Do you cover your firewood all summer?

[never2muchwood]

Hi All...I'm just about done splitting all my wood for next winter and in a few days they're calling for rain. That got me to wondering what the best way was to store the wood. I don't have the option of putting it inside anywhere, I want it to dry as much as possible over the summer, so should I put a cover over the top or no cover & let it completely exposed? Or leave it exposed completely for awhile and a few months before next winter start covering it? I'm looking forward to your opinions, Thanks!

 

[forestryworks]

only the tops and only when it rains.

 

[Rookie1]

Im lazy. That said I never cover mine until winter. I let it get rained on and sun shined on all summer. I just dont like brushing snow off the pile and bringing in snow covered logs. :greenchainsaw:

 

[outdoorlivin247]

Chasing tarps in the spring and summer is not my idea of fun...I move about a cord inside in the fall and cover the tops w/ tarps and hope for the best...

 

[never2muchwood]

That's what i was thinking-I live in a windy area, covering & uncovering all summer doesn't sound like alot of fun. I'd do it if it's better for it though. I'll definately cover it up during winter so I don't have to worry about snow...I will have space to put about 3-4 cords inside a corner of the garage come next fall also. The other thing that got me to wondering was because I had alot cut up a week or so ago, and I was in the middle of splitting it, and we had a rainstorm that lasted all one afternoon, I went out the next day to finish splitting it and it sure seemed to split a heck of a lot harder. I didn't know just how much moisture wood "sucked up" when it rains. Thanks for the quick replies!

 

[Wood Doctor]

Hi All...I'm just about done splitting all my wood for next winter and in a few days they're calling for rain. That got me to wondering what the best way was to store the wood. I don't have the option of putting it inside anywhere, I want it to dry as much as possible over the summer, so should I put a cover over the top or no cover & let it completely exposed? Or leave it exposed completely for awhile and a few months before next winter start covering it? I'm looking forward to your opinions, Thanks!

No, I never cover my firewood stack, summer, fall, spring, or winter. Why invite more mold and mice?

 

[thejdman04]

never cover it, just keep it off the ground for me, cover would be nice, just havent found a easy way to cover 400 face cords

 

[never2muchwood]

400 face Cords! Wow..and I thought I was ahead of the game with about 7-8 cords!

 

[Moss Man]

only the tops and only when it rains.

I couldn't agree more.

 

[Dalmatian90]

Good tarp over my (almost gone) pile of seasoned wood.

What has gotten moved up on the porch gets a cover that's just one log wide over the top to keep the snow / rain more or less off it. Not perfect, but reduces the wetness. That cover is just a super heavy duty garbage bag I cut the side seams on.

I think I have some black plastic mulch in the garage, planning on using that for the new piles of wood I make just to keep the rain off the tops.

 

[Mntn Man]

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.

 

[Hlakegollum]

I built a 10 ft by 20 ft woodshed, roof only. Works great keeping the snow off the wood. Built from old green telephone poles, 2 by 10 rafters (from an old deck), and metal roof, should out last me. Only thing I had to buy was the metal roofing.

 

[peterc38]

I couldn't agree more.

Same here

 

[BarkBuster20]

i have a lean-two built off my garage that holds about 10 cord for my personal use. tarp the sides and it get plently of wind to dry it in the summer and dont get any moisture i believe its a good option. the best option in my opinion cause with just covering the top and gettin it off the ground itll be dry but not that dry. 400 face cords huh?

 

[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.

 

[Joshlaugh]

I don't cover my wood until a couple of weeks before I begin to burn it in the fall. I do cover all the wood I plan to burn that winter. I don't like to deal with ice encrusted or snow covered wood as it can damage my stove.

 

[Wood Doctor]

I don't cover my wood until a couple of weeks before I begin to burn it in the fall. I do cover all the wood I plan to burn that winter. I don't like to deal with ice encrusted or snow covered wood as it can damage my stove.

Bring the wood in for a few hours and place it next to the wood stove before you burn it. Good bye, encrusted ice or snow.

 

[BarkBuster20]

i just like having nice and dry wood but as long as its seasoned it will burn unless you soak it in a bucket of water for afew days even unseasoned wood will burn, but youll be unplugging your chimney b4 long if you do that.

 

[cityevader]

One thing I found out about covering.....tarps trap condensation. My splitter is soaking wet....under a tarp. My not-often-driven truck=engine soaking wet and even have to dry out the inside of the distributor cap before it'll start. Woodpile about 6 feet tall and four rows deep (tarp over the top and halfway down the sides) which last year burnt up in a poof without a hiss, now hisses for a few minutes before it lights up. Granted, it doesn't hiss like green wood by a long shot, but it did indeed absorb moisture over the course of a year, which should have simply evaporated away but never got the chance.

Cover top only.

 

[havenodog]

Never2
I just cover the top of my pile with tarps. they're cheap and last a year. If you have an area where the wind can get to it you won't have a mold problem. The wood that is cut and split in the early spring is ready to burn in the winter. Mine takes about 6 or 7 mo's to dry. But if you can get a year ahead thats even better. A whole year drying is good enough for any wood here in central PA. Happy burning!