Time to Cover Up

[WarmGuy]

Well, the cord+ of wood sitting in this 32 foot rack has been drying all summer, so I decided to wrap it up for the winter. I used $8 worth of 3 mil clear plastic, and stapled the lower borders to the wood itself. It will be interesting to see how much condensation there is. I wonder whether a more permanent tarp would be more economical -- I doubt that this one will last more than one season.

My wood for next year is snug in the shed.

 

[Burn-1]

Nice Holzhaufen on the end of the shed!

 

[jpl1nh]

Personally, I wouldn't have the plastic down the sides, I'd just cover the top. That condensation you might see would be additional moisture still leaving the logs. Let the air continue to flow through. A bit of rain wetting the log ends will dry quite quickly. Its the residual moisture deep in the wood you're trying to get rid of.

 

[begreen]

I kind of agree. Unless you are trying to protect it from 6' deep snows, leave the sides open. In our area, one good windstorm would have the plastic airborne. Staples usually don't stand up to high wind loads around here.

 

[North of 60]

If it is truly dry, you shouldnt get condensation. Looks OK to me. Looks like alota hard work there. Nice job! :roll:

 

[DiscoInferno]

I did similar with 3.5 mil plastic and a lot of staples to a couple stacks I want to keep dry indefinitely (many years). We'll see how long it lasts, the black plastic tends to disintegrate in the sun in a few years, but maybe the clear will last longer. I have found that the wind isn't a problem if the plastic is attached lots of places and there aren't any lips or free-hanging sections for the wind to get under or grab. That's one reason to go all the way down to the pallets, the other is that those piles will be completely lost in snow come february.

 

[Gooserider]

Clear plastic tends to last shorter times than black when exposed to the weather - the UV in sunlight is a major degradation cause, and the black is put in to block the UV from the inner parts of the plastic. FWIW, my preference is the high grade silver tarps from HF - their "best" quality. They are much thicker than the blue jobs, and the HF silvers cost about as much as the local store blues. I've only been using them for about a year, so I don't know how long they will last, but I know that a blue would start looking a bit worn after just one winter covering my beehives, while a silver after one winter didn't seem to show any wear at all.

My wood goes into my covered, but open sided woodsheds as it's split, in the very late fall / early winter I hang tarps off the sides to keep snow from blowing in on the piles, but beyond that don't try to cover the sides.

Gooserider

 

[got wood?]

Nice Holzhaufen on the end of the shed!

I second that! Good sized HH! Looks like it's bowing/bulging at the side tho...have you had a collapse yet?

 

[WarmGuy]

I had a collapse on the other side that I fixed. This side is hanging in there so far, given the help of those supports you see.

Almost went with black plastic, but since the pile is right there on my driveway, I thought that it would look better with the clear.

The rain really comes in at an angle, with the wind, so I couldn't resist bringing the plastic most of the way down the sides.

 

[got wood?]

Yep...I've had my fun re-stacking a collapsed HH...luckily they only partially fall apart and you can mend and rebuild without starting from scratch. I had my 8x7 give way just earlier today while trying to top it off...sigh. it's almost back to where it needs to be...they are fun to build until you get near the top...then they are tedious...I'm sure my wife loves watching me teeter on top of the HH trying to get the interior stacking properly! ;-)

 

[Harley]

This weekend has been about as perfect as it could be for drying wood. A nice steady breeze, lots of sun, and was down to 25% humidity (a little dry for me - but good for the wood). In the NE - I still wouldn't really be covering anything too much yet - lots of good drying days ahead.

 

[detmurds]

I'd never put plastic over my wood,...it will reverse the drying effect. If one is in the dessert, they can make water with plastic,..oh well,..that is me!

 

[DiscoInferno]

I'd never put plastic over my wood,...it will reverse the drying effect. If one is in the dessert, they can make water with plastic,..oh well,..that is me!

You know, I did not think of that. I do not have a vapor barrier under the wood, just pallets over sandy dirt. Certainly seems possible that water could evaporate from the ground (wood is already dry) and condense inside the plastic. Would certainly defeat the purpose. I will have to check for signs of that next summer; this is the first time I've covered that completely. The ends are open, at least.