Stacking on pallets

[j7art2]

I'm used to stacking on the ground, but this year am going to go to pallets. I have about 5 cords of pine to stack, cut from 12-16" length. How many rows can I fit on the average pallet and still allow for good air flow to season quickly? 2, with the odd 'weird' chunk or so in the middle? I'm just trying to figure out how I'm going to stack all this, and how many pallets I'll need.

 

[Jon_E]

The short answer is "it depends". A typical pallet is 40" x 48". I cut my wood to 20" long and stack two rows so that the splits are parallel to the 48" side. That gives me 8" between rows. I stack 4' high and that gives me 44 cubic feet on every pallet, or about 1/3 of a full cord. You could put three rows on and get no space at all (which would not encourage drying) or put two rows parallel to the 40" side and get anywhere from 8" to 16" of space between rows. So based on that, I'd say you'll need anywhere from 12-18 pallets.

Also, cutting it to 12-16" is pretty short, even if you stacked three rows per pallet, and you put a top cover on the stack, it should still season fairly quickly.

 

[j7art2]

Some may be a tad longer. All of this wood is super tiny compared to what I'm used to. I'm likely going to be getting a Drolet Tundra this fall, which has a tiny 16" firebox or something, as opposed to my mammoth 28" now. All of this wood is pine and split relatively small. Pine produces a TON of heat, so I cut small for a few reasons: I want to burn it come December, and I know it burns mega hot, and I don't need to overfire the new unit, so it'll solely be a shoulder to the hardwoods just to keep the stove to temperature.

 

[Seanm]

Some may be a tad longer. All of this wood is super tiny compared to what I'm used to. I'm likely going to be getting a Drolet Tundra this fall, which has a tiny 16" firebox or something, as opposed to my mammoth 28" now. All of this wood is pine and split relatively small. Pine produces a TON of heat, so I cut small for a few reasons: I want to burn it come December, and I know it burns mega hot, and I don't need to overfire the new unit, so it'll solely be a shoulder to the hardwoods just to keep the stove to temperature.

Are you replacing your wood furnace or adding this for extra heat? With the unit being small there must be a space issue you are dealing with? I use pallets and get two rows of 18 inch splits. It sure makes the stacks nice and stable!
Edit: Didnt realize the op was dealing with a furnace replacement. When I heard 16 inch splits I was thinking a smallish wood stove. My bad...

 

[j7art2]

The unit I'm replacing is a 40+ year old non-EPA wood furnace with an uninsulated firebox that I can literally fit inside of provided I could fit through the door. I went through 11 cords of mixed hardwood this year, primarily oak. Lesson learned, and I won't be doing that every year. Lol.

After reading this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/everything-drolet-tundra-heatmax.140788/page-4 I've actually decided that the Drolet Tundra is not the way I'll be going. I'll need another option. People are experiencing cracks in the firebox.

 

[Seanm]

Oh I see. I just read a few pages of that thread. Good luck on your search!

 

[jeffesonm]

I cut to 16" and stack two rows on the short (40") side of the pallet. This leaves one end of both rows open to the air.

 

[jb6l6gc]

I find i can fit 3 rows I build mine two palletts long one high fits pretty well exactly a cord

 

[jb6l6gc]

The unit I'm replacing is a 40+ year old non-EPA wood furnace with an uninsulated firebox that I can literally fit inside of provided I could fit through the door. I went through 11 cords of mixed hardwood this year, primarily oak. Lesson learned, and I won't be doing that every year. Lol.

After reading this thread: https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/everything-drolet-tundra-heatmax.140788/page-4 I've actually decided that the Drolet Tundra is not the way I'll be going. I'll need another option. People are experiencing cracks in the firebox.

Im going through the same thing went through 5 cords I may hold out for another year with my hotblast and see if they correct the problems with the tundra

 

[j7art2]

I guess I'll just start stacking and see how it goes. Does anyone know the minimal optimal space for seasoning between stacks? That will play a large factor as to how I go about doing this.

 

[Hoozie]

I put two rows on my pallets.

What size are you making the splits? A lot of small splits will burn much hotter than several bigger splits (due to more surface area).

 

[jatoxico]

I'd say optimal spacing differs depending on where your stacking. Sunny/windy vs shady/stagnant. I keep my stuff about 8-10" apart but my conditions aren't the best. In another thread I talked about my rookie mistake when stacking on pallets. I had scrounge wood and had all different sizes so I stacked the pallets solid and the wood was kind of weaved together. Take it from me, don't do that. I think that wood was like 2 yr 8 mo CSS. Wood on the outside was good, even great but the stuff on the inside was marginal.

PS If you're stacking in the middle of a dry windy field and giving it 2 + years you can probably do whatever you want.

 

[DoubleB]

Drolet Tundra this fall, which has a tiny 16" firebox or something

Not tiny by my standards, firebox is 22" long.

If that still matters of course. I agree, I look forward to seeing the resolution on these cracks in the other post too.

 

[Hogwildz]

Don't be afraid to split pine large, it will dry quickly still, and less chance of flaming inferno.

 

[j7art2]

Good to know. And yeah, after I posted that, I hopped on their website and saw that the firebox was larger than I thought. When I saw it in person, I was shocked at how small it was. Mine isn't a good comparison though, as it's at least 3 times larger. I'll be glad though I'm not going through so much wood. I'm not done processing it, so I guess I'll be making my splits a bit larger. In my current unit, if it fit through the door, it burned. Some of my night rounds were 12" or more. I think I'm going to keep the max at around 6, but most are probably 4" or so, split relatively small. I've learned, at least with my current unit, that smaller hotter fires are better, even if they go out quicker. This may not be the case though with the newer units. My friend with a Yukon Eagle was telling me that he can't put anything larger than 4" diameter in his wood furnace or his unit gets too hot, so that was my basis of thinking. One piece of pine with 1 piece of hardwood. In hind sight though, I understand what you guys mean about overheating. We'll see how it plays out. I'm hoping I'm not splitting 5 cords of kindling. Ha.

 

[Ashful]

Does anyone know the minimal optimal space for seasoning between stacks?.

42' 7-3/16"

 

[MrWhoopee]

I cut 16 in., 3 rows on a 48 x 40 pallet (no space). Of course much of the wood I cut is standing dead, this is California (low humidity) and I'm at least 3 years ahead.

 

[velvetfoot]

"I'm used to stacking on the ground, but this year am going to go to pallets."
Why?

 

[Ashful]

"I'm used to stacking on the ground, but this year am going to go to pallets."
Why?

Why wouldn't you? Stacking on the ground is a good way to ruin a good 5% - 8% of the wood you split, if you're stacking in an area with damp soil. Getting it up onto pallets saves the lower row, and ensures everything down low will be a little dryer.

 

[velvetfoot]

Doesn't get ruined here, knock on wood . Just stays more wet-will dry out. Pallets are a pain in the butt.

 

[Dune]

I use pallets. Why not, they are free. I put pallets on 6 bricks or since I ran out of bricks a cut up a bunch or of PT into blocks. The blocks are better since I can stack them to make up for uneven ground. The extra height give more air under the wood and preserves the pallets. I get a few more years out of them that way.
I put two rows of random lengths on a pallet. The outsides are flush, the inside has room for the randomness. I also throw the chunks and nasties inside. I season for many years so I am not overly concerned about perfect airflow.

 

[Bigg_Redd]

2, with the odd 'weird' chunk or so in the middle?

Yes

 

[Bigg_Redd]

Doesn't get ruined here, knock on wood . Just stays more wet-will dry out. Pallets are a pain in the butt.

Pallets are far less of a PITA that giving up your whole first course to moisture, bugs, and dirt

 

[Hogwildz]

Doesn't get ruined here, knock on wood . Just stays more wet-will dry out. Pallets are a pain in the butt.

A few years on the ground, will turn those bottom splits into mush. Just as easy to stack on a pallet, poles, anything, and keep it all dry.

I'm 2 rows to a pallet also. I try to leave the gap between the rows. If I have a few longer ones, I let them rest against or overlap the other stack with hopes of stabilization between the stacks. That the theory anyways. I also stack years in advance, so drying is not really an issue, and yep, the fuglies go in between and usually on the very top, ready to be pulled off for the shoulder season.

 

[Firefighter938]

I have a question. I also split two rows on a pallet, but I don't top cover. This year I am going to try and top cover a couple of stacks. The problem I think I may run into is having water cause my cover to sag between the rows and water to pool.

I was planning on using a few old tarps I have in my garage. I was going to cut them down so that they hang over the edge a few inches, add some eyelets, and secure with twine. I thought about adding a layer of splits on top to span the gap and support the tarp. What does everyone else do?