Unusual summer here

[Indianawood]

We are having a very unusual summer here. Much wetter and not as sunny. My wood kiln isnt looking good. Im getting mold on the ends of some pieces.
We are usually sunny and 90s.
Should I leave it or go natural?

 

[begreen]

Top-covered is good, but the plastic wrap on the sides is blocking ventilation through the stack.

 

[Indianawood]

Top-covered is good, but the plastic wrap on the sides is blocking ventilation through the stack.

It was working well as a kiln until the clouds and monsoon started. Should I just remove the plastic just in case this pattern continues?
It's mostly bitternut hickory.

 

[begreen]

Yes, without the sun it is having the opposite effect.

 

[Indianawood]

Yes, without the sun it is having the opposite effect.

You guys are getting all the heat we usually get in the summer

 

[Prof]

About 3 years ago we had an extraordinarily wet year in PA. I didn't have a wood shed, just a bunch of holz hausens (holz mietes) that were a mix of beech, birch and hemlock. None were top covered. All of the wood was seasoned 2+ years and ready to burn before the spring/summer/fall rains. I had a heck of a time getting the birch and beech dry enough to burn. In fact that fall I ate some oyster mushrooms that were growing on the beech. I like mushrooms more than the next guy, but not on my damn firewood! The hemlock burned well interestingly enough and seemed largely unaffected by the rain. I built a wood shed the next summer that holds a years worth of wood. In hindsight, top covering the wood would have made sense. Nevertheless I moved the last of that year's wood into the woodshed, and the fungi have had more than their fill. Though the wood is dry, there isn't much density left to it, especially the beech. My kid remarked how light some of the wood was and wondered why I growled when she said that. I turned it into a bit of a science class and we pealed back the bark to look at the mycelium underneath. If wet summers would be our norm, I'd move towards top covering everything.

 

[johneh]

If it were me I'd leave it alone
Just make sure that there is good ventilation underneath
Sunny hot weather will return and it will kill any mold
Just me and my nickles worth

 

[Woodsplitter67]

Having a tarp on the top is not helping.. you need to vent more and get something clear on the top