Tarps just hold the moisture in. Let the sun and wind do its job. Direct sun and 5+ mph winds will dry wood faster than a small fan could ever hope to. Why spend time and money to do what will happen naturally? I top cover what I am going to burn for the winter in November simply to keep the majority of the snow off top of pile. Just cover the top if you really feel the need to cover, but still, you aren't in the pnw where it rains constantly.
drying wood - circulate air?
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NSMaple1
Addicted to ArboristSite
If you're in an area that gets a lot of rain, you can likely benefit from tarping or top covering as soon as it's split & stacked. But as mentioned above, tarp only the top - never the sides. And, as also mentioned, it will help if you put some pallets on top before you cover so the air can circulate over top. And, as also mentioned, get the wood off the gound as high as you can. Use a few splits under the corners of pallets if you don't have anything else. And, as also mentioned, leave a space between rows. Single rows will dry best, but if you leave a space between double rows on pallets, that's not bad either.
It's not rocket science - make sure air can circulate around ALL sides and you're usually good. And piling in woodsheds won't do much for getting wood to dry - save the shed for after it's dry.
It's not rocket science - make sure air can circulate around ALL sides and you're usually good. And piling in woodsheds won't do much for getting wood to dry - save the shed for after it's dry.
I won't argue that... but I'll add that just because it exists now doesn't necessarily mean it's better either.
"New", or "modern", or even "high-tech" does not automatically mean "better"...
I still prefer a canvas tent over modern "high-tech", lightweight, synthetics because they breath freely, are warmer in cool weather, and cooler in warm weather... the new synthetics are not a better tent, they're just cheaper, lighter and easier to care for (read convenient).
I still prefer a high-carbon blade on a knife over stainless because it takes a sharper edge and holds it longer... the stainless doesn't make a better knife, it's just less likely to corrode if neglected (read convenient).
I still prefer an incandescent light bulb over the new "glow-worm" type because they give more and better light... the new "glow-worm" doesn't make a better light bulb, they just use less energy (supposedly).
On the other hand...
I prefer the newer Alkaline flashlight batteries over the old "heavy duty" style because they provide more power, for a longer length of time... the "newer" Alkaline does in fact make for a better battery.
I prefer the newer stereo sound systems over mono systems because of the cleaner more realistic sound... the stereo does does in fact make for a better sound system.
But now, just because you can cover your firewood with a tarp don't make it better.
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fuzz1500
Guest
I put my stacks on pallets...as they allow air flow through them..and usually they can be had for free..or cheap anyway ! Granted up where Im located.....we dont get huge amounts of rain during the summer months..and we have really good air movement.........but I leave the stacks completely uncovered until fall...when I cover just the top...to allow air to keep circulating . Covering the whole stack seems to not allow any air movement..and seems to hold moisture/condensation under the tarp . Open things up..and allow more drying time..and you will be just fine !!
That I agree. Water drives out the sap so I always have my wood uncovered a couple of months to half a year (depending on the seasons). But then I get it covered, when it's partly seasoned, because the water won't be as efficient as before, driving out less sap.
Especially with a lot of rain, the moisture that mainly vaporizes is the rain. If the wood can't dry enough due to lots of rain, the moisture content will stay higher than when covered on top. So instead of leaving it at a high MC (water and sap), I prefer to keep it at a lower MC (mostly sap) because the constant water will invite mold, decrease the quality of the wood etc.
Pretty lawn, nice stacks.
Do you have a link where it talks about water driving out the sap, have read a ton of info about drying wood and don't remember coming across that fact.
man, you must love to run a weedeater!!!!! lol Agree on the single row and preferable North-south arrangement and maximum west exposure.
NSMaple1
Addicted to ArboristSite
Yes, I'd like to see that too.
I use lumber covers I get for FREE for top covers.
I stack the longest pieces on top for overhang and no wider than two rows. For two rows I top off with a single row layer in the middle, makes water run off the sides.
Lumber covers will cover a 16ft stack and are wide enough for double coverage on two 24" rows, 3 cords with a 6' high stack.
I put the black side up and the sun heats the covers and the air/wood underneath it. This provides air circulation, not condensation.
I can leave a stack like this for years here in northern New England. I'm burning a 3 year old stack now and it is dry as a bone, but we have had heavy rains this week (pouring right now) and a fair amount of snow since fall.
If I left it uncovered where I live there would be a pile of worthless punk, that would foul my flue.
For bottoms I use free pallets near the house, in the woods some low quality 4-5" thick limbs parallel to the rows.
I stack the longest pieces on top for overhang and no wider than two rows. For two rows I top off with a single row layer in the middle, makes water run off the sides.
Lumber covers will cover a 16ft stack and are wide enough for double coverage on two 24" rows, 3 cords with a 6' high stack.
I put the black side up and the sun heats the covers and the air/wood underneath it. This provides air circulation, not condensation.
I can leave a stack like this for years here in northern New England. I'm burning a 3 year old stack now and it is dry as a bone, but we have had heavy rains this week (pouring right now) and a fair amount of snow since fall.
If I left it uncovered where I live there would be a pile of worthless punk, that would foul my flue.
For bottoms I use free pallets near the house, in the woods some low quality 4-5" thick limbs parallel to the rows.
zogger
Tree Freak
Your style method is working better here. I have now tried the past year a variety of methods and inspect on a casual now and then basis. A top cover with good air flow underneath is pretty good for what I am burning now. Some stacks that I have left uncovered for a couple years now are..hmm..semi meh. Should have top covered them.
It just isn't windy enough here, even in the winter, to have that rained on surface moisture driven out fast enough.
Ideally, with a smaller amount iof wood, topcover when raining, roll it back when dry out, but once you get to a lot of stacks, gets to be a hassle.
Still no replacement for a good woodshed.
And all of my wood I am burning goes through a final two or three day cooking stacked on the wall behind the heater.
I also think, a few deep freeze and thaw or semi thaw out cycles cracks the wood better and gets it to drying faster. I can't really prove that in my current situation, those couple days we had of real cold are rare here. I am going by decades old memory of looking at my wood back then, especially intact rounds, what was happening to them in the winter.
I have a weed-whip... don't use it much though... RoundUp is much more effective, faster, lasts longer, and is a ton less work.
It is a used technique for drying wood for carpentry.
Elementary Principles Of Carpentry
Manual of carpentry and joinery, p8
They talk about submerging it into water to wash most of the sap out. Sap is partly water taken up by the roots of the tree when standing. It seems logical that the sap that is left in the wood after being cut, can exit better by the help of water, because it increases the fluidity. I may be completely wrong. If so, feel free to correct me. I'm still learning myself.
Drying unevenly. One part dries faster than an other or shrinks more than other parts.
I've thought that it was caused by the outer parts drying more rapidly that the inner parts.
I think we should keep a difference between the seasoning and drying. The water seasoning is used for seasoning timber in a short period. It still needs to dry to get rid of the water. Just as Spider said, you put tarps on the wood a few weeks before using it, so it dries.
Cuz everything on Wikipedia is true
I think we should keep a difference between the seasoning and drying. The water seasoning is used for seasoning timber in a short period. It still needs to dry to get rid of the water. Just as Spider said, you put tarps on the wood a few weeks before using it, so it dries.
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