Tarp recommendation?

[Tron]

All,

I store my wood in wire-mesh silos that get covered with a 10x10 tarp to keep the rain out. I've re-started this in late 2019 when I moved to MS, and I'm currently burning the 2-year-old wood. I did buy heavy-duty, supposedly UV-resistant brown tarps (at Home Depot IIRC), but after two years every one of them has significantly degraded (holes, tears, brittle material). The location is sheltered from the wind, so I'm rather confident that the UV from the Mississippi sun killed them.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a good tarp that will last in the sun? In the past I used thick polyethylene foil pond liners, but those were really heavy and frequently tore out on the grommets I put in.

In an old thread I read that the brown 16-mil tarps from https://tarpsonline.com/ were not all bad, but will they last?

Thanks!

 

[stoveliker]

I have had the same with box store tarps. It's the sun (even up here in NY). I had one location without sun but a lot of wind, and the tarps survived there for 3+ years. Beyond a certain width the tarp did get sun and got brittle, started fraying etc. I could see the shadow line. This was one of the reasons to build a shed; I don't like seeing 1/10" square pieces of thin plastic from they fraying blowing around. (See ocean, plastic, etc.)

These were "heavy duty" (but box store) tarps.

I've heard someone on here mention dollar store shower curtains. Even if you replace them each year, it's still cheaper.
(Though it does create plastic waste.)

A solid (non-woven) foil is I think better.

 

[CatfishHunter]

I've heard someone on here mention dollar store shower curtains. Even if you replace them each year, it's still cheaper.
(Though it does create plastic waste.)

It doesn't create plastic waste if you burn them.... (I kid, I kid...)!

Seriously, why not create something that will last such as an easy 2x4 slated roof with a discarded galvanized or metal roof from one of the big box stores? Even old shingles would work.

IDK - I often keep firewood stacked between trees and exposed to the elements until space opens up in my wood shed. I find that wood dries pretty much the same. Rain just gets the exterior wet, quickly dries off, and then the logs continue to dry on the inside.

 

[Tron]

I use these silos, so they're not that easy to roof over with a metal roof:

Firewood drying and storage in cheap silos

All, As this storage method seems largely unknown here, I'd like to introduce it. It's really cheap and dries wood perfectly. You just need a sheet of construction remesh (heavy duty, size can vary but I used 8*20'), some nylon rope and a tarp. The remesh is rolled into a tube and tied close...

www.hearth.com

And around here, I doubt that wood dries out well when not covered. Humidity is always high, and it rains a lot.
I found a small stack of firewood sitting at the edge of the woods from the previous owner (age of the stack unknown), and it's pretty much all rotted through. The insects love it, though.

I do have a short-term storage solution near the house made from the cage of a 250gal tote, that's roofed over and obviously works well. But for the silos, that's not really feasible.

 

[CatfishHunter]

Since you aren't covering the whole thing anyway, I'm not understanding why you can't just throw a sheet of plywood over the top (or a section of metal roof cut to size).

 

[Tron]

When I fill it, I throw splits into it, which, when full, creates sort of a mount on top of the remesh. Maybe a bit difficult to see in the picture. In any case, the top is not flat but consists of splits in every conceivable direction. Easy to put a tarp over, but I can't see how to properly fix a metal roof over a mound of firewood.

Also, as the silo gets emptied, the tarp needs to move down with the firewood level to keep it dry, meaning it has to be draped over the wood inside the silo. Another thin I couldn't do with a fixed roof.

 

[kennyp2339]

Maybe find a supplier that does billboards, they sell the old billboard covers and a huge discount, the material is a thick tarp.

 

[Tron]

That's a great idea. I found vinly tarps online, pretty expensive, but I also found shops who sell used billboard tarps. A lot cheaper and who cares about the print when it's on the downside.

 

[ozarkoak]

Same here. I just buy the cheapest I can get from harbor freight when they go on sale. I dont cover my pile at all in the summer. I started covering in about September and uncover when a good stretch of sun is forecast. I have my tarps off right now. I take them off to get the most UV/air flow to the wood I can. Been thinking of something more appealing to the eye as a covering but... I have money that needs spending on other stuff.

 

[Tron]

I dont cover my pile at all in the summer.

Well, airflow is plenty even with the tarp on, and as they're about 8-9' tall with an uneven top it's a bit of a PITA to get the tarp on (and off). So I keep them covered throughout the year.

 

[MongoMongoson]

Growing up in the UP, I remember lots of houses with nothing but tar paper for siding... seemed to last for years.

When it came time to cover our holzhausen, I used tar paper. I have it draped about 12" down the sides, then I wrapped twine around it to cinch it tight. I figured plastic tarps fall apart in a couple of years. Maybe the tar paper will last 2-3 years on top of a wood pile. So far so good after one year. Maybe they will last three.

 

[Caw]

Same here. I just buy the cheapest I can get from harbor freight when they go on sale. I dont cover my pile at all in the summer. I started covering in about September and uncover when a good stretch of sun is forecast. I have my tarps off right now. I take them off to get the most UV/air flow to the wood I can. Been thinking of something more appealing to the eye as a covering but... I have money that needs spending on other stuff.

I go the budget route too. If they rip or get eaten by critters so be it, I'll buy some new ones. It's only a few bucks every year. I intend to build more permanent roofing structures once material becomes more reasonable again and I have some extra $. Not paying $10+ for a 2x4.

 

[Tron]

I need about 10x10' for the silos, and I just bought a 10x40' vinyl billboard tarp with a black backside for $60. So that comes to $15 per tarp, which is ok. It'll be interesting to see how well those hold up.