I have 2 cords of split wood, maple, oak and birch. It was cut and split 3 months ago. Will it be ok to put it in my attached garage? Or will I have moisture problems?
wood in attached garage
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you might not have moisture problems, but it sure will not season very well (and after 3 months it still needs seasoning).
Hmm...maybe I didn't think this out too well...I made a last minute, game time decision and bought a used wood stove on a great deal. I have many cords of hardwood (oak, maple, birch, beech, ash, "ironwood", etc) but it's all 2-3 years old and cut in 8-10' lengths. I had thought that at it's age, this wood would be seasoned, dry and ready to use. What I'm finding is that much of the wood, while seasoned (I think) is still fairly wet. I've stacked about 3 cords in my unheated, attached garage and I'm now experiencing moisture problems. The temp stays around 40 all winter, but the humidity shot up to around 80%! I tried to run a dehumidifier, but the temp in the garage isn't warm enough for the dehum to work well. I have a propane salamander heater I've used a couple of times to boost the heat and speed drying, but I don't want to run it too much as the idea here is to save burning gas (obviously). Some of the wood is dryer that other and I'll obviously burn this first, but is there anything I can do to speed the drying? The humidity outside right now is between 50-60%, would I be better off not concerning myself with the heat and opening the doors several times a day for better air exchange and to release some of the humidity? Will wood dry at all in those conditions? Oh yeah, we don't have termites up here...
I doubt it
I keep about 1/2 a cord of seasoned splits in my attached garage in the winter.....for those nasty snow days. When we first bought the place, 4 years ago, I stacked a pile of fresh cut stuff in there in the spring...it was still wet in the winter, so now I keep it ouside with the other 6 cords and move in just about 1/2 a cord in the late fall.
I keep about 1/2 a cord of seasoned splits in my attached garage in the winter.....for those nasty snow days. When we first bought the place, 4 years ago, I stacked a pile of fresh cut stuff in there in the spring...it was still wet in the winter, so now I keep it ouside with the other 6 cords and move in just about 1/2 a cord in the late fall.
I tend to overhandle my wood, but here's what I do/would do:
Bring 2 days worth into the house, first should be pretty dry, second will be.
Third day in the garage.
Transfer second day to the first day place, garage wood into the second and reload the garage.
Seems like a lot, but it doesn't take very long after the first one.
Sure, I rotate a bunch, but wife knows which to take from and it has worked very well for the past year.
The two days in the stove room makes it very good for the fire, additional heat makes it burn better than cold wood.
My .02
Bring 2 days worth into the house, first should be pretty dry, second will be.
Third day in the garage.
Transfer second day to the first day place, garage wood into the second and reload the garage.
Seems like a lot, but it doesn't take very long after the first one.
Sure, I rotate a bunch, but wife knows which to take from and it has worked very well for the past year.
The two days in the stove room makes it very good for the fire, additional heat makes it burn better than cold wood.
My .02
phishheadmi said:
Cut and split it small. Some may be dry enough as is, but it depends on where it was stored (off the ground, wind and sun etc). Ash tends to be dry or dry quickly when cut, oak takes longer.
Right. No need to heat the garage to dry the wood, just open the door. Wood dries well in winter outdoors.velvetfoot said:
Generally, fans require very little electricity. Would a fan pointed at an indoor woodpile (with occasional or frequent opening of the door) help lower the moister level of the woodpile? I can't help but think it would improve things....
My father used to store his firewood in an enclosed building. It was disgusting. Frost covered everything and rusted his tools. In the summer it stunk of mold.
He had a chimney fire that finally burned the house to the ground.
He had a chimney fire that finally burned the house to the ground.
Never underestimate the power of the day to day weather wear & tear on a pile of stacked wood out in the wind, snow & rain. There is literally no substitute. This IS seasoning. There are no "seasons" indoors. Plan twice . . . do once, and think 1 year ahead
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