Saved by the Bark

[ETpilot]

Happy New Year to all.

Here is how mine started: So I drive home straight through from New York City. I get home on the 30th. dead tired. On the 31st. I am trying to get back to normal. I knew I had to reload my firewood rack as I had firewood for only a couple of days. Too tired, I decide to wait until Jan 1. BAD MISTAKE. I never checked the weather.

I get up on the first and it is pouring outside. All day event with 2" of rain. Now I am in trouble, down to wood enough thru the 2nd. The 2nd arrives, rain is gone but the day is foggy with misty weather. I had to move my wood. First I had to install a wheel on the tractor. Theft protection. Since the pastures were totally wet, I had to roll the wheel to the barn about 300 feet. Wheel installed I begin to move the wood. Top layer totally wet. I used this to load the wood rack. Removing the top layer gave me access to some of the dryer wood. I moved some of the dryer wood and stacked it on a table to dry. I made a muddy mess around the woodpile and have all kinds of tractor tire marks in my pasture. My boots and pants legs were coated in mud, I was not wet but all my clothes were damp from the mist. Not a good day.

I still needed some dry wood. So I checked in my barn and there it was, bark. I had forgotten that I had these large pieces of bark, four to five feet in length and wide. Some of it was so thick I could not break it by hand. I has to use my small chain saw to cross cut it then I could split it by hand. I have enought to keep me going about 3 days. I found it burns good and does put out some heat.

So my question now is how long will it take the super wet wood to dry out?

The bark give me 3 days, the dryer wood should be ready, I have a shop full of construction pine if needed.

I had intended to move some of the stacked dryer wood into the barn today. But GUESS WHAT, it is another super soaker day. Heavy rain may be an all day event. I have been behind in my firewood needs this year. Last resort, turn on the heat and burn some CASH.

Hard time posting picture, things not going good. Just one of those days. Hope this works.

 

[svk]

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So my question now is how long will it take the super wet wood to dry out?

I'm not fully sure if you are referring to seasoned wood that got wet in the rain? Or did you cut new green wood?

Seasoned wood with rain water on it is ready to burn. That water is literally only on the outside and maybe 1/4" in on the ends.

 

[pennsywoodburnr]

I'm not fully sure if you are referring to seasoned wood that got wet in the rain? Or did you cut new green wood?

Seasoned wood with rain water on it is ready to burn. That water is literally only on the outside and maybe 1/4" in on the ends.

Agreed. Anything I had sitting up seasoned for a while, even if it was saturated, only took maybe 20-30 minutes sitting on the hearth in front of the fireplace to dry out and be ready to toss in.

 

[Chris-PA]

Stack it next to the stove while burning the bark. It'll be ready in an hour or two.

 

[CTYank]

Stack it next to the stove while burning the bark. It'll be ready in an hour or two.

That's where my ready-racks are. They function like a slow kiln. Put a split from there on a bed of coals and wait 30 sec. Close the door. Takeaway: keep some wood stacked there; get some top-cover on outside wood, especially if it's for this season.

 

[ETpilot]

Well thanks for the replies. Some good news this is seasoned wood about 18 months. I keep it stacked outside. This season I did not move any into the barn overhang so I paid this price. As suggested, I will move some in next to the stove. The rest can air dry under back porch outside. Yesterday I got a little over 2 inches of rain, so over 4 inches in 3 days. Everything is soggy here. The rain has moved on so I plan to move wood to the barn. Lesson learned. Also learned about seasoned wood and rain. I feel better now. Thanks again.

 

[blades]

If ya got power in the barn set up a box fan for air circulation to speed things up

 

[mainewoods]

Yup, a box fan and a warm room does wonders.

 

[olyman]

I'm not fully sure if you are referring to seasoned wood that got wet in the rain? Or did you cut new green wood?

Seasoned wood with rain water on it is ready to burn. That water is literally only on the outside and maybe 1/4" in on the ends.

damn straight man.