The old "cover" vs. "don't cover" debate...

[Ashful]

So, while moving another cord of wood up to the house last week, I made a few observations worth noting. Based on the advice I've received here, I leave my stacks uncovered until mid-August of the year I plan to burn it. So, my 2013/2014 wood is now top-covered in heavy black plastic, stapled around the perimeter to the stack (sides are open, only top is covered), and my 2014/2015 and 2015/2016 piles are uncovered. All stacks are in the open, but on the edge of the woods, where leaves do find their way to the stacks.

I found my 2013/2014 wood mostly seasoned (the walnut and maple, but not the oak... it has been stacked only 14 months), but full of a few very large mouse nests, and surprisingly wet. Seasoned, but wet on the surface, as if my covering had leaked after the most recent snow melt. I think I need to switch from plastic to either reinforced tarps or a rigid covering (eg. corrugated roofing, plywood, or (dreaming...) a shed).

I found my 2014/2015 stacks had a good amount of leaves jammed up in the top two rows of each stack. I was throwing my not-yet-seasoned oak from my 2013/2014 stacks on top of these 2014/2015 stacks, as I was loading the trailer to haul wood up to the house. These leaves were (predictably) wet, and I wonder how much they will impede seasoning. I suspect many of these leaves will rot or blow away next summer, but still, it can't help.

I'm starting to transition into the "cover when stacked" camp.

 

[jatoxico]

Uncovered, not necessarily by choice. Leaves are an issue for me.

 

[UncleJoe]

Mine goes in the shed, usually the same day it's split so covered for me.

 

[NH_Wood]

Leaves are one reason I top cover - most of my stacks are under mature oaks and I would always have lots of pockets of wet leaves in the stacks. Not a fan. On this topic though, to each their own! Cheers!

 

[MofoG23]

This winter I missed the boat getting my stack covered before the first snow....it ended up being quite a mess. The snow melted partially, then all of the rounds on the first few rows where frozen and saturated with moisture. Sure, after some time in the stove they dried out and burned, but it was a hassle (breaking the wood free and waiting for the ice to burn off). Everything for this year is now covered again.

Next years stack will remain uncovered until mid/late fall 2014.

 

[Wood Duck]

The leaves definitely don't help, and although they will rot, they will not go away after they rot. You'll end up with rotten leaves in places within the stack, and the wood that has rotten leaves on it won't dry as well as other wood in the same stack. I'd cover the top if I could. I am keeping my eyes open for something free to use as a cover.

 

[PapaDave]

I get some of the same Joful, but maybe you're getting more.
The leaves do hold the wet. My Oak is stacked in the field for 3 years now, and I knock off quite a bit of loose bark and leaves when it gets moved up to the shed in late summer/early fall.
Some of the Oak is still damp under that bark, but dries up pretty well once it's in the shed for a couple months.
I've often thought of covering the stacks with something other than tarps, but my stacks are 112' long. I have 2 of 'em.
Probably not going to happen........Al Borland reference- "I don't think so, Tim".
I finally broke down back in '10 and built the shed.
Should have done it as soon as we moved here, instead of waiting 3.5 years.

 

[1750]

...but my stacks are 112' long. I have 2 of 'em.

Oh heck yes.

I only cover what I'm planning on burning this fall/winter/spring. And I've been surprised by how quickly the mice move into the new covered and insulated condo to set up house. It makes me careful to try and make sure I don't have a mouse clinging to a log when I bring it into the house.

 

[Ashful]

Dave, double rows or single rows? I stack in double rows on 40" wide pallets. I have one row of pallets that's roughly 85 feet long, and another that's roughly 45 feet long, giving me about 16 cords on hand. I thought this would be three years worth of wood, but based on my current usage, I think I need more like 24 cords on hand.

 

[jeffesonm]

starting to move to Team Cover Stacks....

 

[PapaDave]

Joful, I do and have been doing single rows from the beginning. Some w/o enough room don't have that option though.
Started with one, then gradually moved to 2 about 8' apart.
The first one started at 16', and I kinda' got carried away.

 

[Ashful]

Then we probably have similar amounts of wood. Yours will dry faster, but fall over easier. Mine's stable, even stacked 6 feet high, but hard to cover!

 

[PapaDave]

Then we probably have similar amounts of wood. Yours will dry faster, but fall over easier. Mine's stable, even stacked 6 feet high, but hard to cover!

If I go to 6', yes. I tried that, and when they started a mean lean, I dropped to 5' and that works well. New stove, and I may drop to 4.5 or 4'. Won't need as much wood, easier to stack to that level, easier to unstack as well.
I'm always looking at ways to drop the workload.
I haven't had one fall over yet since I began doing this.
So yes, more stable at higher altitudes if stacked double. Probably.

 

[JustWood]

Top Covered
The whole idea is to get it dry.
Not wet them somewhat dry then wet and somewhat dry again.
Dry it and be done.

 

[Paulywalnut]

I don't know how you can avoid the leaves if your stacks are under trees. I move enough to burn in a week into my shed
and wood ring closer to the house. If any is a little damp, it's basically surface moisture that dissapates quickly. Lots of wooly bears
in the stacks this year, and like you said mouse nests.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Sorry, I can not vote on this.

The reason is that it all depends upon the location. Some folks live in a wetter climate than others and need to top cover right away. Others can go longer before top covering. In our case, we typically split and stack in the spring and then top cover around December 1.


But just to add to this thread, I recently have reported on an experiment we tried. It had been a long, long time since we had left any wood stacks uncovered, so, we again experimented. The results tell us we will never do this again! Even yesterday, we were burning some of the wood that had been left uncovered for 3 years. The wood was definitely lighter and in no way did it give heat like the other wood. In comparison, we had been burning ash that was split and stacked by early April 2009. We can easily get a 12 hour burn with that wood. However, with this other wood, on Saturday night I filled the stove around 8:30. When I got up during the night I checked. The stove needed wood and it was only 2:30 am. I again filled it with that uncovered wood. The next fill came at 8:00 am. Now consider those times with the 12 hour burn times. This is just one more reason we will never again leave the wood uncovered more than the first summer and fall.

 

[stejus]

Uncovered for three years stacked and then to the shed in late Nov for the burn season.

 

[1750]

Backwoods -- what's your thought on why this uncovered wood would be "lighter" and provide less heat when burned?

I would think if you took two comparable splits from the same tree, but stored in different environments (covered vs not), and one was lighter... that the lighter wood would be the drier wood. And that the drier wood would provide more btus when burned (because it wouldn't be spending them to burn off the moisture).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

 

[red oak]

I don't think you need to spend a lot of money to cover but it is important to have some dry wood on hand at all times. I think top-covering is best for the wood you plan to burn that winter but I typically don't cover the wood for future years. Certainly if you needed it to dry faster you should top-cover.

 

[Charles1981]

I top cover the 5 cords I plan to burn starting in August/September. Get tons of rain, wet leaves, and then the snow. Right now there is 16 inches of snow over my stacks, but a least there is a tarp over it all. I keep about 3/4 of a cord covered next to the house by the door near the stove. It is about 3 weeks worth of wood.

I don't think top covering helps season any faster or slower. But getting it covered from the elements and those dang leaves and then the snow, it is extremely important imo that you have access to dry clean wood at all times during the burn season. I don't have a wood shed.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Backwoods -- what's your thought on why this uncovered wood would be "lighter" and provide less heat when burned?

I would think if you took two comparable splits from the same tree, but stored in different environments (covered vs not), and one was lighter... that the lighter wood would be the drier wood. And that the drier wood would provide more btus when burned (because it wouldn't be spending them to burn off the moisture).

Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

Still working on that one but the uncovered wood seems to be, shall we say, a bit more opened in the cell whereas the covered wood is more solid. One more thing we've found with this is that we get a lot more ash with the uncovered wood. But still the biggest thing for us is that the wood just will not hold a fire as long.

 

[1750]

Thanks for thinking about this. In my mind the two variables are moisture and wood fiber, but I'm probably just oversimplifying.

Thanks again!

 

[Ralphie Boy]

I've never top covered, in the traditional sense, for reasons of logistics more than anything else. I've many, many cord stacked all over my hilly 6 acres.

Around early to mid-October I put together a rack that holds a cord, or a bit more, depending on how high I stack it. The rack goes on our front porch which is covered by deck on the second level. The house is a "raised ranch" built into the side of a hill, so our main living quarters are on the upper level. The wood is covered by the upper deck and gets lots of sun and wind and no direct rain or snow and only a slight bit of "blow in". I stack enough splits on the hearth for about 2 days burning. That way if there's any surface moisture it has a chance to dry before going into the insert. When the porch rack needs a recharge, I load the buggy attached to my BX 2660 and make a couple of trips up or down the hill to reload the porch rack.

I've a large shed in which the former owner housed a couple of goats I'm going to convert to a woodshed this spring. I'll pack it full of 3 and 4 year seasoned wood to make room for the newer split wood. I don't see top covering for a few more years and some stacks will probably never get top covered.

B.T.W. All my wood is stacked in single rows on pallets I've cut in half. No point in wasting half a pallet on single row wood.

 

[firefighterjake]

Not top covered . . . but I keep the wood outside uncovered for a year before it travels to the woodshed for another year and then it meets its maker in Year 3.

 

[McKeznak]

I've read a lot of reasons on the positive aspects of covering but I've never really read any negatives? Are there any that you've all discovered?

Surely not financial, as it seems to me tarps can be bought at Dollarama for well... a dollar, and used tin roofing can be found near any derelict barn.