Iron Head
ArboristSite Operative
What is the fastest method to dry firewood?
Anybody ever stacked split wood in the sun and cover with black plastic?
Anybody ever stacked split wood in the sun and cover with black plastic?
Drying Firewood
- Thread starter Iron Head
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bobt
Addicted to ArboristSite
Split and stacked in the sun and breeze, yes. But if you cover with plastic black or otherwise,,,nope,not a good idea,,,as the plastic will hold the moisture in. Best to let it breathe, and cover only the top if you feel it needs to be covered. Most guys don't cover when freshly split, and then if possible, they move it under a roof of some sorts like a woodshed if possible afterward. In my case it gets left uncovered for a year and then burned.
Bob
Bob
it will deff. draw the heat! only major problem with this system is moisture!! the escaping moisture will hang on if covered completly ... open the ends for air flow as well as haveing the top of the wood stack/pile not touching the plastic for better air movement...if your on the wet side of the cascades make double sure everything is off the ground also, like on palets or timbers... good luck !!
Iron Head
ArboristSite Operative
Sorry I didn't mean to imply that the stack is totally covered and wrapped.
I'm leaving a foot or so of the bottom uncovered for ventilation.
And the bottom is pulled out away from the stack to channel the water condensates away from the wood.
I'm leaving a foot or so of the bottom uncovered for ventilation.
And the bottom is pulled out away from the stack to channel the water condensates away from the wood.
pacman
ArboristSite Operative
Also keep the wood off direct contact with the soil\ground use some garden timbers or pipe any thing to keep it off the ground. Wood pallets on the ground last about 2 years.I found some plastic pallets. I tried piling wood and stacking it also. Split ,stack cover with tin I think is the best method unless you have a open shed you can stack it under.
GLOBOTREE
Addicted to ArboristSite
wood is good left to dry in the sun and then occasionally getting wet then dry helps to season perfectly. Covering the woods man is going to trap the moisture if it is airtight yes, good luck with getting the pile airtight. Like mentioned before, get it seasoned for a season, dry it out and then keep the woods dry. Put under a lean 2 or yeah cover it up so it does not keep getting wet. We like to leave the woods in rounds to season beyond one season. Split it when your ready~KEEP IT DRY thats the ticket. cheers and if ya see happy send him over!
Iron Head
ArboristSite Operative
You guys are right. I'm trying to reinvent the wheel doing more work than needed. Not to mention that Mother Nature knows best.
Ironworker
Addicted to ArboristSite
Build a Holz Hausen like the one in my avatar, wood seasons in half the time,and on top you leave the splits bark side up, being the bark is water proof you don't need a tarp.
I thought it would be great to use some plastic pallets I was given...nope. Found that moving them around is a problem, too slippery, the wood slides off with the slightest chance. Would be good if never moved perhaps...
Just food for thought. I also found the ones I got are "leased" and have an RFID tag in them...wonder how far away they can read those things:msp_blushing:
Stack on pallets in single rows, let the sun and wind do its job, cover before the snow flies.
branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
The fastest way to dry firewood is in your wood stove. All moisture should be gone in about 2 or 3 hours if you already have a good bed of coals.*
The 2nd fastest method, aka the emergency "my tarp/plastic/roof blew off and now my wood is snowy/icy/soaked" method, bring wood inside and stack as close to the ceiling and stove as practical/safe. 130 deg F and 10% humidity dries wet wood real speedy. A heavy duty shelving rack with grated shelves works good for me.
At number 3, the outdoor and "normal" method ( Most "normal" people that don't burn wood for heat won't think you're normal, but just ignore them and do it anyway ). Stack in the sun if possible, sheltered on top but allowing for airflow. Many possible ways to do it, choose a way that fits your own situation best - an open air shelter, under an overhang of a building, out in the open and topped with plastic/metal roofing/etc. Some wood ( like oak ) needs babied more than others. Using what is best and easiest for your personal situation is key and don't get too anal. What works for one person in a certain area may not be necessary or practical for someone else - there is no one "best method".
For me, I season it over the summer out in the open in the sun with a cover on top of the stack ( unless it is RTG wood like dead locust ) then move most of it into an open air shelter or garage during a dry stretch in the fall. More work, but I need to do this because I live in a high humidity environment and very little sun hits the property in the winter. For wood that I burn myself I usually leave it outside, then use method number 2 listed above.
For keeping wood off the ground, I use splits of some low grade wood ( for me it's poplar, buckeye, basswood and their ilk ) placed parallel on the bottom of the stack. No purchase necessary.
* Don't actually do this, because you won't have any wood left by the time it dries out and then where ya gonna be?
outdoorsman0490
ArboristSite Operative
I make a big "platform" of wooden pallets, by the end of the season it my be 6 wide by 12 long. The wood gets stacked orientated from north to south so the wind can pass through as much as possible. Pallets make a big difference, the bottom wood seasons like the rest of the wood. The location is in a cleared out section of an empty wooded lot that gets a lot of wind and almost all day direct sun. I have seen green oak which was split immediately, get seasoned in around 6 months. No tarps or covers, just mother nature.
kstill361
ArboristSite Operative
I stack and let dry for a summer then cover with 6mil black plastic and nail it tight with button cap nails to keep the wind from shredding it. The plastic will last 2-3years when kept tight. I dump my ashes in the field so yes the nails get pulled before I burn. I have a source for the 6mil so I dont reuse it, it gets thrown away as I use the wood
CrappieKeith
Addicted to ArboristSite
The fastest way to dry firewood is in your wood stove. All moisture should be gone in about 2 or 3 hours if you already have a good bed of coals.*
QUOTE]
You having fun with us right?
The fastest way to dry firewood is in your wood stove. All moisture should be gone in about 2 or 3 hours if you already have a good bed of coals.*
QUOTE]
You having fun with us right?
Actually, I too guarantee if you put wood in your wood stove for about 2 or 3 hours it won't be wet. :msp_wink:
Re OP: I've heard of folks even go so far as to use fans to speed up the process of drying wood.
I simply leave it uncovered until the fall.
branchbuzzer
Undiagnosed
The fastest way to dry firewood is in your wood stove. All moisture should be gone in about 2 or 3 hours if you already have a good bed of coals.*
QUOTE]
You having fun with us right?
Who, me? :msp_biggrin:
You could say I was trying to reel in that elusive Musky, yes. I tried not to type it but it was like the keyboard pulled my fingers on to it like a black hole.
StinkyBunny
ArboristSite Operative
I put rubber roofing mats over top of my piles. It warms and drys the wood all the while allowing air to circulate through the pile.
Muffler Bearing
"Support Our Troops"
I stack and let dry for a summer
Thanks for the pics.
I gotta question. I have an 80' long stack of wood on pallets running north to south and starting tomorrow I'm starting a 2nd row. How close...or how far away from my 1st row should I be? I'm thinking 10' feet? does that sound correct?
TMFARM 2009
Addicted to ArboristSite
i stack all ours inside after its split... i usually let it dry a while in log form (3-4 months) then buck and split it stack inside off ground and it sets for another year....i do this due to theft.. we had stored it outside but someone stole 4 cords worth in a single day in broad daylight.. and yes no one saw a thing....same neighbors that didn't see 2 semi's hauling round bales of hay out of here...
anyhow... we store everything inside once its cut to length. i had a pick up truckload of logs taken from here this winter...i have two more barns to put up setting on pallets , but these are open style.. one is hoop building (open ends) 22'x48' the other is a 20'x 30' three sided shed, haven't put them up because i feel anything inside them would be stolen..
anyhow... we store everything inside once its cut to length. i had a pick up truckload of logs taken from here this winter...i have two more barns to put up setting on pallets , but these are open style.. one is hoop building (open ends) 22'x48' the other is a 20'x 30' three sided shed, haven't put them up because i feel anything inside them would be stolen..
darkbyrd
Forest Hugger
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