drying wood - circulate air?

[oifla]

i've looked at the mega-thread on wood stacking and pile-making and folks seem to generally agree the key idea is to stack in such as a way as to circulate air. i've got my stuff stacked under tarps most of the year but between the condensation of the tarps, the general lack of air movement (not a very windy place), and the relatively high humidity year round, i'm not sure i'm getting the best results. ideally i'd stack in a shed but that's not likely to happen anytime soon so i came with what i think would be a good solution or at least go a long way towards improving my stacking/drying set up: i am considering using a couple of automotive radiator fans in combination with a solar panel to move air under the tarps. the set-up would be cheap (second hand panel from craigslist and a couple of junkyard electric fans), weatherproof (fans under the tarp between piles) and after initial start-up costs, free to run. worth doing?

 

[oldspark]

Why not just top cover it?

 

[oifla]

Why not just top cover it?

i do pull up the tarps every now and then (the sides anyway) so yeah, they are top covered but we do have a pretty good rainy season so a lot of the time i just keep them covered. i should have also clarified that the wood is off the ground and all resting on pallets

 

[Mad Professor]

Top cover with an overhang no more than two rows wide. Keep the stuff on the bottom off the ground.

 

[oldspark]

I would just top cover all the time and never have the sides covered unless the wood has reached the moisture content you are going to burn it at.

 

[oldspark]

You are restricting the air flow with the tarps and now you want to add air flow by mechanical means, not a good idea IMHO.

 

[TeeMan]

I would not cover at all until it was fully seasoned and ready to burn. The exposure to the elements helps it to season...the cover is just to keep it 'dry' from rain/snow when it is ready to burn. I only cover my seasoned stacks when I am ready to use them; otherwise let the elements do their job.

 

[zogger]

Get it up off the ground a lot. Not just flop a pallet on the ground, put the pallet up on something else substantial. I use old RxR ties, but cinder blocks, whatever you can scrounge.

Now on the top when it is too rainy to leave uncovered, get lightweight scrap pallets, something you wouldn't stack on. Put those on top of the wood, then the tarp up over those. Make an air space that is also waterproof and will shed the rain off to the sides. You'll get some airflow all the way through the stack and it won't get trapped at the top then.

Best you can do short of a shed.

 

[oldspark]

I would not cover at all until it was fully seasoned and ready to burn. The exposure to the elements helps it to season...the cover is just to keep it 'dry' from rain/snow when it is ready to burn. I only cover my seasoned stacks when I am ready to use them; otherwise let the elements do their job.

That's what I do but some insist its necessary where they live, if you living in Louisiana can get by with out it then I would think most could.

 

[jags]

Yer gonna be real surprised at what 2 12V radiator fans are gonna require for juice to move any volume of air.

 

[Steve NW WI]

Top cover with an overhang no more than two rows wide. Keep the stuff on the bottom off the ground.

The deeper the stacks run, the less air gets through them. Also, the sun never hits the center row(s). I used to stack 3 wide, because my poor stacking skills allowed me to make a fairly straight center row and lean the outside rows in for support. That middle row would never dry like the outer rows.

IMO, stacks should be wide open, at least while drying. Actual mileage may vary, and I won't hold it against any member of the tarp brigade.

 

[TeeMan]

That's what I do but some insist its necessary where they live, if you living in Louisiana can get by with out it then I would think most could.

We do get our fair share of rain here. It also stays humid a lot of the time, and I have never had any issues leaving exposed until necessary to cover when ready to burn. Even when it rains after a couple of days and the stacks seem to dry out just fine.

 

[Ironworker]

I don't cover till late September, early October, and I stacked this years wood 9 rows wide and about 20' long and my middle pieces are just as dry as the outside ones, I have stacked like this in the past and sometimes I've stacked only 3 rows and I've also built holzhausens and every time the wood dries the same. Moisture will naturally leave anything that is organic, covering it just slows it down.

 

[Typhke]

We get our share of rain also, so I have the tops covered 95% of the time. Only when we have dry days in the summer, I'll take the tarps off. I've got single and double rows at the moment (1.5 years drying time). The sides get wet but as long as the wind and/or sun can reach them, they'll dry.

I had 2 cords of oak split but not stacked and uncovered in October, it started raining for almost 2 weeks straight just when I was done splitting. I left it uncovered figuring it wouldn't hurt the oak, but the center didn't dry. Even after a month and more, it was still wet (found out while I was stacking it). The center was getting mold on it and that just aint pretty to sell. So from now on, it gets covered or stacked asap.

 

[zogger]

The deeper the stacks run, the less air gets through them. Also, the sun never hits the center row(s). I used to stack 3 wide, because my poor stacking skills allowed me to make a fairly straight center row and lean the outside rows in for support. That middle row would never dry like the outer rows.

IMO, stacks should be wide open, at least while drying. Actual mileage may vary, and I won't hold it against any member of the tarp brigade.

The middle row is for shorts, longs, uglies, doglegs, crotchedy no-splits because they suck, all nighters, and so on. Or, nice place for small splits and small rounds, you always can grab a handful of kindling when you are grabbing regular splits.

 

[CRThomas]

i've looked at the mega-thread on wood stacking and pile-making and folks seem to generally agree the key idea is to stack in such as a way as to circulate air. i've got my stuff stacked under tarps most of the year but between the condensation of the tarps, the general lack of air movement (not a very windy place), and the relatively high humidity year round, i'm not sure i'm getting the best results. ideally i'd stack in a shed but that's not likely to happen anytime soon so i came with what i think would be a good solution or at least go a long way towards improving my stacking/drying set up: i am considering using a couple of automotive radiator fans in combination with a solar panel to move air under the tarps. the set-up would be cheap (second hand panel from craigslist and a couple of junkyard electric fans), weatherproof (fans under the tarp between piles) and after initial start-up costs, free to run. worth doing?

Ash you cut it you haul it home and burn it it will burn cut after leaves are gone good a month split and stacked it burns real good I only burn and sell Ash none of the hard wood wood. It doesn't burn and last like Oak but it beatsw being cold

 

[Whitespider]

...between the condensation of the tarps, the general lack of air movement (not a very windy place), and the relatively high humidity year round, i'm not sure i'm getting the best results.

Man has been stacking firewood to season for ten-thousand years or more... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
According to popular history, on this continent the white man has been stacking firewood to season for a bit over 500 years... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
And likely the white man was stacking firewood to season for at least 300 year in Indiana... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??

Tarps are a wonderfully convenient, modern invention for keeping seasoned firewood dry, they should not be used for covering unseasoned firewood. The idea that a little rain water is gonna' stop firewood from seasoning is silly... but tarping it will, especially in humid weather. And ya' can't do squat about the relative humidity... so forgetaboutit.

Best results??
Step #1 - Get rid of the tarps and stack your unseasoned firewood in the most open, sunny location you have, uncovered... preferably in single rows (even a few inches apart is better than butted together). Heck, you're better off using the tarps as a moisture barrier and stacking the wood on top of them, rather than under them.
Step #2 - Don't do a damn thing else for at least one full year (possibly 9 months for certain types of wood under certain conditions).
Step #3 - When the firewood has become fully seasoned (1-3 years depending on too many things to list) cover with a tarp about three weeks before burning... simply so you don't have to handle wet, snowy or icy firewood.

 

[demc570]

Man has been stacking firewood to season for ten-thousand years or more... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
According to popular history, on this continent the white man has been stacking firewood to season for a bit over 500 years... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
And likely the white man was stacking firewood to season for at least 300 year in Indiana... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??

Tarps are a wonderfully convenient, modern invention for keeping seasoned firewood dry, they should not be used for covering unseasoned firewood. The idea that a little rain water is gonna' stop firewood from seasoning is silly... but tarping it will, especially in humid weather. And ya' can't do squat about the relative humidity... so forgetaboutit.

Best results??
Step #1 - Get rid of the tarps and stack your unseasoned firewood in the most open, sunny location you have, uncovered... preferably in single rows (even a few inches apart is better than butted together). Heck, you're better off using the tarps as a moisture barrier and stacking the wood on top of them, rather than under them.
Step #2 - Don't do a damn thing else for at least one full year (possibly 9 months for certain types of wood under certain conditions).
Step #3 - When the firewood has become fully seasoned (1-3 years depending on too many things to list) cover with a tarp about three weeks before burning... simply so you don't have to handle wet, snowy or icy firewood.

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does anyone know how long tarps have been around???? lol.... just teasing,interesting,and no i dont like or use tarps either,wood just doesnt dry the same for me either.......

 

[Typhke]

Man has been stacking firewood to season for ten-thousand years or more... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
According to popular history, on this continent the white man has been stacking firewood to season for a bit over 500 years... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
And likely the white man was stacking firewood to season for at least 300 year in Indiana... tarps have been available for what?? 100 years??
View attachment 327046 View attachment 327047

That way of thinking is just ridiculous

Man has been cutting firewood to burn for ten-thousand years or more... saws have been available for what?? 100 years??
According to popular history, on this continent the white man has been cutting firewood to burn for a bit over 500 years... saws have been available for what?? 100 years??
And likely the white man was cutting firewood to burn for at least 300 year in Indiana... saws have been available for what?? 100 years??

I guess you use a rock with a sharp edge from corrosion for cutting firewood?

It's not because it didn't exist in the past that it doesn't work.

 

[oldspark]

Once again I agree with spidey, been doing the single rows and no top cover (unless seasoned and for use that winter) for about 35 years and no reason to change procedures now.