Cover it or not cover it

[fulladirt]

Do you guys cover your stacked firewood or not?

Asking because my friend got a cord delivered and we put it all straight into her basement, I noticed close to half the wood felt kinda heavy, like high moisture content wood does. I asked her she said she thinks her supplier doesn't cover it. We've had a lot of rain my neck of the woods this year.

 

[NSMaple1]

Sometimes.

 

[jrider]

It probably wasn't properly seasoned. All of the rain and high humidity made drying firewood awfully difficult in the Mid Atlantic region this year. We are right around 50" for the year with almost half of that coming from mid August.

 

[buzz sawyer]

I always cover it. Use HD tarps for my big stacks and plywood on what the roof overhang doesn't cover outside my shop.

 

[lknchoppers]

I don't cover mine, I think it's better to get direct sunlight and not block the sun with a tarp. If you live in a super rainy area there may be some benefit with top covering. If her firewood was heavy it probably needs to season more. The water does not go back into the wood from some rain, it has never been dry. She should buy next years firewood this year to avoid that problem in the future.

 

[JeffHK454]

Undercover through the seasoning process then when I move the years supply up by the house it gets covered.

I keep about a weeks worth of wood inside I don’t want to handle and move wet or snowy wood into my garage stack, just makes for a mess.

 

[buzz sawyer]

I always cover it. Use HD tarps for my big stacks and plywood on what the roof overhang doesn't cover outside my shop.

Just to be clear, I only cover the top 12" or so of the stack - so air circulates freely.

 

[fulladirt]

Thanks for the replies guys. Yeah thinking her wood wasn't properly seasoned, she's been having a hard time getting her fire started and even when it does it's not getting up to temperature for quite awhile. Hissing like hell and even bubbling water coming out of some pieces!
She had a pedestal fan I put the fan blowing across the wood stove straight onto the stacks, hopefully it helps, I know I've felt some of my own pieces lose some weight in a day or 2 setting next to my woodstove.
Thinking I might offer to supply her from my own pile, I've never sold firewood but I hate seeing her have a hard time.

 

[greenskeeper]

never covered, I've got alternating stacks of splits so that I'm 2 years ahead. HOWEVER, the past 2 years it has been so wet and rainy around here that the top 4-5 rows of the stack never properly dried.....after 2 years of sitting! I think with "normal" weather I'd never would have had an issue.

 

[echomeister]

pends on where you live. The more humid and rainy the climate then cover is best. Lots of hardwoods will soak up water even after they have initially dried out. Covered wood is always a pleasure to burn.

 

[Retired Marine]

What I used to do:
1. Stack wood and let cure all summer or yrs ahead.
2. Cover a winters worth with a tarp at end of summer to save tarps from being destroyed all season. Tarps also hold moisture resulting in moldy/damp wood.

What I do now:
Stack wood under a roof for the best curing! (If possible)

Proof is in the pudding:

 

[Mustang71]

Mine sits outside before its split then it goes into the wood shed, which is a hoop barn with pallet sides and tarp roof. Covered but open to air. Seems to be the driest wood I have had. I used to tarp the stacks.

 

[Deleted member 117362]

Leave my stacked and uncovered. Move coming winters wood into crib to dry for the summer and burn that winter.

 

[Johnny Yooper]

old timers around here say if storing outside then cover the top only - with metal....tin/steel roof panels, etc.

 

[fulladirt]

I use old tin roof panels to cover my own stack and I angle em so rain flows off. But man I'd like to have a setup like Retired Marine's, nice work on that.

Also, I talked to my friend, she had called her supplier and sounds like he knew some of the wood was wet. So what'd she do?.....ordered another cord.

 

[rarefish383]

Retired Marines shed is nice, but there ain't no fly's on your stacks either.

 

[LondonNeil]

I leave uncovered over the summer when there's more sun than rain, then cover over the winter. This also means my tarps should last ok as they don't get much UV battering over the winter. Also with 2.5 years of wood CSS, the stuff not likely to burn this winter or next isn't covered now, seems little point and it just saves a couple of tarps. If i could scrounge up some tin roofing or such I'd go with that though!

 

[Mustang71]

Wet wood is one thing green wood is another. If its wet and you bring a stack inside like I do it dries fast. Wet wood doesn't bother me as long as I dont need it that day. I built the barn because I was tired of the tarps blowing off or filling with water then turning to ice. And it gave me sides to hold my stacks up.

Also of I was a large supplier I wouldn't cover it that's a lot of work if its seasoned then its good.

 

[Marine5068]

Sounds like she bought 'green' wood and it needs to be seasoned a year first.
I've noticed that most people around me never season their wood before burning it and that's so dangerous and inefficient as well as costly.
As stated by others here, she needs to buy wood this year, then stack it and season it for burning next year.

 

[fulladirt]

Well, my friend managed to get through that "wet" cord and her next cord arrived yesterday. This one had a mix of mostly oak, cherry, maple, and what looked like golden birch. We lugged it all down into the basement and I could tell this time around was much better, the wood didn't have that heavy green feel to it. Also there was more of it, we had to make 2 more rows than we have normally done in the past. I'm thinking her supplier felt bad and wanted to make things right. Just thought I'd update this thread with a happy ending, for now.