Do you cover your firewood all summer?

[greengiant]

I personally like it covered. My stove seems to burn hotter when the wood is 'extra' seasoned (stove is an insert). I also have a lack of space, so my wood pile is stacked 6 rows deep, 8' tall and 15' wide. However, everyone agrees, as do I, that getting it off the ground and only covering the top is the best. I have about 15 pallets on the ground, then the sides lean against locust posts with pallets on end, and finally the tarp is elevated on a layer of pallets on top. To keep the tarp down, you just throw some junk planks, 2x4's, rocks, bricks, or even a couple other pallets on top, and you won't be chasing it at all. I feel that if not covered, the center of that thick pile would take a long time to season.

 

[blackdiesel]

must be hard to find the time to cut more than a cord of wood every day of the year. not to mention splitting hauling and stacking.

You don't cut it by hand when you cut that much wood. Prossesors cut split and load from 1 to 8 cords per hour depending on the unit. and he said 400 face cord that's only 133 full cord

 

[BarkBuster20]

Re.

Originally Posted by BarkBuster20
must be hard to find the time to cut more than a cord of wood every day of the year. not to mention splitting hauling and stacking.
You don't cut it by hand when you cut that much wood. Prossesors cut split and load from 1 to 8 cords per hour depending on the unit. and he said 400 face cord that's only 133 full cord
__________________ lol alright

 

[BarkBuster20]

i cut a little over a hundred full cord by hand (chainsaw) stack it haul it and sometimes split it.

 

[flashpuppy]

Now, what I have learned is that you stack all of your split wood (I split EVERYTHING, even 4" just to help get the moisture out) bark side up. The last coarse or row bark side down. This will act like a natural shingle and let the rain run off. Sometimes I will alson take sheets of ply wood. Nail a 2x2 to the top of one side and the bottom of the other. That way they will sort of lock with each other. I stack on a downslope and all of the water will run off, but I will still have open air circulation.

 

[woodbooga]

.....tarps trap

Say that 10 times fast. And once you've become proficient, try this one:

splitter is soaking

BTW, I cover the tops of my wood under plastic. Uncover when the forecast calls for several days sans rain.

 

[RAYINTOMBALL]

I leave mine uncovered till about 6 to 8 weeks before using and than just cover the top.

 

[fourapples]

I covered my main stash wood pile last year with just a tarp on top. I left the sides open. I figured this would keep wet spot out of center of the pile. Last fall I covered it entirely with a 30' x 60' tarp hoping to preserve this wood for years ahead. They are correct on wind playing havoc with the tarps though, each wind storm we have I usually have to put the tarp back in place. I have about 30-35 full cords of wood under it and hope not needing to start using from the pile until fall of 2010. It should last about 3 years.

 

[Zodiac45]

Getting rained on doesn't hurt it a bit, unless you are going to be burning it shortly after. I believe that it helps it dry fast in the long run. Better to let it breathe than to wrap it. The best option is a roof over head and let the sun and air through, like a carport.

Bingo! That's why the best woodsheds are the open on all sides but up type.

 

[BarkBuster20]

yeah the best wood shed is a lean-two. and you strap tarps up for walls, all but the top 2 feet or so under the over hang (entrance open) you get plenty of "breathing" and zero moisture. my uncle also has a large shed he stores wood in and has a little shop area (holds around 15 cord) and he has a stove he burns in there for heat, makes it much more seasoned come next winter whenthe wood was cut in the spring/winter.

 

[Rich L]

Me.I just leave it uncovered in spring,summer,and fall and cover it when it's going to rain then uncover after the rain.

 

[BarkBuster20]

yeah here in oregon if you were to cover it when it was gonna rain then uncover it you be spending 3-4 hours a week uncovering and covering your wood it rains constantly here lol

 

[PA Plumber]

"Do you cover your firewood all summer? "


No.

 

[strongback]

Uncovered until the last week of August then what I intend to use for the winter is covered. Everything else remains exposed.

 

[Rich L]

yeah here in oregon if you were to cover it when it was gonna rain then uncover it you be spending 3-4 hours a week uncovering and covering your wood it rains constantly here lol

Yo BarkBuster,I'm in Mass. we have a much different climate.Man that's too much rain for me.With all that rain how long does it take for your hardwood to dry out there.

 

[Octane]

I stack my firewood on pallets (that way its off the ground, so it doesnt suck up any moisture from the ground and it gets the airflow under the woodpile to help it cure) and I cover it with a tarp.
That way, it doesnt get rained on and the trap holds more heat in the woodpile, so it cures really well.
Ive never had much of an issue with chasing tarps in the wind. I have some concrete blocks that pin the tarp to the ground and I stack a couple metal fenceposts on the top.

 

[thejdman04]

This was all the wood I had left by this january, this wasnt even off the ground. I have no way to cover all of this, plus what other wood I had. Never had any complaints, it burned very well, was seasoining from february-january of the next year and all of it was bone dry. Like I said I have no way of covering all this and the rest of the pile I had.

 

[husky455rancher]

i tarp the tops around early fall or so. the i bring a cord and a hlaf or so in the house for january february use.

 

[046]

no... but will cover first used wood, when rainy season starts.

 

[LumberjkChamp]

Like others have said, make sure you a least stack off the ground. As soon as all my wood is stacked I tarp mine, or use old metal roofing, the top only- all year, we get too much precipitation to leave it uncovered. With that said, I am getting pretty sick of tarps. I wish I could just stack it all into a woodshed and be done with it. Its a pain trying to dig everything out of two feet of snow. But, at least with all that snow I don't have to worry about having to recover a blown away tarp.