You can't fix stupid...and I can't be fixed

[Swedishchef]

Hey guys

I am simply posting this with hopes that nobody made the same mistake as me. And if they did, they can fix it ASAP.

3 years ago I c/s/s some maple. It was my first wood cut myself. I stacked it along a tree line in the corner of my back yard.

Today I went to see the wood as I will be burning 2 cords of it: damp, wet and some punky! The wood never really dried that well. Because of the corner location, the wood only gets sun for about 7 hours a day. So if it rained after that, it sat in the shade until the following day.

So now I am trying to pray that putting it in the open area behind my house will get the moisture content down 5-10% before the winter arrives!! So it looks like I will be short on wood.

My advice: when everyone says to stack your wood in an OPEN area, do so. NOT besides the tree line in a corner! Agh. Bio brick time!!

Andrew

 

[bmblank]

Top cover keeps the rain off...

 

[Hills Hoard]

Thats a shame!! I would have been devastated..haha

I regularly check my pile for 2014 to make sure its still upright and drying...take a beer down to the pile and admire...haha.......particularly after heavy rain or winds..

 

[Backwoods Savage]

Hey guys

I am simply posting this with hopes that nobody made the same mistake as me. And if they did, they can fix it ASAP.

3 years ago I c/s/s some maple. It was my first wood cut myself. I stacked it along a tree line in the corner of my back yard.

Today I went to see the wood as I will be burning 2 cords of it: damp, wet and some punky! The wood never really dried that well. Because of the corner location, the wood only gets sun for about 7 hours a day. So if it rained after that, it sat in the shade until the following day.

So now I am trying to pray that putting it in the open area behind my house will get the moisture content down 5-10% before the winter arrives!! So it looks like I will be short on wood.

My advice: when everyone says to stack your wood in an OPEN area, do so. NOT besides the tree line in a corner! Agh. Bio brick time!!

Andrew

That is sad to read Andrew. However, I've said this many times. I can stack wood in the shade and have no problems with it drying. The key to this is having good air circulation so a very windy spot is best. I'd bet if you get that wood moved into a windy spot, it very well could be dry enough before winter sets in. Good luck.

 

[Auzzie Gumtree]

the wood only gets sun for about 7 hours a day

i dream of getting 7 hours of sun on my firewood. i believe from what i have read on here that wind is the most important factor when drying wood, but i would have thought 7 hours of sun would be good to go in 3 years...... but what do we know...

I am new to this a well - just done 3 months 24/7 with less than perfect wood so i am hearing you. The worst thing about stacking under trees i have found is that the leaves drop and get stuck between the rows and get very wet - these don't seem to dry. Its all a learning curve.

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I read about this problem of leaf drop between the rows and even in the rows. This is a foreign happening to me because we many times stack below trees and have never had a leaf problem at all. It really makes me wonder why. Hum. Time to start a new thread on this topic.

 

[Swedishchef]

bmblank: I agree. But I have stacked often in the open and the rain just dries......

Dennis: Yes, it sucks. I am moving it behind my house in the hot sun (15 feet from the house) and there can often be a breeze there. I think it will make a difference. I simply didn't have enough air circulation. I think the fact that tall grass started growing around the wood + moisture from rain + not enough sun + not enough wind (apparently) = rotting wood. Ick. It sucks. $$$ down the drain!

Auzzie: See my comments to Dennis. Just bad luck. now I need to find a bio-brick at a reasonably decent price for plan B! lol

Andrew

 

[Beer Belly]

This is the corner of my yard that I'm just finishing up on clearing for my stacks (Wife tired of seeing the stacks in the middle of the yard).....it gets sun about 7 hours also.....do you think this could be a problem ???....they will be top covered with a Tarp at the very least....

 

[bmblank]

In my area it's pine needless. It's like putting mulch all over your wood.

 

[paul bunion]

What was under your wood? My wood is predominately shaded, but with 6-10" of airspace under. Rot has never been an issue.

 

[Beer Belly]

What was under your wood? My wood is predominately shaded, but with 6-10" of airspace under. Rot has never been an issue.

I have my stacks on Pallets

 

[Swedishchef]

I can't speak for your wood..Obviously I am bad at judging or my wood would be fine. LOL. I had mine stacked on 2X4s. The bottom of my rows are barely split open. They didnt see any sun (rows were 2- feet apart) and barely any wind...I would need to take a picture to show. I will get one tomorrow and post it. Fn mess.

However, I am starting to think that my wood wasn't the greatest quality wood. It was a trailer (53 foot trailer) passed on by a slash crew working for a hardwood company...so maybe there was already some rot? WHo knows. I just know one thing: I need wood for this winter. LOL.

Andrew

 

[oldspark]

So you stacked it there 3 years ago and have not looked at it till now?

 

[Swedishchef]

No, I looked at the first two cords last year and they were fine. I didn't take too much notice at the last 2 since I moved all of the first 2 by hand and just presumed they were fine. My mistake....I guess it's kind like the same concept of checking your oil in your car every time you fill up on gas (or every second tank as suggested in most car maintenance books): I just take it for granted that it is fine....

 

[oldspark]

Well I am glad you posted this as there is a lot more to drying wood then just time.

 

[Swedishchef]

That is why I posted it......

 

[TreePointer]

The wood that I want to dry quickly is off the ground higher than pallets for better air circulation. It's also in single rows. I always thought this would be good for shady yards but I haven't tested the theory. Of course, it may be difficult to do this in smaller yards.

 

[Ashful]

My wood is stacked in the corner of my yard, shady and low area, in double rows, with 6 feet between rows. Uncovered, until fall of the year I'll burn it. Time will tell...

 

[NortheastAl]

You should be able to salvage most of the wood. I had a problem with wood I stacked alongside the deck. The bottom row got infested by pill bugs. I had the wood up on landscape timbers, but it was not high enough. Also, there was not much air circulation there. This has also been an exceptionally wet year for us on the east coast, so that may be a reason as well.

 

[NortheastAl]

The wood that I want to dry quickly is off the ground higher than pallets for better air circulation. It's also in single rows. I always thought this would be good for shady yards but I haven't tested the theory. Of course, it may be difficult to do this in smaller yards.

Really nice way to stack. Nice looking stacks, too.

 

[Swedishchef]

Heeee haaaaaaa. It may not be a complete loss. It seems some of the wood rotted. However I think that was just bad wood ( about 1/3 of a cord...). I also think a contributing factor was the fact that the air circulation must have been really minimal. My rows were 1 foot apart. Th 2x4 s were quite sunk into the dirt. Currently the wood only gets 4 to 5 hours of sun a day.

My second cord I plan on burning is in really decent shape ( other than a few pieces....).

I still don't think I raised my stack enough and gave it enough room to breath. Some of the pieces were moulded together ( literally: mold was holding them together, pun intended lol).

I have moved almost all of it into a wide open area. I think I can salvage what is left.....

Andrew

 

[oldspark]

So you can fix stupid!

 

[Seasoned Oak]

I know some dont cover their stax but i cant see lettin that pile get wet every time it rains. MY wood is so dry i can light a large split with a match.

 

[oldspark]

If you are good at stacking you could stack the top two rows as to shed a lot of the water so even not covered would be covered.

 

[Seasoned Oak]

If you are good at stacking you could stack the top two rows as to shed a lot of the water so even not covered would be covered.

WHen did tarps become prohibitively expensive.Cover the darn pile already. Old rubber roof pieces are even better as they get pretty hot underneath and bake the moisture out.