What should i do?

[iceman]

Well, have over 4 cord for this year, it was split stacked for 2+ yrs now.
Didnt realize how tight I stacked it.. anyways , had the top covered and decided to take it off the whole summer.. well it rained a lot and wood is wet! Some burns ok but most sizzles /foams at first... Wood was top covered only and is on plywood so no air through the bottom just all the sides... I am going to move it all closer to the house and make sure there is space to try and air it out ... I am thinking of getting one of those 10*12 shelters and putting a fan in it to help it dry faster ...
Any ideas?
Maybe just restack closer to the house in single spacious rows?

 

[gzecc]

Was it stacked in single rows? What species?

 

[iceman]

Was it stacked in single rows? What species?

It's mostly red oak and some maple ... It was in a 10*12 area and 6 rows that were 12 ft long

 

[maple1]

Have any room in your basement?

 

[iceman]

Have any room in your basement?

I did think about moving it in but, don't want the spiders setting up shop in the house... As
The stove is also another floor up ..would be walking wood a long way

 

[iceman]

I am currently putting the next load in front of the stove to dry out ... Only problem is warm temps during the day so only burning at night

 

[NH_Wood]

If I'm reading right, the wood (oak) was stacked fairly tight. If so, it just doesn't season well in a lot of situations. Sounds like you need more time with this wood. Cheers!

 

[gzecc]

If I'm reading right, the wood (oak) was stacked fairly tight. If so, it just doesn't season well in a lot of situations. Sounds like you need more time with this wood. Cheers!

I agree about the oak seasoning. I have also had some norway maple that also took forever to season. If the pieces of oak and maple are big they could take more than two years in poor drying conditions.

 

[iceman]

I agree it may not have seasoned but if I would have left it covered it would be much better than what it is now... Imagine ...
The top of the stack is dry to the touch ... When I start digging in it there are pieces that are half black and all black from being wet! Because it was stacked so tight the middle hasn't been able to dry from the rain! This wood would have Prolly been good if I would have left it covered.. now with all the rain this summer and my lack of air flow .. it will be a difficult winter unless I figure out how to dry it quick...
Remember BK saying wood be what the average rh is around it? So if my area is 18% and it was constantly wet it wouldn't be outta the realm if my wood was 23-28% right now..... Bummer years down the drain for thinking it would dry after all the rain we had... Lesson learned .... From now on cover top and leave it alone

 

[NH_Wood]

I agree it may not have seasoned but if I would have left it covered it would be much better than what it is now... Imagine ...
The top of the stack is dry to the touch ... When I start digging in it there are pieces that are half black and all black from being wet! Because it was stacked so tight the middle hasn't been able to dry from the rain! This wood would have Prolly been good if I would have left it covered.. now with all the rain this summer and my lack of air flow .. it will be a difficult winter unless I figure out how to dry it quick...
Remember BK saying wood be what the average rh is around it? So if my area is 18% and it was constantly wet it wouldn't be outta the realm if my wood was 23-28% right now..... Bummer years down the drain for thinking it would dry after all the rain we had... Lesson learned .... From now on cover top and leave it alone

There it is! Wood needs air - I've done this as well (with red oak) - stacked too tight and the splits couldn't breathe - had to restack in a more open arrangement about 2 years later to get good seasoning - stack loose my friend! Cheers!

 

[bsa0021]

That"s why I stack my wood in single rows. The sun and wind easily dry the stack out within a few hours after a rain (I never cover it). I run the row on the back of the property like a fence of wood. Come September I stack the winters supply in close rows in a carport off the pole barn.

 

[iceman]

I was shocked when I saw the wet pieces.... Brought tears to my eyes...

 

[iceman]

That"s why I stack my wood in single rows. The sun and wind easily dry the stack out within a few hours after a rain (I never cover it). I run the row on the back of the property like a fence of wood. Come September I stack the winters supply in close row
s in a carport off the pole barn.

I don't have a lot of space but had about 10 cord of wood... Trying to get ahead ... Think if I space out the wood and small to medium splits I can dry it in a year ... I burn 4 cord at least a year...
So instead of 10 will try to get 6 well ventilated and hope I can burn a year out...
There is a guy who sells wood c/s and debarked Prolly start buying a couple cords from him to help speed up drying

 

[Gasifier]

Sounds like the cover may have trapped some of that moisture as well. I have seen some people cover their wood with a tarp. Not only does the tarp cover the top it comes half way down the sides as well. That does not help at all. I never cover the sides of the wood at all. And as they said already. Long, single rows. If you must stack near each other try to leave at least 12" between rows and stack them outside.

As far as doing something with the wood you have right now. Find some wood that is exceptionally dry. Scrap lumber, which could be pallets that you cut up if you can not find scrap lumber, anything kiln dried at one time. See if you can stockpile some really dry stuff. That can go in the basement no problem right. Or standing dead trees. I use pine that has died a few years ago and is still standing. Nice and dry. Anyway, mix 20-30% of something that is really dry in with the wood that is a little to high in moisture content. Try to use any of the wood that you have that is dryer of course while you get the other stuff more dry.

Could you restack some of the wood and stack it criss crossed in your basement. Two going one way, two the other. Check out some of backwood savages stacks. That is how you could try to speed up some of your drying. Maybe try a box fan running to move some air. If you are in a jam you could run a dehumidifier off and on during the day down there. That would help. If you have one already. Or could find one really cheap somewhere. Not ideal, but you gotta do what you gotta do. Spiders could be dealt with for one year. Gotta get that wood dry. Good luck man. Keep us posted on how things are going!

 

[gyrfalcon]

That"s why I stack my wood in single rows. The sun and wind easily dry the stack out within a few hours after a rain (I never cover it). I run the row on the back of the property like a fence of wood. Come September I stack the winters supply in close rows in a carport off the pole barn.

+++

Same here, but not everybody has a property where there's room to do that. Stacking multiple rows of green wood close together just seems like a recipe for disaster whether it's covered or not. If you cover it, the rain doesn't get in so much, but the wood itself exudes the moisture it's holding, and with the top covered, there's even less possibility for it to get out from the between those rows and dissipate into the air.

For whatever it's worth, here in wood-burning country, I never see wood stacked more than two rows together.

 

[bogydave]

Burn the maple.
Season the oak 1 more year, with good air circulation.
Gotta burn what you got, smaller splits may help the oak dry faster.

 

[Woody Stover]

The splits that are on the outside or on the top of the pile might be pretty dry. Peel those layers off, and if the wood seems pretty light compared to the stuff from further into the pile, it may be burnable now.

 

[oldspark]

If you stack your wood tight (not single rows) you need to cover the top (and only in those conditions) as it gets wet in the stacks and it never drys out. I can see why some cover there wood. Good luck with drying it out I am sure you will get it better than it is now.

 

[maple1]

Have any room in your basement?

I did think about moving it in but, don't want the spiders setting up shop in the house... As
The stove is also another floor up ..would be walking wood a long way

Garage? Shed?

Generally speaking, you'd want to get it under some kind of cover, with as much air flow as possible, the warmer the better.

If you've got garage space, maybe stack loose as much as you can, and just set up a box fan at the bottom of the pile blowing out. Crack a couple windows so cross ventilation can get rid of the moisture that will be going from wood to air. If there's heat in there, even better. If you're relegated to the outdoors, restack loose on the south side of a building with some kind of elevated top covering and hope for the best. If this warm weather holds for a while, it should improve things.

 

[smokinj]

I would move split each one time and stack loose. Separate the oak and use it last.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

iceman, that is sad news. Now you understand one of the bad parts of this great oak firewood and one more reason why we almost always give it 3 years to dry. And, I agree to not stack oak in more than 2 rows tight with single rows being better.

For a shelter, I don't know what kind you are writing about but have you considered one of the cheap carports? Open all the way around but top covered should be ideal. We almost went this route and still may put one up just for wood as a neighbor has done this and has found it works good for him. They look good too so wives and neighbors should not complain.

 

[oldspark]

Oak belongs in a single row period BW. ;-)

 

[iceman]

Gonna pull it apart move it closer to the house and stack it where the sun hits ... Will make do
Sunny days I will put a fan on it if I have to