Storing wood question

[Wolves1]

I store wood in my garage with barn style doors and a window that I keep open when fresh wood is stored, wood stays in there for 1 1/2 years before I use the wood. I was going to have the roof redone and was thinking if I have a vent installed on the roof to pull moisture out of the garage wood it help or if you have better suggestions.

 

[begreen]

Wood dries best for us when air can easily blow through the stacks. Anything you can do to increase air circulation will help. For this reason the sides of our wood shed are open and the wood shed is oriented so that the prevailing winds can blow through the stacks.

 

[XmasTreefarmer]

I'm going to second begreen's comments. I used to load my garage with a full cord and a shed that's attached to the barn with 2 full cords in late Spring/early Summer to burn that Fall/Winter. My thinking was that it will be kept perfectly dry - no rain can get at it and it will have months in the garage and shed to continue drying ... I don't do that any more. It seemed that I got almost zero additional drying over those 5 or 6 months that it was being stored. I didn't have a moisture meter at the time - but I did an experiment. I split several chunks of oak and then weighed each half. This was what I'd call partially seasoned oak - CSS for a full year to year and a half. I marked them and stored half of them in my shed and half on a pile that was covered and had good wind and sun exposure. I should add that the windows are open on the shed, but probably not the best air circulation and, of course, no sun.

Well surprise, surprise! The wood that was stored in the shed lost very little weight (moisture) over the next 5 months and the wood stacked with good wind and sun exposure and covered with some tin lost much more weight!

So, now everything stays on the stack and doesn't come into the garage and shed until October. I'm a firm believer in air and sun being the big drying agents and then only once the wood is dried to that magic under 20%, should it be moved to a shed or other area that does not have sun and good air circulation.

 

[Wolves1]

I have 4 cords outside I don’t have enough space to but the additional 4 cords outside so I put it inside the garage. I just tested a piece of red oak split 18 months old 3 places with an average 16.5. Would a fan in the roof improve the wood even more? What do you think? I’m looking to improve the seasoning process this is tested on 18 months old, I would like the same numbers when I burn in October the wood would be 14 months old.

 

[begreen]

An inexpensive basic stand fan that oscillates would probably help more just by blowing back and forth across the stacked wood. And it would save a roof penetration. It sounds like your system is working with that moisture level. Do you rotate the outside stacks into the garage after a year of outdoor seasoning?

 

[Wolves1]

Here’s a picture of the garage there is a window on the left of the wood and the barn doors from where I took the picture.

 

[Wolves1]

Funny you said that, as you wrote that I posted a picture of the garage, you can see the fan I tied on top of the wood, I also have one in the window.

 

[Wolves1]

No I don’t rotate the wood. If the numbers were worse I would I’m just looking to improve.

 

[Wolves1]

How about cutting a whole in the back and sticking a fan there?

 

[Montanalocal]

This fall I had a few splits that seemed a bit heavy so I stacked them in my shop and put just a stationary fan in there. Once a week or so I opened up the garage doors on a warm day to let out the somewhat damper air. I burned all that wood this winter and it turned out well.

 

[hickoryhoarder]

I agree with Xmas tree farmer. I'd probably stack it outside, bring it inside the year it would be burned. More sun and wind for quicker loss of moisture.

I stack wood in the driveway, very sunny and breezy. It's covered by....the top row of split wood. In November I put an emergency supply (for power outages) in the garage, and keep about two weeks worth under our very wide soffit, leaned against the house. But even most of this year's wood to burn remains out in the open, until I need more under the soffit.

 

[4fire]

View attachment 223807
Here’s a picture of the garage there is a window on the left of the wood and the barn doors from where I took the picture.

Your biggest problem is that you have a wolf in your garage.

 

[coutufr]

I have no long term experience with this but It seems that bringing 20% wood inside the garage during a dry day early summer gives it a chance to bring it lower in humidity prior to burning it in winter. I hopen the garage door when it is nice and dry outside. I would never put 30% humidity wood inside my house or garage.

 

[vtwoodheater]

If you are having the roof redone, how about a cupola?

 

[Wolves1]

Funny, that’s Blizzard my 5 month old White Swiss Shepard.


This was Timber sadly he past Nov 2016 I had a dna test done and he did have 20% Timber Wolf in him. He was a great member of the family.

Your biggest problem is that you have a wolf in your garage.

 

[4fire]

View attachment 224008
Funny, that’s Blizzard my 5 month old White Swiss Shepard.

View attachment 224009
This was Timber sadly he past Nov 2016 I had a dna test done and he did have 20% Timber Wolf in him. He was a great member of the family.

Both look very cute. I have no trouble believing your Timber was part wolf.
My 11-month old female springer's name is Timber too!

 

[Wolves1]

If you are having the roof redone, how about a cupola?

Thats what I was thinking, some sort of venting system on the roof. But it sounds like most people think I should have air going through the wood.