his whole life and as a kid I cut many cord with him.....he always said the two most important things to drying wood were stacking it perpendicular to the prevailing winds, and keeping it elevated off the ground. He would throw a water proof tarp over his 10 or so cords and his wood way very dry and very burnable......he never had a shed

 

[JustWood]

If it's already open on all sides,,, fans won't do diddly squat .

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Sure it'll work.
Here's how I dry my firewood.

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[Wood Duck]

How about adding some vents to the shed to increase air flow? If you're going to add a fan maybe a fan near the peak of the roof to pull hot, humid air out of the shed and some vents to allow replacement air in the bottom. I think it is a decent idea but there are efficient ways and less efficient ways to go about it. I am not sure how to tell the difference

 

[Seanm]

Sure it'll work.
Here's how I dry my firewood.

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Lumber-jack, what do use to hold the corners down? When you took this video you must have run out of room in that awesome wood shed of yours!

 

[razerface]

How about adding some vents to the shed to increase air flow? If you're going to add a fan maybe a fan near the peak of the roof to pull hot, humid air out of the shed and some vents to allow replacement air in the bottom. I think it is a decent idea but there are efficient ways and less efficient ways to go about it. I am not sure how to tell the difference

i thought there were no sides? Nothing else needed. Pic looks like sunshine is coming thru the roof

 

[blades]

I think that with your " large open pole shed with barn roof" you are already way ahead of the curve. Moving air is key, sun helps . Wood will keep losing moisture until it hits and equalizes with the surroundings. Just need to provide adequate air flow space around / through/ under each stack. If its all jammed tight together it will take forever. Rain on the exposed sides won't hurt anything flashes back off in a couple days. You could add drop down tarps if the weather is going to be nasty for several days.

 

[Applesister]

That sounds like my dream shed. I bought ventilation fans from tractor supply that install in the wall. Probably at the peak of the roof. But I would just let the wood dry on its own on its own time.
I heard electicity costs have risen with propane.
Maybe a wind powered roof vent fan like old barns have.
But really...I think good to go.....pull up a chair and wait. Its cheaper.

 

[Lumber-Jack]

Lumber-jack, what do use to hold the corners down? When you took this video you must have run out of room in that awesome wood shed of yours!

Hey Seanm, funny you ask, because I actually made that video to show another member on here that the method I had of holding those lumber tarps down would stand up to very strong winds. I just use little plywood cleats and screw them into the wood over the tarps with an electric screwdriver. The prop blast must be exceeding at least 100 mph.
Actually I don't use the tarps to cover my wood anymore, I just put that one on that time for the demonstration, but I use to use them all the time, and I always keep a bunch on hand for my work and various other purposes.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

And for sure those rounds would not have dried much. Need to be split. I had figured out what the fan was before it showed on the video.

Bagelboy, you should be okay as is.

 

[Woody Stover]

I'm one of the unfortunate ones on here with not a lot of sunny places to season my firewood. I do, however, have my firewood under a large, open, pole wood barn style roof. It's open on all sides. I have about 6 or 7 cords now cut and split.

How much wood do you use per season? Probably hard to say, with the new stove and abnormally cold winter...
Are there 6 or 7 cords in the shed now? If so, your problem, like blades said, is that the wood is packed tight and deep in the shed. The middle and downwind side of the wood won't get much air. If you have dead wood and no Oak, that's better, but if you need all this wood for next season, it's gonna be iffy. I know you said you don't have much space to stack but if you could pull a couple of rows out of the middle, where you just have two rows, then a two-row air space, two more rows etc. that would help....

 

[razerface]

not really, try making space for a window or a small opening for natural ventilation

how will he put a window in a wall that does not exist?

 

[paul bunion]

Heating air will cause it to rise, adding moisture to air with no heat will cause it to fall. Since you say that your pile gets no sunlight (can I assume the shed is in the shade?) it is not being heated, therefore all of your moisture is either being pushed out by the wind or falling out due to gravity. You seem to have the wind part taken care of as you have open sides. I would say that the space under is also very critical to you, you need to let the moisture fall out and roll along the ground in times of light or no breeze. Raising the floor by getting some stringers under the pallets is probably your best choice.