To Cover or Not To Cover?

[TheElementalCashew]

I upgraded my racks this year using leftover good pieces of metal roofing from a carport that the snow brought down last winter. I’m very happy to not have to deal with tarps anymore, and these have done a good job of keeping all the rain from this year off the wood.
I will definitely have to keep them shoveled of snow though, I don’t think they will support too much weight.

 

[peakbagger]

You would be surprised on the snow load as long as there is some slope and its supported underneath, its surprising how much it will hold. I use Corrugated PVC and it has held 30" of snow (really pushing it). I have metal roofing supported at 4' centers and its good for 30". If I do not shovel it, when there is warm day, the entire block of snow will slowly drift to the lower edge and fall off until there is snow pile.

I would suggest connecting the two stacks with long branches thrown in every couple of feet while stacking, it really stiffens up the pile from side to side loading. Sort of works like rebar.

 

[woodduck7]

Im in PA, and its cloudy and rainy a lot. I keep my wood covered with tarps and rocks to hold it down. And an old garbage shed with a tarp. I do keep some under my porch, so its covered. If you have the time, I see no reason to NOT uncover it on some days, but Id keep it covered. Oh, Im using 10 to 12 MC wood, to start, so I keep it dry.

THANK YOU! In Virginia. We are having a huge argument HUGE. about covering it or not. He does not have it covered, says 'everyone I follow says don't cover it'. YET, he brings in wet wood that won't catch fire. He says 'that's stuff that was on the ground.' EVERY single guy here says to cover it. He says 'it's too much work'. What a lazy ...thank you to everyone who uses their head for more than a spacer.

 

[BillBurns]

I see people here all the time using wood thats piled up or stacked, but not covered. Then you see thick white smoke/steam coming out of the flue at their house. My therory in my head is....if you want it DRY...why store it WET?

 

[DonTee]

I upgraded my racks this year using leftover good pieces of metal roofing from a carport that the snow brought down last winter. I’m very happy to not have to deal with tarps anymore, and these have done a good job of keeping all the rain from this year off the wood.
I will definitely have to keep them shoveled of snow though, I don’t think they will support too much weight.

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Park the car out in the open and fill up the carport with firewood too

I’m always looking for scrap roofing to make more wood sheds. It makes me sad to see all the good metal roof panels on the scrap pile at the local trash transfer station. But they won’t let me take any. Even for money. I’d be willing to pay them scrap value for it…

 

[RockyMtnGriz]

I upgraded my racks this year using leftover good pieces of metal roofing from a carport that the snow brought down last winter. I’m very happy to not have to deal with tarps anymore, and these have done a good job of keeping all the rain from this year off the wood.
I will definitely have to keep them shoveled of snow though, I don’t think they will support too much weight.

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I have a couple of those wood racks, but they don't have unsupported end overhangs. Mine have withstood winter after winter of 200" snowloads. I'd worry about the woodsheds interfering with raking the snow from the carport myself.

 

[Wildflush]

I have one Woodhaven rack and love it but expensive. That one I use under my deck for emergency wood.

 

[Ashful]

THANK YOU! In Virginia. We are having a huge argument HUGE. about covering it or not. He does not have it covered, says 'everyone I follow says don't cover it'. YET, he brings in wet wood that won't catch fire. He says 'that's stuff that was on the ground.' EVERY single guy here says to cover it. He says 'it's too much work'. What a lazy ...thank you to everyone who uses their head for more than a spacer.

The only debate on covering is in the years prior to burning, as some will argue that leaving it uncovered that first summer or two can promote faster drying than with plastic stapled over the stack. It's a good argument, with valid points on both sides, depending on the material used for covering.

But I've never seen any east-coaster argue to keep wood uncovered in the year it is to be burned. Most of us who have lived without wood sheds for any period of time learned to top-cover the stacks in August of the year it will be burned, before the September rains start, to have dry wood in November. Things stay pretty damp in Virginia, from late August right thru May. The wood you're burning this year should have been covered by Sept.1, at the latest.

 

[TheElementalCashew]

I have a couple of those wood racks, but they don't have unsupported end overhangs. Mine have withstood winter after winter of 200" snowloads. I'd worry about the woodsheds interfering with raking the snow from the carport myself.

Yeah, that's a mild concern of mine but this is my first winter with the racks in this configuration so that remains to be seen. I have a pretty long roof rake so I should be able to still get the bulk of snow off the carport.
That being said, I don't really have any better spots to put wood racks so I'll just have to figure it out.